Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized over 600 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2022 award recipients and learn why they received the 2022 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Today we’re introducing the Library Relocation and Refocus Team that was nominated by the Seattle Genealogical Society (SGS). The team was comprised of Kathi McGinnes and Rob Sexton.

The Board of Directors of the SGS determined in 2020 that a combination of financial challenges and generational changes in genealogy required them to both find a new home for their library and to redesign the focus of the library on today’s genealogy.  While the entire Board and many other SGS members participated in this year-long project, Kathi McGinnis (SGS library director) and Rob Sexton (SGS operations director) were key to making this operation work.

Kathi worked on reducing the library from over 15,000 items to just over 4,000 items, shifting the focus from the entire world to the Pacific Northwest and finding homes for the items being removed. Rob oversaw all aspects of the move itself, finding the new space, scheduling the move activities, and making sure it all worked. While there were the inevitable hitches, Kathi and Rob made sure that the move nailed the landing.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Info@wasgs.org. Please type “Volunteer Award.”