‘Ugliest Sign' contest pays off for nonprofit

Last year, the West Valley Genealogical Society was selected as the winner of the FASTSIGNS Ugliest Sign Contest.

Entrants were required to submit a photo of their existing sign, along with a 500-word essay answering the question, "Why does your business need a sign makeover?" Entries were judged by a panel of FASTSIGNS Phoenix co-op professionals. DeborahC ampbell, owner of FASTSIGNS stores in Glendale and Goodyear, and Dorena Mello, owner of FASTSIGNS in Phoenix and a Youngtown councilwoman, worked with WVGS members to create up to $5,000 in new signage.

Phase 1 was completed last year with a newly designed, colorful pole sign. Phase 2 was delayed until a new front entrance was installed on the library building. It has been completed and is enhanced with new graphic window signs, with information about the society and what it offers to everyone interested in discovering their ancestry.

The visitors log shows that 50 percent have visted the library because they had seen the new signs.

"Before, many of our visitors had a hard time locating us because of our previously poor signage," said Dorothy Sprague, president of the society. "We truly appreciate the new, much improved signage." 

The library's research resources include more than 12,000 genealogy books, nearly 1,000 CDs containing information on millions of people, microfilm, microfiche, thousands of periodicals from the U.S. and foreign countries and a multi-computer system with Internet access, as well as special Web research sites. Visitors are welcome.

Activities include special interest groups pertaining to various states, countries and ethnic groups, as well as regular monthly meetings with speakers, how-to-do genealogy and genealogy software classes, newsletters, an annual seminar, sponsored genealogy trips to the Washington, D.C. Archives and Salt Lake City LDS Family History Library and more. The public is invited to participate.

The library is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays. People interested in discovering their ancestry may visit the library, check out the Web site at www.azwvgs.org or call 623-933-4945.