Howdy Buckeyes:
Normally I wouldn't forward such a lengthy item as the one you have
now before you, however, I'll leave it to your discretion whether you
read or pitch. Beth Wills and Bonnie McVicar-Briggs are our USGW
Regional representatives to the USGW Advisory Board. Apparently a vote
is being taken whether to table this issue or not, so your Regional
Reps would appreciate hearing from you on this issue before that vote
is taken.
FYI.
Allen
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Allen Richmond
sciototrails(a)usa.net
OHGenWeb Project State Coordinator
http://www.scioto.org/OHGenWeb/
In the asking comes sharing;
in sharing comes knowledge;
in knowledge comes wisdom which lasts a lifetime. --ar.
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Subject: [USGenWeb-NE-L] Re: URGENT ! Census -vs- Archives Ruling
Date: Sat, 22 May 1999 17:27:27 -0500
From: Bonnie McVicar-Briggs <mishiawa(a)shiatel.tds.net>
I wanted to let you all know that I completely agree with Beth on
this. I was supposed to leave this morning to go to Alpena as a family
member is not expected to survive more than a few days, but something
came up at my husband's office, so we will be leaving this evening. I
have no idea how long I am going to be gone. I should be back by mid
week, maybe sooner.
I would also like to say that we should all be concerned when a motion
of this magnitude is proposed and a vote is scheduled within three
days. Even if we had a full board, we as board members, need time to
discuss the issue and contact all of you, to get your feedback, so
that we may cast informative votes. It is this rush to vote, that
makes us all feel that we are being blindsided.
I urge you all to please let the board members know how you feel. If
you don't understand the problems, please let us know, in order for us
to help you to understand them.
Thank you.
Bonnie McVicar-Briggs
NE/NC CC rep
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At 09:05 AM 5/22/1999 -0400, Beth Wills wrote:
I, as a board member, would like to add that our region - the one that
includes Michigan - is short one member to vote on this very important
motion. And, another in our region may be called away at any time,
due to family illness, leaving the possibility that there will be only
ONE vote to represent our region on this matter! Another motion has
been made to table this decision until the NE / NC region is at full
compliment. [For those of you who are not up to date on the national
board activities, Kim Harris-Meyers who was the region's State
Coordinator representative has resigned.] Furthermore, there are
those on the board that feel that this motion should be put before the
entire project for a vote, not just a board vote. PLEASE take the
time to let the board members know how you feel. If we can't get the
board motion to table this decision, there will be some very big
decisions made without this region's imput.
Here are the e-mail addresses of the current board members.
Tim Stowell (tstowell(a)mccallie.org) - National Coordinator
Garnett J.(Joe) Zsedeny (jzsed(a)worldnet.att.net) - Archives Project
Betsy (betsym(a)1starnet.com) - SW / SC State Rep
Bill Oliver (wnoliver(a)worldnet.att.net) - NW / Plains State C Rep
Bonnie McVicar Briggs (mishiawa(a)shiatel.tds.net) - NE / NC CC Rep
Bridgett (bascs(a)snark.wizard.com) SE/MA State Rep
Ginger Cisewski (FEATHER2s(a)aol.com) NW / Plains CC Rep
Jan Craven (jcraven(a)usunwired.net)
Jim Powell (jpowelljr(a)worldnet.att.net) SE/MA Region CC Rep
Kay Mason (kmfkm(a)ptw.com) - Census Project
Lynn Watermann (cestus3(a)inetnebr.com) - NW / Plains CC Rep
Megan Zurawicz (mspiglet(a)prodigy.net) SW/SC CC Rep
Pam Reid (pamreid(a)dc.jones.com) - Tombstone Special Projects
Trey Holt (holt(a)txcyber.com) - SW/SC CC Rep
Yvonne James-Henderson (hen1(a)idt.net) SE/MA Region CC Rep
Beth Wills
bethw(a)kvi.net
Ionia County MIGenWeb Coordinator
http://www.rootsweb.com/~miionia
NE / NC CC Rep
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-----Original Message-----
From: Ron & Kathy <rkeason(a)tir.com>
To: MIGEN-L(a)rootsweb.com <MIGEN-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Date: Saturday, May 22, 1999 7:30 AM
Subject: [MIGEN-L] Census -vs- Archives Ruling
Hello fellow Michiganders,
I realize that not all of you are actually living in Michigan, (sorry
about that), but we will allow you "status-grata" while you are CC'ing
for the great state of:
((((((((((((((( M I C H I G A N )))))))))))))))
There is a delemna. I know that Joan, (the best SC in USGW), always
keeps us updated with the events at the National level as they happen.
Thanks Joan. Some states never hear. But I wanted to bring this to
your attention because there is very little time before the course of
the Census Project is ruined forever.
There is a new resolution just brought before the Board that would in
effect terminate the current directories of the Census Project and
turn everything over the Archives Project. This wouldn't necessarily
be a bad thing if some protective guidelines were put in place but
they aren't and the system that has been set up would be handed over,
Carte-blanche, without the slightest regards for the staff or thousand
+plus volunteers that have made the Census Project what it is today.
I am an Assistant National Coordinator for the USGW Census Project as
well as a Michigan County Coordinator for Lapeer County. I and others
have worked really hard to make the Census Project what it is today.
It is a well run Project, well managed and the people like it. I know
some of you are volunteer transcribers and proofreaders and this is
also your Project.
The resolution itself was drafted and submitted by a member of the
Board who is also a member of the Archives Project as a File Manager,
I believe and the current Representative on the Board for the Archives
Project. Now I may be wrong in my thinking but since this is a
situation of great importance not only to an entire Special Project of
USGW, but to the USGW as a whole. My thinking says that anything that
happens on this scale or any scale should be honest, above board and
non-controversial. How can a member of the Archives Project who would
stand to gain for his Project be unbiased in submitting a resolution
of conflict of this nature against another Project. To me this is an
obvious conflict of interest. He should neither be submitting nor
voting on a resolution that directly affects his own interests off the
Board. Kay Mason who is the National Coordinator for the Census
Project, isn't voting.
I just think that this is wrong and should be addressed. I am writing
to ask that those of you who are concerned about the future of the
Census Project and the outcome that will affect everyone, please
write to your Board Representative and ask that your feelings be made
known to the other Board members. There are many fine people working
in and for the Archives Project. I know some of them and like them
very much, and this is not to cast any aspersions upon anyone or all,
as a whole, but to call into question the actions of one individual
that may not even realize that his deeds are questionable.
We don't want to lose our Census Project, by being swallowed by
another Project. There needs to be a resolution but not like this.
Please let your voice be heard. This motion is suppose to be voted on
Monday and without a full Board. The whole thing is wrong.
NOTE:......Below is the copy of the message that was released to all
the active lists by the Board.
Thanks,
Ron
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"A motion is made that Whereas directories are being inappropiately used
for unintended archival purposes it is hereby resolved that all
archival data directories not under the USGW XXGenWeb Archives and
containing census data be purged immediately of all such data and the
census data placed in the appropiate XXGenWeb archives. This includes
but is not limited to the
ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/census/ directory.
It is further resolved that Dr Brian Leverich be requested to return
the USGW Census Account(s) to the USGW Archives Census Accounts."
Joe Zsedeny
USGW Archives Rep
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