The subject of free look-ups has come up on this list. Before we get into a heated debate, let's think rationally about the revelant points of the discussion. First -- it is the nature of genealogy and genealogists to share. Nobody is disputing that. And, yes, copyright laws are flexible enough to allow for reasonable use. Second -- a majority of the books that genealogists use are published by genealogy societies. Third -- most genealogy societies are on shoe-string budgets. Yet it is the work of these societies that we depend upon to access our greatest resources. Nobody has said that look-ups are wrong. In fact, most societies (including the Fairfield County Chapter OGS) will do lookups. It is a service to their members and to those who may someday be members. But we need to think about the long-term implications of what would happen if everyone with Internet access would offer to do look-ups from every book that they own. The very societies that we rely upon for new materials would be financially hurt. Remember, even though most societies are run exclusively by volunteers, there are still financial considerations. My point to all of this? Sharing is wonderful up to the point that it could irreparably harm the societies that we depend upon for our research. We can (and should) keep working together. Let's just not leave the societies out of the equation.