A few ideas for coping at the FHC: Sometimes, the manual readers have something pretty simple wrong with them. The one at ours often was out of commission because the belt was stretched, and if people wound their reels too quickly, the belt would come off. It's really very easy to put the belt back on. I learned how to do it (another volunteer helped me find the manual for the machine) and now if the belt is off, I grab the screwdriver and fix it. The older manual machines are actually pretty stable because not much can go wrong with them. The only other thing that puts ours out of commission is the light burning out. Again, this is very easy to fix. Spare lights at our FHC are kept under the machine's top cover next to where the light has to be changed. It's easy to change the light, and you're back in business in no time. The dimness you experience might just mean it's time to change the bulb and no one knows how to do it. That little manual has instructions for that, too. Because the FHCs are staffed with volunteers, their levels of knowledge and ability to fix something vary. They often have to wait for someone to come and fix what breaks. It really helps to just learn how to do these simple things. Not only are you helping out, but you're also avoiding frustration because something doesn't work. I have brought cans of air to clean the lenses, made a new financial sheet because the old one was barely readable, and helped staff figure out how to do things on the computer. Now, I'm a regular volunteer, but have not always been. If you don't have copying capabilities but own a digital camera, consider bringing your camera with you to the FHC. By experimenting a little with the settings on your camera, you can just take digital pictures of the microfilmed pages. I do this all the time now. It's a lot cheaper, for sure :) Also, if you have a laptop, you might bring that along. I have one and take it with me every time I go. I hate taking notes. With the laptop, I enter all the information I'm extracting right into my genealogy program. Sure beats writing it all down! pb in Wisconsin On Apr 14, 2009, at 7:33 PM, Kristi Murdock wrote: > Bobbie, you are very lucky. The local FHC has one manual-wind > microfilm > reader with no copying capabilities, let alone the computer > connection. The > reader is often out of service, which can make for difficulties > when there > are several of us who have ordered films and are waiting to try to > see them, > albeit scratchy and dim. My understanding is that the budget is > going > toward digitizing rather than upgrading on-site equipment, but it > is very > frustrating to not really have any other option for being able to > see these > resources. > > --Kristi > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Bobbie" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 5:42 PM > Subject: Re: [PRUSSIA-ROOTS] film reels and the info > > >> I just joined this group so I may have missed what led to this >> post. My >> local Family History Library and my County >> Library both have computers attached to a microfilm machine. You >> may save >> pages to a cd, flash drive, etc. I am >> assuming that it would not be proper (legal?) to copy the whole >> film, but >> if you only copy pages that have your >> ancestors on them, it should be okay in my opinion. There is no >> charge >> for doing this. >> >> I do not know where you are as far as what films you are viewing, >> but I >> hope this helps you in some way. >> >> Bobbie >> >>> >>> In a way-I can understand how everyone feels. At a quarter a page >>> this >>> hasn't been a really cheap >>> hobby for me. My children call this my "change of life" project. >>> I have >>> copied each page of the >>> Resehl reel and still working on Burow and Speck. These church >>> records >>> list -what I believe is >>> sponsors or godparents too and where they live. It is a very >>> interesting >>> project. The surnames are >>> just too many to list-so if you have an inkling that maybe you >>> might be >>> from that area-just send >>> me an e-mail and I'm happy to share. If that gets me into trouble >>> somewhere-oh well-I'll be very >>> sorry for what I've done. I was raised with four siblings and >>> everything >>> had to be shared. >>> Everyone-good hunting. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>> [email protected] with the >>> word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body >>> of the >>> message >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' >> without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to PRUSSIA-ROOTS- > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message