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Subject: [IADECATU] National Archives Reducing Hours - PLEASE READ
Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 14:25:42 EDT

I received the following information from Dick Eastman's Online Genealogy
Newsletter. Many of us may only have one chance in a lifetime to travel to
Washington, D.C. and research in the National Archives. Reducing their hours to
weekdays only will definitely hurt out opportunities for research, not to
mention professional genealogists that we might hire to do our research for us.
Please read the following and sign the petition. We need to let the
government know that we as genealogists care about this!


Stacey Dietiker
Decatur Co IA Mailing List Administrator
County Coordinator Decatur County Iowa IAGenWeb
www.rootsweb.com/~iadecatu


Quick! Please Join FGS Attendees in Petition About NARA Opening Hours!


The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) recently
proposed a reduction in the number of hours that the agency's facilities are open
to the general public. Weekend and evening hours would be especially
curtailed. The result will be a major hardship on genealogists, especially those who
cannot visit during normal business hours.

Dr. Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States and head of the National
Archives and Records Administration, attended the FGS/NEHGS 2006 Conference
in Boston this week and addressed the Opening Session on Thursday. Following
his remarks, he was presented with a letter by the Chair of the Records
Preservation and Access Committee (RPAC) addressing concerns about the proposed
changes in the hours of operation for the Research Rooms at the National
Archives.
The members of that committee have been told that very few genealogists have
responded to the agency's proposal. In this case, silence will be interpreted
as agreement! Comments close on September 8. There's not much time left!
A discussion ensued among many of the genealogists present at the conference,
resulting in a petition to ask for reconsideration. I was able to upload
that petition, and conference attendees were asked to sign the online petition
through announcements over the public address session, at the Friday evening
banquet, in many of the sessions, and in the hallways. Many people lined up at
computers supplied by many of the vendors and added their names to the
petition. Others signed the petition from their laptops in hotel rooms, from the
hotel's public access computers in the lobby, and elsewhere. I hope that
others returned home and will sign the petition from there.
As I write these words, 651 names are on this petition. We need more, many
more, In fact, we need YOUR name.
Just before the close of comments by the National Archives and Records
Administration, this petition will be printed and sent to the agency via overnight
mail.
With the limited amount of time left until the close of comments,
genealogists everywhere need you to immediately copy and paste this or similar messages
and send them to your friends, asking them to add their "electronic
signatures" to the petition. Please post information about the petition on web sites,
newsletters, and mailing lists as you deem appropriate. We need to have as
many signatures as possible from concerned U.S. residents BEFORE September 8.
To add your voice to the messages being sent to the National Archives, please
go to _http://www.petitiononline.com/FGS2006_
(http://www.petitiononline.com/FGS2006) .
NOTE: The letters "FGS" in the above web address MUST be in upper case.
Here is the text of the petition:
To: Regulations Comments Desk (NPOL)
Dear FGS Conference Attendee:
We were honored to have Dr. Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States
attend the FGS/NEHGS 2006 Conference in Boston and to address us in the
Opening Session on Thursday, August 31, 2006. Following his remarks, he was
presented with a letter by the Chair of the Records Preservation and Access
Committee (RPAC) addressing concerns about the proposed changes in the hours of
operation for the Research Rooms at the National Archives.
It has come to our attention that very few of our constituencies are making
their voices heard on this issue. This lack of response sends a loud signal to
the Archives that this is not a serious issue and that closing the Archives
on evenings and Saturdays is irrelevant. The RPAC has recommended the
following suggestions for the Archives to consider:
1) To accommodate the needs of those who need access on Saturdays, we
propose that you close one other day per week. This would be at your discretion.
Other archives often close Sunday and Monday.
2) Users who need evening hour access could be accommodated by opening the
archives later in the day, again at your discretion.
If you agree with the recommendations stated above, we are asking your
support by immediately going on-line and adding your "signature" to our petition
to substitute the hours of access and still help the archives to meet their
need to consolidate their hours of operation. Please "electronically sign"
below to add your voice to this letter.
In addition, if you would like to send your own personal letter, send it
prior to 8 September 2006 and address it to:
Regulations Comments Desk (NPOL)
Room 4100, Policy and Planning Staff
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Sincerely,
The Undersigned

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