From the Darke County, OH list:
This was a front page article in this morning's Lansing State Journal
(
www.lsj.com).
Bruce McCrea
CUTTING BACK
Budget forces state to act on moving genealogical resources
For three decades, Cindi Shearer has pieced together her family history, including
the voyage her Puritan ancestors made from England to Boston in 1634.
But the Grand Ledge woman fears the genealogical materials she used to solve that
puzzle soon will begin its own voyage to an unknown shore.
"It bolsters your sense of belonging in the world," Shearer, 58, said of
genealogy. "The world has gotten so small, it's good that we feel connected to
the world."
Shearer is among many mid-Michigan genealogy enthusiasts who are concerned about a
move now under way at the Library of Michigan in downtown Lansing. The move is an effort
to comply with an executive order by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, streamline operations and
potentially ship part of its massive genealogical collection to another Michigan site.
"The Library of Michigan has the 10th largest genealogical collection in the
country," said Tom Koselka, legislative liaison for the Michigan Genealogical
Council. "Currently, it's a destination for many people to come to Michigan and
do research. If you spread it out, it makes more difficult for people to come here and do
that kind of research."
Library officials also plan on finding a new home in Michigan for its federal
depository collection. It's about 1.5 million volumes of federal documents and
publications that now take up 17,000 square feet in the library at 702 W. Kalamazoo St.
Nancy Robertson, the state librarian, said the library has no choice but to
streamline operations due to its shrinking staff and budget. The current year's budget
of $4.6 million is 10 percent lower than the previous year. And Granholm has proposed a
further 23 percent cut for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, and reducing its budgeted
staff of 45 employees by 13.
"Everybody is getting hit hard and we are, too," Robertson said. "We
want to sustain the library as a viable institution. We are going to be leaner, and we are
going to come out of this stronger (by focusing on a core mission)."
Robertson is hoping to prove the institution's viability as the newly formed
Michigan Center for Innovation and Renovation Board on Thursday began evaluating a
proposal to transform the Michigan Library and Historical Center into a new museum.
The current museum, which houses the state library, is envisioned as a hub to
highlight the state's emerging technology economy.
The proposal, offered by Michigan State University, calls for the museum to be run
by a partnership of the state, city of Lansing and MSU. Most of the library's holdings
would be transferred to MSU. The board is expected to issue its recommendations to
Granholm by June.
Last year, Granholm issued executive orders placing the state library under the
control of the state Department of Education, and she directed the department to evaluate
the library's services and streamline operations.
After that study, the Department of Education this month issued a letter stating the
library will continue to serve as a central repository for Michigan documents and provide
reference services for branches of state government. It also will continue to support
services for libraries across Michigan.
By Oct. 1, however, library staff will no longer oversee the federal depository
collection or its non-Michigan genealogical collection, which contains 44,000 volumes of
books, and 97,000 volumes of microfilm.
Robertson said the library still has yet to identify an agency or university willing
to take on its federal depository and genealogy collections. Under one scenario, she said,
the genealogical holdings could stay in the library if an interested group agreed to lease
space there and staff the area.
Koselka said the library has approached the Michigan Genealogical Council to see if
it's interested in the job.
"It's not our first choice, but it's an option on the table," said
Koselka, adding the group currently doesn't have funding for the venture.
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