A joint committee of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the National Genealogical Society, and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.
The National Genealogical Society annual conference meeting in Salt Lake City today includes a Records Preservation and Access meeting beginning at 2:30pm MDT to which all interested in these issues are invited.
The topic is “How does the genealogical community organize to address threats to the records we need? Critical roles and resources for state liaisons.”
During this session we will premier a model presentation developed by RPAC suitable for use by state liaisons in presentations before local groups, as well as an additional “toolkit” for confronting legislative threats to our access. We will also hear from representatives of the genealogical community in Michigan concerning the latest developments surrounding the Library of Michigan and the collaborative efforts between the local and national genealogical communities.
We are still actively seeking State Liaisons for a number of states and would welcome any recommendations you may have. We will then contact them and see if they are willing to serve.
The Michigan Genealogical Council has provided the following status report:
February 21, 2010
Dear Fellow Genealogists:
As you may be aware, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) issued a letter on Friday, February 12, 2010, regarding the status of the Library of Michigan and it’s various collections.
On Wednesday, February 17, 2010, I met with Michigan’s State Librarian, Nancy Robertson. The reality is grim. The library is facing a 23 percent cut in funding. This cut has forced MDE to examine what collections and services the library provides, and what the core functions of a state library are as stated in Michigan law. Based on that, MDE has determined what collections/services currently housed in the library fit the identified core services and which do not. It was a difficult and painful choice for them to make. Unfortunately, it was decided that while the non-Michigan genealogical collection and the Federal Documents collection are valuable, they do not fit into the core functions of a state library, nor is it mentioned in the state’s constitution that the state must provide those collections/services. The Library is also facing a 13-person reduction in staff. They will have gone from 100 staff at its height, to 30 as of October 1, 2010.
Ms. Robertson also informed me that the library will become a non-circulating library. This means that they no longer need the second copy of items from the Michigan collection. Therefore, the second copies will go with the Genealogical collection. The items that do remain in the library’s possession will be consolidated to the 4th and 5th floors.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) has invited Council to send a representative to the meetings of the MichiganCenter for Innovation and Reinvention Board (MCIR) as an observer, and we have been informed that we will be allowed to have limited time for comment. Dr. Frank Boles, Director of the Clarke Historical Library at CentralMichiganUniversity, a respected professional in the librarian and historical communities, has agreed to represent Council and the genealogy community as our spokesperson.
During times of crises, a process needs to be followed. The first step is information gathering, the second is evaluation, the third is negotiations, and the fourth is action. The MGC is currently working on gathering and evaluating information. While we understand that the community is outraged, we ask that everyone remain calm and let our spokesperson, Dr. Frank Boles communicate with the MCIR Board that is involved in the potential uses of the HistoricalCenter.
Many alternative scenarios have been mentioned; however, MGC’s goals are that the collections remain under one roof and under state control. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please contact MGC at migencouncil@att.net.
Thank you for your patience during this time of turmoil. We will continue to keep you updated as events unfold.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Grostick, President
Michigan Genealogical Council
With the start of the New Year, all genealogists and RPAC State Liaisons should be vigilant in watching for new legislation affecting the access and the preservation of the nations records of genealogical value. Over the next few weeks, legislatures will introduce a series of bills that may impact genealogists, either positively or negatively. We want to both support positive legislation with our communications of support and make our voices heard when we see instances of legislation that may put records or access at risk.
Many newspapers print summaries of the bills submitted. You may also go to your legislative websites and look at the bills being introduced.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION: To work together in the genealogical community, if you observe legislation that affects us, please alert the RPAC through your State Liaison, or directly if a State Liaison has not yet been appointed.
We are still actively seeking State Liaisons for a number of states and would welcome any recommendations you may have. We will then contact them and see if they are willing to serve.
In the early fall, regular patrons of Archives I on the DC Mall began to hear of proposals to convert existingresearch areas of that vital facility into museum exhibits and gift shop expansion.Concerns were heightened by the fact that planning for this project was progressing with no apparent effort to seek input from affected staff or users.
Representatives of the Archives I Users Group and the local chapter of APG (Marie Melchiori and Claire Bettag) were among the first to bring the issue to the attention of the genealogical community.
A channel was opened to the professional staff of the Information Policy, Census and National Archives Subcommittee, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee,the entity exercising oversight of the activities of the National Archives.This was accomplished primarily through the efforts of Jan Meisels Allen in her capacity as a Director of IAJGS and a key member of the Records Preservation and Access Committee.The committee chose to have a representative of the genealogical community testify at an oversight hearing on 16 December 2009 entitled “HistoryMuseum or Records Access Agency?Defining and Fulfilling the Mission of the National Archives and Records Administration.”Jan Alpert, in her capacity as President of NGS was chosen to testify.
Jan’s written and oral statements were coordinated with RPAC and are found at the Subcommittee web page listed below. Additional statements for the record by Jan Allen (IAJGS) and David Rencher as Chair of RPAC were also developed. David Rencher’s statement prepared for the record is at the link at the beginning of this entry. Jan Allen’s materials are found at the IAJGS web site at: http://www.iajgs.org/ at the “Latest Alerts” link.
The hearing consisted of two panels.The first consisted of David S. Ferriero, newly confirmed as the tenth Archivist of the United States as well as the heads of the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress.The second panel included representatives of various public interest groups as well as our representative.
The contributions of IAJGS and RPAC were specifically acknowledged in the Chairman’s opening remarks as well as those of other not specifically identified genealogical groups.
Largely as a product of the activities leading up to this hearing, NARA held an “Open Forum” the day after the hearing inviting public input.The Archivist has announced an intention to conduct at least an additional session before proceeding with the development of the original proposal.
As of 1 Sep 2009, the Executive Summary of the RPAC White Paper entitled “Open Access to Public Records: A Genealogical Perspective” was updated to more accurately reflect the purposes for which the white paper was developed last Spring.
The full White Paper originally posted on 26 Feb 2009 has been updated to reflect this change.
The link immediately above is to a two page document containing the cover page and the updated Executive Summary.
Permission is granted for genealogical organizations to locally reproduce in its entirety the attached PDF version of the Executive Summary.
In meetings held during the Federation of Genealogical Societies/ Arkansas Genealogical Society Annual Conference in Little Rock this past week, the Records Preservation and Access Committee has initiated a petition drive in support of the Library of Michigan.
Additional background and the latest developments can be found at the web site of the Michigan Genealogical Council at:www.mimgc.org/LOM.html .They may also suggest legislators to whom individual letters might be addressed at appropriate points in the legislative process.
The Michigan Genealogical Council is distributing the following request for legislative contact:
Senator Cameron Brown has introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 18, which if passed by a 2/3 majority in the State Senate and 2/3 majority in the State House would reject Governor Granholm’s Executive Order 2009-36 abolishing the Department of History, Arts, and Libraries.This would also repudiate the proposed Michigan Center for Innovation and Reinvention proposed in this same Executive Order. We need your help, please continue to contact your State Senator, and especially your Representative. This is still an uphill battle and time is running short. The 60-day window from July 13 for the State Legislature to reject this Order is rapidly coming to a close, July 13 + 60 days = September 11.
Please stress in your communication with our Legislators the importance of keeping over 180 years of Michigan history, literature and culture together in one cohesive Library of Michigan collection. If this permitted to be dissipated, it will never be reassembled.Visitors come from all across the country to research at the Library of Michigan. Please STRESS the importance of passing SCR 18. Make your voice heard NOW. Send your 911 letters, emails, or visits to your State Legislators today!
In addition, Senate Bills 503-527 is a twenty-five bill package, which would transfer all responsibilities for the current Department of History, Arts, and Libraries to the Secretary of State, rather than splitting the parts among several state agencies. For a brief analysis of these bills, visit http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2009-2010/billanalysis/Senate/pdf/2009-SFA-0503-S.pdf.
The following are members of the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee. They are meeting Wednesday morning at 8:30 a.m. in Lansing. These Senators will make their recommendation to the full Senate on SCR 18 and SB503-527. Please contact these Senators as well.
In a post 9/11 world, the new millennium is faced with two significant social developments. First, the concern over the proliferation of personal information now made available and second, the need to legitimately identify a country’s citizens through official records that support that claim.
These seemingly competing issues present a significant challenge for local, state and federal lawmakers as they strive to ensure national security, combat terrorism and respond to the privacy needs of their electorate.The genealogical community is in complete support of lawmakers protecting sensitive information from misuse by those perpetrating crimes of identity theft or other illicit activities.
The Records Preservation and Access Committee (RPAC), a joint committee of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Genealogical Society is leading the genealogical community to openly share perspectives on these vital issues and add their support to fostering education between lawmakers and genealogists. The committee believes that open communication between the nation’s genealogists and lawmakers can strike a reasonable balance between the public’s right to know while maintaining the lawmaker’s responsibility to its constituents.
This document is a project by the RPAC to provide information to lawmakers and those called to implement legislation about the genealogical community’s perspective of open access to records.
We envision that this will be a living document. Updates and corrections are welcomed and should be submitted to access@fgs.org .
This version has been approved by the Boards of Directors of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Genealogical Society. At the time of posting, it has also been endorsed by IAJGS.
The Federation of Genealogical Societies is a nationwide umbrella organization of nearly 600 member societies representing the interests of over one million genealogists.The National Genealogical Society represents the national interests of genealogy in the United States with a membership in excess of ten thousand.The Records Preservation and Access Committee also includes representatives from the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.
Permission is granted for genealogical organizations to locally reproduce in its entirety the attached PDF version of the White Paper.
The Records Preservation and Access Committee have developed a tri-fold brochure entitled “The Case for Open Public Records.”
Special thanks are in order to President Jan Alpert of the National Genealogical Society for her role in coordinating the project and NGS for sponsoring the design of the brochure. We also thank Heather Henderson of Ancestral Origins for the graphic design of the brochure (and for her patience in managing the numerous edits of its content.) Copies of the printed brochure are available at 12 cents each plus shipping by contacting janalpert@aol.com.
We also want to thank the members of the RPAC committee who contributed information and provided editing support.
Permission is granted for genealogical organizations to locally reproduce in its entirety the attached PDF version of the brochure.
Information from Howard Margol, President, Litvak SIG (Special Interest Group), an independent organization, part of the JewishGen.org family has advised of the following changes in Lithuania’s privacy laws for records access.
Since Lithuania was no longer under the yoke of the Soviet Union, the
privacy law of the Lithuanian Archives was 50 years for death records and 70
years for all other records. As of January 1, 2005 Lithuania was accepted as a
member of the European Union and had to adopt their privacy law which was 50
years for death records and 100 years for other records.
Several months ago, the privacy law was changed. We do not know what
triggered the change but it was a welcome change never the less. The 50 year
requirement on death records, and the 100 year restriction on birth records,
remained in place. However, the 100 year restriction on marriage and divorce
records reverted back to the 70 year law.
To advise the genealogical community on ensuring proper access to historical records of genealogical value in whatever media they are recorded, on means to affect legislation, and on supporting strong records preservation policies and practices.