Dear Fellow Genealogists, I have just spent at least half an hour in the Rutherford Co., NC Register of Deeds Office's records room placing all the indexes, deed books, marriage books and census books back in order on the shelves. I have done this same thing many times before and I have been in the room when fellow researchers were in there working. I have seen them get a book out and use and rather than put it up as they went to get anothe book, they just left it laying or put it in the slot where the book they were getting one from. This is a problem that we will no longer have when the freedom to handle the books and do research is no longer permitted. The index that I was working with was a birth index and the book binder was pretty much destroyed but someone had intentionally ripped one of the pages out of the book. We tend to think most of the "county employees" have nothing to do but for the most part when I have been in the office they have been going strong. Most of the time they donot h! ave the time to straighten up the mess everyday. They have a bit of slack time occasionally and do straighten it up so they can get to their work. Most of what stays in such a mess is the oldest indexes and records and most of the Deeds Office work is in the newer records. Occasionally I have observed a surveyor or lawyer not putting the book back in place but it is mostly us. We need to make it a point to do better. Bill