[Genealib] Re: Looking to the Future

[Pam Cooper]

William and all:

Absolutely and yes, we will continue to buy microfilm as long as I am here. <g> There are too many small towns like us that will be left behind and will not be digitized until long after I am gone. 

In spite of a 50% cut in budget, our priority for the money goes to microfilming our documents, which I send to a vendor in Palm Beach. Of course, we get them digitized at the same time, which is a much smaller expense.

We have a much bigger problem. We need to own the master microfilm of our newspaper!

Our local newspaper and the state Newspaper Project (who has our master copy) have become our worst enemy. The newspaper sends their reporters and the public to us. However, I have over ten rolls (1970's-1980) that can no longer be used due to deterioration. (We have 3rd generation microfilm.) This means over 10 years of the newspaper is not available online or anywhere else for that matter. The reason - both the local newspaper and the State Newspaper Program have stopped production of microfilm to only digitize current newspapers. Who knows when they will ever get to re-filming or reproducing the older papers? We are in a crisis at this moment and I have been fighting this for over five years. 

Yes, there is more to the story, but I did not want to bore all of you with the details. Just know that if you want replacement for that broken microfilm, check with the people who have your master copy and see if they will make duplicates for you. Or, see if you can buy master copies.

Pam

Pamela J. Cooper, Supervisor 
Archive Center & Genealogy Department
Indian River County Main Library
1600 21st Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960

772-770-5060 x4148 - Fax 772-770-5446
Email: pcooper at irclibrary.org  
Web Site: http://www.irclibrary.org/genealogy
Please note: As of July 1, 2006, under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.


-----Original Message-----
From: genealib-bounces at mailman.acomp.usf.edu [mailto:genealib-bounces at mailman.acomp.usf.edu] On Behalf Of William Blohm
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 9:50 AM
To: 'Librarians Serving Genealogists'
Subject: RE: [Genealib] Re: Looking to the Future

I have also found the answers to this question interesting,  
particularly those that mentioned microfilm. Are you still purchasing  
locally-relevant microfilm? Even if the related records are currently  
digitally available?

When the 1940 census is released in 2012 would you/your library want  
to purchase one or more microfilm rolls for geographic areas that  
fall within the scope of your collection?  Or will you rely on online  
digital access from whomever may provide it?

>Our library, for one, would still want census microfilm of our county.
Indexing,
>whether print or online, fails often enough that reading an entire township
or county
>is a necessary technique for finding ancestors. Reading page after page is
less
>straining on a good microfilm reader than it is online, IMHO.

William R. Blohm
Reference Librarian & Collection Development Manager
Gail Borden Public Library District
270 N. Grove Ave.
Elgin, IL  60120



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