I have sent a message to listmember Sue Blanchard Shaw about her planned trip to the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (BECPL) in Buffalo, NY, to investigate the Bethune Papers. Some of you may recall that I communicated with BECPL last winter and had hoped to make a trip there. I have given Sue all the information I have and urge any of you to to contact her if you have any requests. You may also recall that listmember Paul Blanchard sent me a copy of the "Walter Blanchard Papers" (66 pgs.) for which I made a Name Index and offered to look up names. There have been occassional reference's to Walter's papers but I do not know their origin. Does anyone have this information? I've asked Sue to inquire at BECPL, just in case they have heard about them. Fletch As far as I know, the J. C. Hartman Files at the NYG&B, are still accessible. My inquiry to them was not answered personally (except for a brief penned note from Joy Rich, Director of the Library., but they did send several 'form' replies which I summarized in my message of 11/17/96 and will highlight here. The note said "The material in unindexed. Our Record Search Service volunteers can do a search for you if you become a NYGBS member. Manuscript, microfilm, microfiche, floppy disk, and CD-ROM collections: These can be used in the library by members of the Society or can be accessed for them through Record Search Service". Reading further, a member would qualify for a "one-hour Record Search Service" for a fee of $15, payable in advance. Photocopies are .35 each and the limit on copies from a "manuscript storage box" is 10 copies. A manuscript file folder or a book in a manuscript collection, has a limit of 5 photocopies. . . . . Once we have made those 10 (or those 5) photocopies for you from a particular book, periodical, or manuscript item, we cannot make additional photocopies from it for you in the future. . . .Please allow up to six weeks for a response, particularly around the holidays and during the summer". It is not clear that the above regulations apply only to requests for service other than "in-person"