The "Highlight
Site" from
Your Life Is Your Story!
We Recommend
Top Family History
& Life Story Sites and Services
The
major purpose of this web site is to encourage you to pursue
telling your life story, or to preserve the stories of your family and
loved ones. There are many ways to do this (as discussed elsewhere on
this site, especially at
How to Tell Your Story).
On
this page we regularly put into the Spotlight
a "Highlight Site" that provides quality
family history and life story methods, products and services.
Click here
for previous Highlight Sites
Another "Your
Life is Your Story"
Recommendation
Association of
Personal Historians (APH)

The Association
of Personal Historians (APH),
a not-for-profit
international trade association,is comprised of
some of the most talented and dedicated
people around. The
hundreds of members are involved in the preservation of family and
business
legacy, as well as the multiple ways to save personal history. Founded
in 1995,
the APH is an organization dedicated to helping people preserve life
stories
and memories.
The
passion for personal history preservation in all its various shapes and
forms
is at the heart of this organization. Over the years it has grown and
developed
many resources to help personal historians. I became a member in 2003
and I am
continually impressed at how the business and the mission of personal
history have
evolved.
There
are two key areas that APH can benefit you:
1) They can help you find the
right person(s) to help you tell your story (or that of a loved one).
The over 600 members from all around the United States, Canada and even
a few other countries have a broad experience and ability to help in an
amazing number of story preservation ways: books, oral histories,
videos and more. You can easily search the Membership
Directory.
2)
If you are interested in
becoming a personal historian, either as a professional or hobbyist,
this
organization has the resources and help you need. More beneficial than
the in-depth content on the web site is the sense of community
you
get as a member.
There is a very
active email discussion
list, online forum, quarterly print newsletters, emails marketing
services from
fellow members, and the organization has created a "toolbox" of
helpful resources for sale to members.
The association continues to improve offerings to members, including
regional and online educational opportunities. And their annual
conferences are superb opportunities to learn, network and
have fun.

The
2011 gathering was in colorful Las Vegas, Nevada
once again the conference delighted and inspired members. The year the theme was Expanding
Horizons and the conference took place October 16-20, 20011
(Sunday - Thursday). Next year's conference will be in St. Louis. The feedback from attendees is always heavy on the value of the workshops,
training, sharing and (most especially) the networking value. Lifetime
friendships have bloomed and continue to assist the novice and the
veteran throughout the year. You can see more information about past conferences here.
APH has a structure and organization, but it's not
rule-heavy. The board members who serve as officers provide guidance
and direction and are themselves active professionals in the field of
personal history.
Some areas well worth exploring on the APH site are
About the APH
(learn about the organization, the values, history and how to join), an
extensive Member's Area (jammed with resources too
numerous to mention), the Newsroom
(various members in the news as well as publicity about the
Association) and a pretty extensive Resources
and links
section that will keep you surfing the Internet for a good while.
I
also highly recommend the anthology of
personal history stories released by APH - My Words
Are Gonna Linger
contains a number of life stories from various members of APH. You can
now order the book online.
As you continue your life journey take advantage of
the benefits offered from the APH
web site.
Tom Gilbert, proud member of APH.
Everybody has a story to tell!
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