The Filby Prize was established in 1999 in honor of P. William Filby (1911 – 2002), whose bibliographic and historical research enabled thousands of libraries to serve family historians in new ways.  Mr. Filby, who was also director of the Maryland Historical Society, is best known for his work to index nearly every published list documenting immigration to the United Statesand Canada. 

The 2006 Filby Prize will be awarded at the annual NGS Conference Banquet in June.  Letters of nomination will be accepted through April 1.  Potential candidates must meet one or more of five criteria. 

1. Significant contributions to patron access to information, or to the preservation of historical records.
2. Development of an imaginative reference tool or similar outstanding contribution of enduring consequence that fills the gaps in existing information, accuracy, scope or usefulness of genealogical and local history materials.
3. Publication of a book or a body of articles that have contributed significantly to the field of genealogy or local history and that are of an interpretative nature.
4. Other activities that have significantly advanced genealogy and local history.
5. Work that has encouraged others to be innovative in the field.

  “We’ve long admired the Filby Prize for its recognition of the pivotal role librarians make in propelling research in family history,” said David “Skip” Prichard, President of ProQuest Information and Learning. “We’re honored that the NGS has selected ProQuest to be a part of the important mission of this award.”

Details on how to submit a letter of nomination for the Filby Prize are available on the NGS web site at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/comfilby.cfm. 

Founded in 1903, the non-profit National Genealogical Society is one of the nation’s largest and most respected organizations devoted to genealogical research.  The Society provides leadership along with a wide variety of educational programs for individuals, societies, libraries and institutions."

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