I am currently in the Birmingham Library's Southern History library. As I promised yesterday, I spoke with a librarian, who says that the alarms are based on a complete misunderstanding of what it happening and will be happening in the library. First, the collection is NOT going to be reduced. Materials from outside of Alabama and Jefferson County will continue to be available. Second, they WILL continue to have materials (including new materials) from other southern states. Third, as is the case with all libraries, because of space and money issues, they have to limit their purchases to books and other materials which (a) fit their mandate (southern states history and genealogy), and (b) are likely to prove useful, supplying new information or new interpretations of already available information. Again, as with all libraries, acquisitions decisions are made at least partly on the basis of reviews. In the case of research materials, these would most likely be academic reviews, although I suspect they use others as well. So the bottom line is: Don't panic. The BPL Southern History collection will continue to be not only available, but expanding. Margaret Lindsey Smith Margaret [email protected]