Going Greener – Guild 2020

As members and supporters of the Foundation will know these have always been produced as physical publications, which are printed, bound and posted to your home address. In a changing world, where environmental considerations are becoming increasingly important, the Foundation too is conscious of its impact on the environment and the need for sustainability in the world today.

This year in response to feedback from members, staff and contributors to our journals, and as part of the Foundation’s on-going commitment to try to improve our sustainability credentials, we would like to offer members the option of receiving your copy of the Directory in digital format only.

There are a number of reasons for this proposed change. If we go digital with the Directory this could lower the Foundation’s carbon footprint and environmental impact – reducing paper used, print processes and labour and postage costs, amongst other things.

However, it is not only about being more environmentally responsible or making cost savings, important though they are. We believe new benefits will accrue to members as result of the change. By making the Directory digital it will enable us to reinvest the resource saved into developing other online resources for members, including a new mid-year Directory-style publication which will include more details about unusual stories, members’ own research successes, tips and advice from the Foundation’s staff and team of researchers. This mid-year publication will be ‘born digital’ and remain digital, it will not be produced in hardcopy format.

However, we are also conscious of the fact that many of our Guild Members prefer having a print version rather than a digital one. To that end, we are sending this email to gauge what the potential response might be to a change like this. It would be extremely helpful for us to hear from you on whether you would be happy to start receiving a digital version of the Directory, or whether you would prefer a print copy.

If we were to stop printing the Directory, we would plan to develop a new twice-yearly online Directory for members, which would continue to have the usual mix of articles, focusing on genealogical source material, news items and members’ research interests.

To recap

1. There are no plans to make Familia: Ulster Genealogical Review a digital publication. ALL members will continue to receive a hardcopy of Familia in the post as part of your subscription.
2. While we hope that most members will opt to receive the Directory as a digital edition, we will ALWAYS produce a printed version of the Directory for those members who wish to continue to receive it in this format. Just select that option in the revised membership fees schedule.
3. The more members who opt for a digital copy the better it will be for all. While cost savings and environmental concerns are important they are not the only reason for the change. The resource saved will be reinvested into other sources specifically and exclusively for Guild members.
4. One additional benefit to members of this changeover will be an acceleration of the digitising of Guild resources – past issues of Familia and the Directory and of a range of out of print UHF titles.

Revised Fees Structure

Please take the time to consider the proposed change and select your preferred option for the year ahead (2020).