For your information, the Family History Centers of the Mormon Church have a similar system if you can't get the inter-library loan. Although you can use the library and any films etc it has available for free, if you need to order a film it is not totally free, (there is a small charge per film or microfiche), and like the inter-library loan you have to use the information within the library. Each FHC has a list of what films and fiche are available within their library (as well as a catalog of films etc. that can be ordered from Salt Lake) and anyone can use any of the films that are there. The last time I ordered films and fiche it was $.15 per fiche (and the fiche were permanently loaned to that FHC) and $3.50 for a film (I can't remember if it was a 3 week loan or if it was longer). They also have information from all over the world available. Their website at http://www.familysearch.com has an online catalog (so you can see what is available) and an index of the local FHC. Denise Waterworth > Hello, Ruth! > You have undertaken a Giant project! > I shan't ask you to do a lookup for me, but I would like to know more about this > film and the Loan system in general. First, is it at the Blount County Library? > If you are not personally working with it, can others use it there? If so, how > long will it remain? What is the title, and how did you learn about it's > existance? Lastly, what is the proceedure for borrowing microfilms? > This has been something I have heard about but never actually investigated. It > sounds like a wonderful opportunity and system! Thank you for introducing it to > the list! Tommie Nichols in Powell, TN, researching Nuchols, Nichols, Moser, > Donohoo, Hawkins, Howard, etc. > > Never to late to learn something new, is it?! I wrote to TSLA (Tennessee State Library and Archives - do you need the address?) and asked for a list of materials that were available through interlibrary loan for a specific county like Blount, Knox, Henry, and Weakley. They then sent me a sheet for each county listing the resources available at TSLA with an asterisk by the ones available on interlibrary loan. I then went to a local library that I knew did interlibrary loans - some don't - this one was near my place of work, has a wonderful genealogy room, and microfilm readers. (Call the library first to see if they do have ILL.) I told the reference desk person that I wanted to get an ILL loan, she gave me a form to read and agree to (like don't use the book drop outside for books, bring the books inside to return, pay any late fees, pay a possible insurance fee for mailing, etc.), I filled out a request form using the info from TSLA, and prest-o, change-o, it arrived at the library in 2-6 weeks. The librarian calls to inform you it's in and you have it available for about one month - there will be a date that all materials need to be returned so they can be sent back to TSLA - there's a late fee just like for a late book. And that's it. I'm getting ready to branch out to NC and VA - my Blount Co. people are from VA. I don't know if others can use it when I'm not using it. I'm in NC and who would know about it except me? They keep the microfilms at the reference desk behind the counter so it's not in public view. And I really wouldn't want anyone else to use it because I'm the responsible party with my name on the form and if something happened to the microfilm, I'd either have to pay for it or TSLA would not loan anything else to me. I'd assume you need to be a card-carrying member of the library. Here's the really crazy part - it's free. Once I had to pay about $4 for the insurance to mail it back to TSLA - maybe they only charged me for the one time because they hadn't dealt with my library before and they wanted to make sure the materials were returned in good shape. And the fee was paid to the local library - they showed me the statement from TSLA. I didn't even have to do the actual mailing. Good luck! Ruth ==== TNBLOUNT Mailing List ==== Problems??? mailto:dwaterworth@mstar2.net