[Genealib] Re: Fwd: [Publib] Genealogy collections

[Carrie Cook]

The Miami, Oklahoma Public Library Genealogy collection started over 30 years ago with donations - not staff acquisitions. It has gone through many changes and at one time got it's own room - a large part of one room in the basement. 
  First access to the basement collection was the honor system, but as it was possible for people to leave the collection and bypass the building security carrolls (without setting off the fire alarm), this didn't last long. 
  Next, you had to surender your drivers licence at the main desk to get access. To get your license back, you did have to go through security. As we are a fairly small town, this didn't sit well with most researchers. 
  The next step was access when a county genealogy society volunteer was "staffing" - this also helped with the "well meaning defacement" - that person who knows a date or fact is wrong and helps out with their ink pen.
  Then the library hired a part time dedicated staffer - who was also in charge of getting and maintaining volunteers. For a short time during this stage, volunteers were not required to join the local society if they wanted to help out - due to the the library policy not covering genealogy volunteer requirements.
  Next, the library decided to move the collection to the main floor - where the regular reference secion had been. General, non-ciruclating, reference material was placed with circulating material of the same subject, or "weeded". At the time, the genealogy staffer was the closest thing to a reference librarian on staff. The PR material for customers stateed it was to only be "open" when a dedicated person was available.
  Then the genealogy staffer got an increase in hours. However, our library is open more than 40 hours a week, so she still tries to get volunteers.
  Recently, even the library website has changed to reflect that a customer can use the non-circulating genealogy collection at any time. Though it cautions that if staff or a volunteer is not posted in the section that there may not be any help available for the section.
   
  Hope this helps,
  Carrie Cook

genealib-request at mailman.acomp.usf.edu wrote:
    ---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: priscillaemrich 

Date: Thu, Mar 20, 2008 at 6:17 PM
Subject: [Publib] Genealogy collections
To: HALSlist , Publib Listserv




We are starting to plan for a new building. I am thinking of having a
separate genealogy room, but I fear that I can't afford to staff it full
time. Does anyone in library land have a genealogy room that has different
hours than your main library?

***************************************************
Priscilla E. Emrich
Murphy Memorial Library
Livingston, TX 77351
priscillaemrich at murphymemlib.org
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Carrie's Corner 
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