Melanie Frick, MLS, has been researching her family history for two decades. She holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University, a master’s degree in library and information science with a Certificate in Special Collections from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a bachelor’s degree in history from Iowa State University. Melanie has attended the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, as well as numerous genealogy conferences. A former librarian, she is also a former editor of the APG eNews for the Association of Professional Genealogists. She has volunteered with the National Genealogical Society and served on the board of the NextGen Genealogy Network. An Iowa native, Melanie resides in Washington state.