Quoting Cara_Links <cara_links@bigpond.com>: As I have also recently been to the NLI may I add a comment or two. The 'security' men are wonderful still and very helpful. Readers tickets are now issued from a room off the main Reading Room - this process is computerised and once you have completed that part you have you photograph taken and the ticket is put together and 'hey presto'. When I went into the genealogy room there was one person there only (on duty) but he was most helpful. What a pity to direct people to the Heritage Centres - for in Cork there isn't one as far as I know. There is Mallow and Skibbereen plus West Cork in Bandon, which is not really a Heritage Centre at all but more of a museum. Others may know of a centre in Cork itself and I would be delighted to hear of it. Just my tuppence worth and yes, I did fill in the survey when it arrived. Regards, Patsy - New Zealand > I received my survey directly from the NLI 10 days ago, and decided that > it was hard to pass a comment on the goings on of the Dublin Library without > having it all checked out, as when I was last there the system in place was > working and working well. > The link below will take you to the Survey:- > http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NationalLibraryofIrelandUserSurvey > Familiar faces have taken their redundancy and left, no one blames them for > this, but surely the library should have had in place someone else with same > expertise to follow through on these jobs? > Then of course we have the cheaper labour people, who have stepped into the > jobs, who in fact do not even speak a lot of English or Irish either for > that matter, whilst I am not against these persons gaining employment, I > think they should at least have a fundamental grasp of Irish Family history. > > So I set in place a few persons to go check the system out as it is today. > This is their report with my own added feelings in it. > > Report:- When you now enter the Dublin Library foyer the enquiry or meet > and greet counter that was situated on your left of the entrance, is not > there, you now pass through the security gates which are dead ahead of you > as you enter the front door, show your library pass, and should you not > have one of these then you are directed, up the stairs, to the left to > enquire and get one, this is in fact the genealogy department, but that also > is not as it was. > > So any directions you need regarding family history you are directed to this > area of the library, ( so far so good I guess) but then in the genealogy > department you no longer have the people working there, with the expertise > of, how why and where you should be looking, oh by the way before this > happens you must take a number and wait in line, for your number to be > called. > > Then if you are unlucky enough to strike a person who has no knowledge of > what or where you are needing to look, there standard answer is go to the > heritage center of said county, for instance the day this was all being > looked over a couple from UK had flown into Dublin to use the Dublin Library > facilities to be told that they would need to go to Co Cork to look at > their heritage center files, and were dismissed without even so much as a > suggestion of what was available within the Library they were in. > > So passing from this floor to the next floor, where you filled in your forms > for microfilms to be delivered to the reading room (downstairs opposite the > genealogy room) you fill in your form as before, but as the man behind the > desk stated he did not know anymore where the reference books had been > placed, and that everything was all over the place. > > So the form was filled in for an old favourite Microfilm to test the system, > 6476/77 that by the way is Avoca Co Wicklow Ireland,. > Instructions were then forth coming that you now return to the reading room, > and its open plan, you help yourself to the microfilm, and before you rub > your hands together and say that systems sounds good, imagine opening a > cupboard with all these draws in it holding thousands of microfilms, very > daunting to say the least. > But when you locate the place and microfilm which is in a box that you have > asked for, 6476/77 you then place this box in the slot that says in use, go > to your reader and load the film. > > Film loaded and Avoca parish register should have appeared but no it was > Liscannor 2440 that appeared on the reel, so you ask what is wrong with this > system well to begin with if you take a film out return it to its correct > box and put back in its correct place, or do we have an archivist who is > their wisdom monitors the reels assists you with the correct one and > checks them back in, my own answer to that is yes, you are free to make up > your own mind on that one. > > So yes I do now agree that you take the time to support Fiona and her course > on her survey, but that is of course yet again your own choice. > But all support that can be given, replaces a system back in a very > important Library in our endeavours to do OUR own family research, because > it feels to me like, > Heritage Centers, Pro Reseachers, would be delighted with this daunting > system now in place in the NLI Dublin > > As Collette has pointed out ( Dublin List) it will only take 10 minutes of > your time, it may save you hours of grief eventually when trying to research > your family in Ireland > > The link below will take you to the Survey:- > http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NationalLibraryofIrelandUserSurvey > > > Cheers Cara