I am forwarding this email from the Vice-President of the French-Canadian
Heritage Society
of Michigan for your consideration.
Peggy Youngs
Hello Folks,
I just came from a political meeting and was able to approach a state
representative and the administrative assistant of another state
representative. Both of them were only vaguely aware of the closing of the
Library of Michigan and breaking up this historic collection. I spoke up
for preserving the library, but it really bothered me that they were
basically unaware. So, make sure you contact your state representative,
state senator, and the governors office and ask them to protect the library
and preserve the collection intact.
I also had a chance to chat with Lt. Gov. John Cherry and found out that he
too is a genealogist and was one of the original legislators pushing for the
creation of the Michigan Historical Center. He too is concerned with the
survival of the collection but reminded me that we face some serious budget
issues. I asked him to please do what he could do to preserve the
collection. I warned him, as well as the others, that MSU, great university
that it is and my alma mater, is not going to be open and welcoming to
amateur local historians and genealogists. Mr. Cherry said he would do what
he could.
Please, if you have not done so already, please contact your state
legislators and the governor. If you have done so already, then please
contact them again. Remember a person visit is best, followed by a
telephone call, then a letter, and lastly an email has the least impact. To
find your state legislator point your browser to
http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp for your state representative and
http://senate.michigan.gov/SenatorInfo/find-your-senator.htm for your
state senator. The governor’s contact information is at
http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995---,00.html.
Lastly, if you can join the Hands Around the Library protest in Lansing on
Wednesday the 5th of August, then please do so. They are going to assemble
at the State Capitol on the lawn. They have reserved the North and South
lawns as well as the steps. It starts at 9:45 a.m. At 10:30 a.m. the
protestors will march over to the Michigan Historical Center and form our
Hands Around the Library.
If I was not short of vacation time, I would be in Lansing.
Three months from now, if the Library of Michigan is gone and you can no
longer access the collection will you at least be able to say you tried your
best to preserve 180 years of Michigan history?
JP
John P. DuLong, Ph.D.
Acadian and French-Canadian Genealogy
959 Oxford Road
Berkley, MI 48072-2011
(248) 541-2894, home
(248) 890-4853, cell
http://habitant.org