MI-GENEALOGY-L Archives

Archiver > MI-GENEALOGY > 2009-07 > 1248646114


From: Peggy Youngs <>
Subject: Re: [MI-GENEALOGY] Ways to Save the State of Michigan Library
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:08:34 -0400
References: <479153.98077.qm@web65507.mail.ac4.yahoo.com><AE5E3FAFEA764030847A16F12E3CFA7F@D33R7CD1> <2b2a40b60907261229t49e975a9j9fa580a928a42d1@mail.gmail.com> <5386F7BB8FE841D38123F9A92C3E6D65@jan3b6d78105b3>
In-Reply-To: <5386F7BB8FE841D38123F9A92C3E6D65@jan3b6d78105b3>


I have to say, in all my visits to the Michigan Historical Complex over the
past
ten years, the only children I have seen in the building are school groups
visiting the Historical Museum. That's not to say that children don't use
the
library, just that I never see them on the second floor using the
collections
used by genealogists.

I truly don't know if they have a children's section in the library. I do
know that
the city of Lansing has its own library, so why have a children's section at
the
state library? Any child living more than a few blocks away would need to
be
brought there by parents or someone who drove them there. While I do see
many MSU students and probably high school students on the second floor,
they are always using the computers and I have not seen them using the books
or microfilm.

I think a library card or some other access charge could be applied for use
of
the second floor, which contains the Abrams Collection, the city
directories, the
local and county histories (Michigan Collection), and the newspaper
microfilms.
In other words, you could say this would be a tax on genealogists. But if
you
have people--and I know many--who pay $100/year to use the Burton
Collection,
why not ask us to pay to use the resources in Lansing? While I would not be
jumping for joy at the prospect of paying, I would do so if it meant keeping
the
library.

While I have the luxury of not having to pay for a library card to use my
local
library, I am aware that as funding dries up many libraries are having to
ask
patrons to pay.

Peggy

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