This is not unlike Heritage Quest who stopped private individual subscriptions and you can now only access through libraries. The cost of maintaining databases, etc. is no expensive these days, I suspect that these places can't do anything free any longer. I realize they're for-profit companies, but a business is a business I guess. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Harrison" <[email protected]> To: "IAGenWeb List" <[email protected]>; "IOWA List" <[email protected]>; "Jones List" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2007 9:33 PM Subject: [IOWA] Ancestry & FHCs > If you use or plan to use Ancestry.com at your local FHC you will be > interested in the following. > > ---- Original Message ----- > From: Worldwide Support > To: Family History Center Directors in English Language Areas > Date: March 16, 2007 > Discontinued Access to Ancestry.com Databases > > For many years, Ancestry.com has provided free access to patrons of > family history centers > around the world. Ancestry has informed the Church that as of April > 1, 2007, it will > discontinue this free access to the full Ancestry.com service. > > Free access through Ancestry.com to the following databases will continue: > > 1. Index and images for the 1880, 1900 and 1920 U.S. censuses > 2. Full name indices for the British 1841-1891 censuses (England and Wales) > 3. World War I draft cards indices as created and miscellaneous other databases > > Free access is likely to be discontinued for the remainder of the > Ancestry.com databases > including: > > 1. Index and images for the 1930 U.S. census > 2. Index and images for the 1901 British census (England, Scotland, and Wales) > > At this point, Ancestry.com is not offering an option for family > history centers to > independently purchase commercial or library site licenses. Patrons, > of course, may choose > to subscribe directly to Ancestry.com. > > Free access to online databases is important and we therefore intend > to add many new > databases to FamilySearch.org (the website of the Mormon Family > History Library). Much > of the data preparation will be accomplished through the online > indexing program available > at FamilySearchIndexing.org. We encourage you to visit the website to > learn more. > > Volunteers have already begun indexing the 1900 U.S. census and other > projects. Other > censuses and vital record collections will be indexed as soon as the > 1900 U.S. census > project is completed. The more volunteers that participate, the > sooner access can be > provided. Since access to databases on FamilySearch.org is free to > all, we anticipate that > this will be of great interest to individuals around the world. We > are also exploring > opportunities to provide broader access to additional databases from > other online service > providers. > > Please inform patrons regarding our plans to provide access to > records and invite them to > help by participating in the FamilySearch Indexing projects. We will > communicate as more > information becomes available. Thank you for all that you do on > behalf of our patrons. > > [email protected] > > > -Richard > <http://members.cox.net/writeway/>"Read this book and you will never > write another poor sentence." > > ---------- > Richard Harrison > Jones County IAGenWeb Coordinator, http://www.rootsweb.com/~iajones/ > IOWA-L Listowner, http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~richard/ialist/ > [email protected] > > _____________________________________________ > > For additional information concerning how the list > works, how to sub and unsub and list rules, visit > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~richard/ialist/ > _____________________________________________ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

One final thought. Costs. Yuck. I attempted to borrow books through Interlibrary Loan today from the California State Library, Sutro Branch, and have been advised that due to high postage costs, they are no longer loaning materials out of state. They hope to resume in the near future, but for now I cannot get the books that I wanted. All libraries and other resource facilities are being squeezed by high costs. Heritage Quest stopped individual subscriptions, but most major libraries subscribe to it, and if you have a library card and a home PC, you can usually access Heritage Quest through your hometown library for free. They have census records, books, etc. Finally, Rootsweb and USGenWeb continue to be FABULOUS resources for finding FREE information, and I applaud all those volunteers who contribute information to share with others. And I encourage you, if you have books at home, or have non-copyrighted materials at home that you can share with these great web sites, including cemetery records, marriages, census records, etc., even if for your own surname, please do so. FREE is the best gift of all to a genealogist. Kind Regards, Mona ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mona Knight" <[email protected]> To: "IAGenWeb List" <[email protected]>; "IOWA List" <[email protected]>; "Jones List" <[email protected]>; "Richard Harrison" <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, March 19, 2007 5:38 AM Subject: Re: [IOWA] Ancestry & FHCs > This is not unlike Heritage Quest who stopped private individual > subscriptions and you can now only access through libraries. The cost of > maintaining databases, etc. is no expensive these days, I suspect that these > places can't do anything free any longer. I realize they're for-profit > companies, but a business is a business I guess. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Richard Harrison" <[email protected]> > To: "IAGenWeb List" <[email protected]>; "IOWA List" <[email protected]>; > "Jones List" <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2007 9:33 PM > Subject: [IOWA] Ancestry & FHCs > > > > If you use or plan to use Ancestry.com at your local FHC you will be > > interested in the following. > > > > ---- Original Message ----- > > From: Worldwide Support > > To: Family History Center Directors in English Language Areas > > Date: March 16, 2007 > > Discontinued Access to Ancestry.com Databases > > > > For many years, Ancestry.com has provided free access to patrons of > > family history centers > > around the world. Ancestry has informed the Church that as of April > > 1, 2007, it will > > discontinue this free access to the full Ancestry.com service. > > > > Free access through Ancestry.com to the following databases will continue: > > > > 1. Index and images for the 1880, 1900 and 1920 U.S. censuses > > 2. Full name indices for the British 1841-1891 censuses (England and > Wales) > > 3. World War I draft cards indices as created and miscellaneous other > databases > > > > Free access is likely to be discontinued for the remainder of the > > Ancestry.com databases > > including: > > > > 1. Index and images for the 1930 U.S. census > > 2. Index and images for the 1901 British census (England, Scotland, and > Wales) > > > > At this point, Ancestry.com is not offering an option for family > > history centers to > > independently purchase commercial or library site licenses. Patrons, > > of course, may choose > > to subscribe directly to Ancestry.com. > > > > Free access to online databases is important and we therefore intend > > to add many new > > databases to FamilySearch.org (the website of the Mormon Family > > History Library). Much > > of the data preparation will be accomplished through the online > > indexing program available > > at FamilySearchIndexing.org. We encourage you to visit the website to > > learn more. > > > > Volunteers have already begun indexing the 1900 U.S. census and other > > projects. Other > > censuses and vital record collections will be indexed as soon as the > > 1900 U.S. census > > project is completed. The more volunteers that participate, the > > sooner access can be > > provided. Since access to databases on FamilySearch.org is free to > > all, we anticipate that > > this will be of great interest to individuals around the world. We > > are also exploring > > opportunities to provide broader access to additional databases from > > other online service > > providers. > > > > Please inform patrons regarding our plans to provide access to > > records and invite them to > > help by participating in the FamilySearch Indexing projects. We will > > communicate as more > > information becomes available. Thank you for all that you do on > > behalf of our patrons. > > > > [email protected] > > > > > > -Richard > > <http://members.cox.net/writeway/>"Read this book and you will never > > write another poor sentence." > > > > ---------- > > Richard Harrison > > Jones County IAGenWeb Coordinator, http://www.rootsweb.com/~iajones/ > > IOWA-L Listowner, http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~richard/ialist/ > > [email protected] > > > > _____________________________________________ > > > > For additional information concerning how the list > > works, how to sub and unsub and list rules, visit > > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~richard/ialist/ > > _____________________________________________ > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in > the subject and the body of the message > > > > _____________________________________________ > > For additional information concerning how the list > works, how to sub and unsub and list rules, visit > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~richard/ialist/ > _____________________________________________ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message