John Daly, Director of the Illinois State Archives, gave a speech some time back on using your 'genealogical power.' I note it is now available online at: http://www.ancestry.com/magazine/articles/genpower.htm He says genealogists need to stand up for what they want, demand it. Here's the first two paragraphs. The rest can be found at the URL above. It's definitely food for thought. "I should begin by stating that I am writing not as a genealogist, but as a working archivist. My opinions arise from what I see of genealogists from that viewpoint and, thereby, what I see as strategic courses useful to genealogists. "By the term "genealogical power," I mean the leverage that genealogists and family historians have upon public archival agencies in the United States--or the power that they should exercise as the overwhelming majority of users of those archives. Archimedes said, regarding the simple yet powerful tool, the lever, "Give me but a point on which to stand and with it I could move the earth itself." Family historians need a point to stand upon in order to utilize the power of the lever that they hold. I will explain what I mean by this." Cheryl Rothwell clrothwell@mindspring.com