Hi Sharon I think that sometimes people using fingers and pencils are more destructive to the documents than camera flashes. When working at the archives I go every hour to wash and dry my hands as the uric acid on our hands does immense damage - far greater than a flash of light. I do agree however that flash's should be removed. The only way we can go forward is to digitise all the documents and with this we need thousands of dedicated volunteers who will transcribe documents from "digital images" - as this is the most effective and fastest way to get copies of images.!! Doe this mean the LDS must be stopped from using there camera's as well as the staff at the archives ? I rest my case Heather Heather's South African Genealogy Help List at www.genealogy.co.za will be moving on 19th September to www.familytree.co.za Join the Cape Town Family History Society www.ancestors.co.za/society/socweb.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sharon Warr" <snw@absamail.co.za> To: <SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, September 17, 2004 10:16 AM Subject: [South-Africa-Cape-Town] Restrictions on Digital Cameras at Archives??? Good Day All I know that many on the list are also subscribed to other South African Lists and might have seen the posting by Delia Robertson on the rumour that the Pretoria Archives might be about to ban the use of digital cameras. It is important that we discuss this issue amongst ourselves so that we can come up with some kind of standpoint before it becomes official. We as genealogists are dedicated users of Archival facilities and must go out of our way to preserve the material from wear and tear but when a non destructive method of copying a document (without a flash if the experts feel that it might damage material in the long term) is about to be banned then I think we should put our heads together and talk about it. Regards Sharon Warr View 1800s SOUTH AFRICAN PASSENGER LISTS at http://www.sagenealogy.co.za/DataArchive.htm SCRIBES PUBLISHING for Colonial Books on CD - visit http://www.sagenealogy.co.za/Scribes.htm ==== SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN Mailing List ==== FamilyTree.co.za.......it's the place to hang out and do your Family Tree ============================== Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237