Further to my initial email to the List, the following information may be of interest to all, Libraries and Archives in Lancashire are now run under the same heading. However, for those who are starting their family history, libraries are the place they start. Many hold like Accrington, long runs of electoral rolls, many hold microfilm copies of newspapers not available online or in archives. Many hold transcripts of parish registers from not just the LPRS but other private individuals and while there may also be copies of some of these at the LRO, for so many people a trip to their local library is the place to start. Archives do not want to hold newspapers. Also staff from the LRO have regularly checked what is in library stores, taken what they have room for and left the rest confident it will be safe.( As it used to be). Material which was stored in the old library headquarters building 'for safety' has been thrown onto skips - much of it valuable rare items. Another Library's complete run of the LPRS transcripts from the start was thrown out because they'd stopped the subscription. As said previously, not everyone can afford Ancestry or can use computers easily. How long will LCC pay the high sum to Ancestry for the Ancestry site to be freely available in all libraries and archives - and yes, the library service pays for the free access to Ancestry in the LRO. Photographs - Accrington alone has over 20,000. We're talking huge quantities here. Where do you go to find a photo of the street your family lived in which is now knocked down? Where do you find someone who knows that that street used to be there? Not the LRO. It does not have elastic sides to include much more than it already has. It must be reiterated, Libraries have long been the place where people start to learn how to use a computer and how to access Family History records. Lancashire has always been one of the strongest Counties for accessible FH records, the foundations and heritage of this great County are being threatened by these possible 40 closures. Thanks to Adrian, Michael and Martin for your interest. I hope the enormity of the loss that could occur is registering with you all. LCC needs to be told about our concerns. Cheers, Robyn --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus