Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 10:15-10:45 break 12:00-1:00 lunch break 2:15-2:45 break William Welge Director, Archives Division, Oklahoma Historical Society His program will consist of providing information to the researcher concerning the various kinds of tribal records likely to be used for research.  Welge will concentrate on records from the tribes of Oklahoma.

Keynote Speaker   One of his primary focal points has always been the Native American collection.

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An outline of types of records including census, enrollment, citizenship and schools (to name a few) will be highlights.  Some historical data will be included to provide how and why the records were created and how they are used today.

Our speaker, William D. Welge, Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society Archives Division, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a Master of Arts and History in Southwestern Studies from Central State University (Summa Cum Laude).  A charter member of the Academy of Certified Archivists, he has been a Certified Archivist since 1989.  He has also been included in Who's Who and received the Certificate of Merit from the Volunteer Action Center in Oklahoma City. 

Welge has served the Oklahoma Historical Society in various positions since April of 1977.  A man of many talents, he has been responsible for many tasks in the Archives including microfilming and preservation. Processing, arranging and accessioning collections including private manuscripts, photos, and government documents has also been his responsibility.  Since 1980, he has been working directly, assisting researcher in the use of resources including designing indices and finding other aids for researchers use.  As current Director, he is active on the administrative level including allocation of personnel and finances.  Welge is also in charge of establishing policy for acquisitions, conservation, and storage of holdings as well as continual development of research materials, etc. 

A member of Oklahoma Historical Societies in Beaver, Canadian (El Reno), Cimarron (Boise City), Greer (Mangum), and McClain (Purcell) Counties, he is also active in the Oklahoma City/County, Oklahoma State (OKC), and No Man's Land (Goodwell) Societies.  Additional related memberships include: Friends of the OHS Archives Support Group, Society of Southwest Archives, Star of the Republic Museum, and Westerners International. He also holds membership in the following out of state Historical Societies/Associations: Kansas State, Missouri, Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest, Texas.  His life-long interest in history and research is in evidence with his work on the Murrah Memorial Task Force and United States Newspaper Project, and his participation in various organizations.  A published author, Welge's articles include, among others "The Ponca Tribe, A Twenty-first Century Perspective (Douglas County Historical Society, 2001); "The Cherokee People in Oklahoma: Tragedy and Triumph, The Consequences of Removal, 1838-1906" (East Tennessee Historical Society, 2001); "Dwight Mission, 1821-1998" (The Cherokee Quarterly, 1999); "Tribal Records at the Oklahoma Historical Society" (The Record, NARA, 1997); "The Indian-Pioneer History Collection: A Valuable Resource for Family Historians" (Oklahoma Genealogical Quarterly, 1991); "History of the Unassigned Lands" (serial-The Capitol Hill Beacon, 1988-1989); "Indian-Pioneer History Collection Is 50 Years Old" (The Chronicles of Oklahoma, 1987).