I am forwarding this email from the Vice-President of the French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan for your consideration. Peggy Youngs > Hello Folks, > > > > I just came from a political meeting and was able to approach a state > representative and the administrative assistant of another state > representative. Both of them were only vaguely aware of the closing of the > Library of Michigan and breaking up this historic collection. I spoke up > for preserving the library, but it really bothered me that they were > basically unaware. So, make sure you contact your state representative, > state senator, and the governors office and ask them to protect the library > and preserve the collection intact. > > > > I also had a chance to chat with Lt. Gov. John Cherry and found out that he > too is a genealogist and was one of the original legislators pushing for the > creation of the Michigan Historical Center. He too is concerned with the > survival of the collection but reminded me that we face some serious budget > issues. I asked him to please do what he could do to preserve the > collection. I warned him, as well as the others, that MSU, great university > that it is and my alma mater, is not going to be open and welcoming to > amateur local historians and genealogists. Mr. Cherry said he would do what > he could. > > > > Please, if you have not done so already, please contact your state > legislators and the governor. If you have done so already, then please > contact them again. Remember a person visit is best, followed by a > telephone call, then a letter, and lastly an email has the least impact. To > find your state legislator point your browser to > http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp for your state representative and > http://senate.michigan.gov/SenatorInfo/find-your-senator.htm for your > state senator. The governor’s contact information is at > http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995---,00.html. > > > > Lastly, if you can join the Hands Around the Library protest in Lansing on > Wednesday the 5th of August, then please do so. They are going to assemble > at the State Capitol on the lawn. They have reserved the North and South > lawns as well as the steps. It starts at 9:45 a.m. At 10:30 a.m. the > protestors will march over to the Michigan Historical Center and form our > Hands Around the Library. > > > > If I was not short of vacation time, I would be in Lansing. > > > > Three months from now, if the Library of Michigan is gone and you can no > longer access the collection will you at least be able to say you tried your > best to preserve 180 years of Michigan history? > > > > JP > > John P. DuLong, Ph.D. > Acadian and French-Canadian Genealogy > 959 Oxford Road > Berkley, MI 48072-2011 > (248) 541-2894, home > (248) 890-4853, cell > http://habitant.org >