To List, This is an active list, so I am sending this post out to as many folks as possible to get the word out. In addition, to "merging" the Rootsweb volunteer-contributed data to Ancestry.com's server (meaning www.rootsweb.com is now www.rootsweb.ancestry.com), The Generations Network (TGN, the parent company of Ancestry.com) is trying to push for a long-term partnership with our National Archives. I will repeat that: our National Archives. The relationship will allow the following: 1. TGN will digitized the majority of our national records. It does not state that professional archivist or librarians will be doing so. Which means TGN's employees will be doing so - whose qualifications are quite unknown. 2. TGN will be able to sell that digital data. We went though this once with the ONE record series - the Federal Census Records. Imagine what multiple record series will be like. 3. TGN will give copies of the digital data that will be accessible to the public for free ONLY at the National Archives and Regional centers. If you want to view these records over the Internet, expect to pay TGN much more money. 4. As it does now, The National Archives will provide digital reproductions of individual records for an ever-increasing fee (see http://www.archives.gov/research/order/ ). The digital records digitized by TGN will be included in this reproduction service. For my personal comments on the indications of this relationship, please visit my posting at Rootsweb: http://boards.rootsweb.com/topics.ancestry.ancsite/9518.2/mb.ashx I realize that Footnote has already partnered with NARA (http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2007/nr07-41.html), but that agreement stipulates free access to these records by 2012. There is no such stipulation in the TGN/NARA partnership. YOU have a chance to voice your opinion to the National Archives regarding this proposed agreement. Please go to http://www.archives.gov/comment/tgn-preamble.html to send an email to the National Archivist before the agreement goes into place. Thanks for your time and attention in this matter, Kim V. Garvey ps....please pass this information and links along to all interested parties.

Kim Which National Archives? Do you mean the USA National Archives? UK, Australia etc also have National Archives. I suppose I am asking what you mean by "our"? Regards Rhoda London, UK ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kim V Garvey" <crazyfox1@earthlink.net> To: <irl-longford@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 3:12 PM Subject: [IRL-LONGFORD] National Archives > To List, > > This is an active list, so I am sending this post out to as many folks > as possible to get the word out. > > In addition, to "merging" the Rootsweb volunteer-contributed data to > Ancestry.com's server (meaning www.rootsweb.com is now > www.rootsweb.ancestry.com), The Generations Network (TGN, the parent > company of Ancestry.com) is trying to push for a long-term partnership > with our National Archives. I will repeat that: our National Archives. > The relationship will allow the following: > > 1. TGN will digitized the majority of our national records. It does not > state that professional archivist or librarians will be doing so. Which > means TGN's employees will be doing so - whose qualifications are quite > unknown. > 2. TGN will be able to sell that digital data. We went though this once > with the ONE record series - the Federal Census Records. Imagine what > multiple record series will be like. > 3. TGN will give copies of the digital data that will be accessible to > the public for free ONLY at the National Archives and Regional centers. > If you want to view these records over the Internet, expect to pay TGN > much more money. > 4. As it does now, The National Archives will provide digital > reproductions of individual records for an ever-increasing fee (see > http://www.archives.gov/research/order/ ). The digital records digitized > by TGN will be included in this reproduction service. > > For my personal comments on the indications of this relationship, please > visit my posting at Rootsweb: > http://boards.rootsweb.com/topics.ancestry.ancsite/9518.2/mb.ashx > > I realize that Footnote has already partnered with NARA > (http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2007/nr07-41.html), but > that agreement stipulates free access to these records by 2012. > > There is no such stipulation in the TGN/NARA partnership. > > YOU have a chance to voice your opinion to the National Archives > regarding this proposed agreement. Please go to > http://www.archives.gov/comment/tgn-preamble.html to send an email to > the National Archivist before the agreement goes into place. > > Thanks for your time and attention in this matter, > > Kim V. Garvey > > ps....please pass this information and links along to all interested > parties. > > ********************************** > Griffith's Valuations: > http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths.php/ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > IRL-LONGFORD-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Kim We already have a similar system in Scotland. The Scotlands People website is a partnership between the General Register Office for Scotland, the National Archives of Scotland and the Court of the Lord Lyon, "enabled" by Scotland Online which is a private company. Scotland Online has just acquired findmypast.com a UK-based family history site, and is planning to amalgamate the two sites. Scotland Online have also won a contract to digitise the England and Wales 1911 Census Records [not too sure about the Scottish 1911 records]. In partnership with the UK National Archives they are hoping to publish most of the 1911 records in 2009. Theoretically these results should not be published until 2012 (a 100 year rule for privacy reasons) but conveniently for them the "Information Commissioner" , a UK Government body, made a decision in 2006 which means that the National Archives must supply some information from the 1911 Census in response to Freedom of Information requests (from the public). This decision will probably allow them to put the information online before 2012. Who needs to pay regard to privacy when there is money to be made? And there is a lot of money to be made for the Government as well as the private sector. Note from the National Archives website: "Government policy is that the 1921 and subsequent censuses should remain closed for 100 years. Unlike the 1911 census the 1921 census was conducted under the 1920 Census Act, which is still in force and which contains a statutory prohibition on disclosure. This means that if any FOI (Freedom of Information) requests are received for the 1921 census, the exemption found in S44 of the FOI Act will be invoked to maintain census confidentiality ". I wonder how long it will take them to amend the 1920 Census Act? This note is also on the UK National Archives site. "You may access the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 census records free on site at The National Archives in Kew, courtesy of Ancestry.co.uk and 1901Censusonline.com. Please note that standard on site charges for printing paper copies will still apply." Ancestry.co.uk is the UK arm of Ancestry.com. I think they digitised some or all of the England and Wales 1841 to 1901 censuses "in partnership" with the UK National Archives. Rhoda >