MEETING OPENED: 10:37 am - President Kevin O'Brien, presiding.

REPORTS:
A. Minutes of last meeting read and approved.
B. Treasurer's Report:
C. Membership:
Eight new members were enrolled in the last quarter. Current membership stands at 125.
Anyone wishing to place articles and/or queries in the next issue of the Buffalo Irish Times needs to submit the information prior May15th
Individual genealogy reports are wanted for inclusion in the binder located in the library. Information may be submitted in any convenient format.
All members are asked to notify Donna Shine whenever they have a change of address and/or email address.v Reminder: All donations to BIGS are tax deductible.
D. Correspondence:
A request was received from County Clare searching for information regarding a Kavanaugh family in Buffalo c. 1900. Mary Murphy will follow up.
A request was received from Louisiana seeking confirmation of an 1849 marriage in Lancaster, NY. Margaret Fabinsky will follow up.

OLD BUSINESS:
A. Events:
The Buffalo Irish Festival for 2005 has been scheduled for August 26-28th at The Pier.
B. Projects:
Mary Murphy reports the Holy Cross Cemetery records through the year 1879 have been indexed in Excel format. Several volunteers are currently working on records from the 1930s. We are in need of proofreaders to check the transcriptions.
We continue to look for someone who will convert the First Ward Nickname information into booklet form. Additional information is always welcome.
C. Purchases:
Suggestions for purchases for the library are to be given to Donna Shine. New acquisitions in the past quarter are as follows: Book - Tracing Your Roots with DNA
CDs - Tithe Defaulters, 1831
Canadian Genealogy, Index #16
Periodicals - SEPTS, back issues
D. Library:
The regular library hours - first and second
Saturday of the month from 10 am to 2 pm and the third Tuesday from 6 - 9 pm remain in effect. The library may also be accessed by appointment by contacting Mary Murphy, John Blest or Donna Shine. Volunteers continue to be needed to assist patrons.
As we are now responsible for management of entire GAAA library, a number of policies and procedures need to be developed. The terms for lending books, duration of loan, overdue fees, charges for lost/damaged materials, etc. must be established. Suggestions are welcome. To date, the combined collection has been catalogued. Materials have been identified using the Dewey Decimal System. The genealogical materials have been further identified by area of specialization using a color code.
NEW BUSINESS:
A. Nomination of Officers:
Nominations are to be sent to Kevin O'Brien at [email protected] no later than July 1st.
B. Future Topics:
July Meeting - Ed Patton will give a presentation on the development of Irish neighborhoods in Buffalo
. October Meeting - Irish in the Civil War - The 155th NY - Corcoran's Brigade. Suggestions for topics for future presentations or discussions may be sent to Kevin O'Brien at [email protected]
C. Theme: 2006 Gathering of the Clans - Ed Patton recommends a display focusing on the 'Vanishing Folkways of Ireland'.
D. City of Buffalo Inactive Records and Research Facility is now fully operational. BIGS members who have used it find it very helpful. Details are attached.

BUSINESS MEETING ADJOURNED: 11:34 am

***NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, July 19th, 6:30 pm *** - note change of day/time.

The meeting was followed by a presentation on the use of DNA testing in genealogy given by Kevin O'Brien.

M. E. O'Grady-Fabinsky