[Genealib] Re: What if...

[Carrie Cook]

Can't echo the idea of shopping for "local" genealogy and history (even good social history) media enough, however if time is a factor, we all know how time consuming it can be. If you can, try to get volunteers to seek out local resources. If needed, this would be a great time to replace those items in your collection that need replacement - if available. Great broad resources such as the Official Record of the War of the Rebellion (the new DVD, with extras), Census, even the Quaker books that are currently not in "print", but available from GPC via CD are ideas. With that much to spend, unless you have tons of vacant space and the correct storage units already filling it, you may want to go with Microfilm or Electronic media if you can get it. 
   
  True, lots of stuff is available online, but who knows how access will be granted to it in the coming years. Additionally, who knows if funds will remain for continued membership to online services. I'm not a MLIS trained individual, so I may be speaking out of turn, but this new dust up with online services is making me nervous. Additionally, those electronic books can be read on any computer terminal that has a CD player - much easier to get donations of than a microfilm reader that is not worn out or a good, up to date, internet appliance. What is one person's surplus can work great as a terminal to read CDs - as long as the operating system is compatable and a tech has cleared it of viruses, etc. Still have lots of money to spend? If you have enough computer terminals, consider more than one copy of well used resources...
   
  Now for a publisher's viewpoint - If you can't find enough places to spend the money, consider Archive copies of local printed sources you know may not stay in print. That way when your shelf copy is in tatters, you can replace it - even if it's been "out of print" for years. Another way to spend the money, if you are out of ideas, might be to purchase genealogy intensive (or useful) research tools, how to's, and local history for the circulating collection. This, if not against policy, may generate even more interest in your department, good will, etc.
   
  An educators viewpoint - If you have someone available and willing, you might want to build a "classroom set" of materials. These can consist of basic resources that can be checked out by educators only for use in the classroom, or a quantity of a particular "text" that can travel with library staff as they go out and lecture in classrooms.
   
  Ideas from the lady with many jobs,
  Carrie Cook 

genealib-request at mailman.acomp.usf.edu wrote:
  Message: 2
Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 12:24:57 -0400
From: "Lyles, John" 
Subject: [Genealib] What if....
To: 
Message-ID:
<7E05F953A7079F44B6A1CE13585A349116655C at brdmsex1.cvrls.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

your genealogy department had more money than you knew what to do with, say $200,000 that had to be spent in the next couple of weeks, How would you spend it? Materials purchases only. Your suggestions are most welcomed. 

thanks
John

Carrie's Corner 
carriescorner at yahoo.com  
http://www.neok.com/~ccorner 
    "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."—James Baldwin


 
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