This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------C20337DB8E446001516357E6 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit --------------C20337DB8E446001516357E6 Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 Message-ID: <382D9A0E.E9C65C8C@worldnet.att.net> Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1999 09:04:14 -0800 From: Bill & Paula Gonsa <PAULA.RED@worldnet.att.net> Reply-To: PAULA.RED@worldnet.att.net X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en]C-WNS5.0 (Win95; I) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Dee Thompson <d7777@worldnet.att.net> Subject: Re: Fw: Free distribution of other people's work References: <003c01bf2cb4$cdd09e80$f020450c@pavilion> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit While I don't aim to discount Mr. or Mrs. Franks feelings and opinion, I must throw in my two cents! Dee has made it abundantly clear that she was functioning as a look-up service to many of us. She has also made it abundantly clear that she is obtaining the information from a published source; therefore, the definition of the word "plagarize" is not applicable. Dee has also informed us via this mail list where to obtain copies of the books for ourselves. Additionally, when she was offered monies for her look-up services as well as monies to reimburse her for her copying and mailing expenses, she has declined and SUGGESTED what she believes to be a worthy cause. To me, that is charity work for the Bladden County Historical Society. Now, unless, Mr. or Ms. Franks is an official spokesperson for the Bladden County Historical Society, I believe Mr. or Ms. Franks should rethink his/her written opinion and at least give much credit for the enormous time, energy and expense she is, has, and (hopefully) will continue to contribute to amateur genealogists who do not live in the North Carolina or immediate Duplin County and Bladden County areas and cannot obtain the information otherwise. Additionally, the expense of purchasing ALL those books in the hopes of finding one of our "twigs" on our Family Trees is WAY beyond most of our budgets! Specifically to Mr. or Ms. Franks, perhaps you should subscribe to Rootsweb and read about plagurism and genealogy. Thanks again, Dee. Please don't let negative opinions deter you! Remember you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time! Paula Dee Thompson wrote: > > -----Original Message----- > From: Franksjj@aol.com <Franksjj@aol.com> > To: D7777@worldnet.att.net <D7777@worldnet.att.net> > Cc: Franksjj@aol.com <Franksjj@aol.com> > Date: Thursday, November 11, 1999 7:57 PM > Subject: Free distribution of other people's work > > >Dear Ms. Thompson: > > > >I am surprised that you would suggest that people might voluntarily forward > >to Bladen County Historical Society a small fee for photocopies they > receive > >from you, that the society could use those fees to help with publication > >expenses. > > > >You would be doing a far greater service to Bladen County Historical > Society > >if you would mention each publication by title and tell your patrons how to > >purchase the book from which you lift information. The "voluntary > photocopy > >fees" you suggest are insulting to both the author/compiler and the > society. > >A person interested in using the information in a scholarly way might > >purchase the publication and could cite his source in an acceptable way. > The > >margin of profit in Bladen County HS is probably as small as that of every > >other society which is trying to get records into print! > > > >It makes me very uncomfortable to read that you are expecting another large > >shipment of books. You undoubtedly are useful to a number of people and > >receive personal satisfaction for your efforts, but the bottom line is that > >you are putting yourself between the societies and their potential market. > > > >I have no problem with researchers helping one another; that is an > important > >and rewarding part of genealogical research. I have a serious problem > with > >persons who set themselves up as a source of information without giving > >apprpriate credit to those who did the research; those who sat for hours in > >front of microfilm readers, those who spent hours proofing and correcting > >manuscripts; who made the arrangements for publication! > > > >Many of those same people donated their manuscripts to the historical > >societies with the expectation that sales of the books would contribute to > >the financial security of the societies. Failure to give appropriate > credit > >to the source of information in any one of those publications cheats the > >society which made the information accessible in the first place! > > > >You may well not agree with the points I am trying to present, but I hope > you > >will at least amend your "service" to give credit where credit is due. > >Better yet, confine your broadcast of information to your own original > work. > >I also suggest that you look up the word "plagiarize" in any dictionary. > > > >J. J. Franks > > --------------C20337DB8E446001516357E6--