----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Burow" <sburow(a)swbell.net>
To: <STATE-COORD-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Monday, September 04, 2006 11:00 AM
Subject: [STATE-COORD] Fw: Petition on reduction in hours for National
Archives
Please forward to your state and local lists.
Scott Burow
NC - USGenWeb Project
----- Original Message -----
From: Mike St. Clair/TT
Sent: Monday, September 04, 2006 10:55 AM
Subject: Petition on reduction in hours for National Archives
In late July, the National Archives announced they were planning to cut
back the hours of the Washington DC area facilities of the archives. This
would eliminate all evening and Saturday hours and greatly harm the
ability of the average genealogist to access the records. For full
details, see
http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2006/nr06-125.html
While the Archivist of the United States was at the FGS conference he
reported that they had received very little feedback from the country's
genealogists asking for reconsideration. He was also presented with a
request from the chair of the FGS Records Preservation Committee to
consider some alternatives and a petition was started to allow
genealogists to express their disagreement with the changes and to endorse
alternatives that will allow the evening and Saturday hours to continue.
You can see more details about that in Dick Eastman's weekly newsletter
at:
http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/09/quick_please_jo.html
The petition can be signed at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/FGS2006
I would encourage each of you, as board members of The USGenWeb Project to
use your influence to publicize this information throughout the project.
Note that the deadline for receiving comments on the proposed changes by
the archives is September 9, so there isn't much time. And I suspect that
if they succeed in reducing the Washington hours, the regional archives
will be soon to follow.
I appreciate all that each of you do in support of the project membership
and all genealogists with US ancestry. I believe that a little effort in
support of this effort by FGS will pay off long term in enhancing our
ability to deliver free information to our clients - genealogists
everywhere.
Mike St. Clair