WOW!!!!----that about sums it up for anyone that doesn't want to read this message! For the past 5 years, we have seen the Montgomery County Archives be moved from one warehouse to another so many times we didn't know where we'd find them next. After my visit a few days ago, I have a lot more confidence in my elected officials and their desire for the "Department of Records Preservation" to be one of the best anywhere! I stopped by the Montgomery County Archives one afternoon this past week. It was 3:50 and I hoped to catch Jill taking a break from this latest move. I know she and her staff must be tired and I didn't want to interrupt her. I was lucky----it was close enough to closing time that Jill was alone so I had a chance to talk to her for a few minutes. When we finished our conversation, it was closing time. Jill asked if I had time to see the new facilities-----she was as excited to show it off as I was to see it! She locked the door and took me on the "grand tour"! It's not going to happen over-night. There's a LOT of work to be done---over 200 years of records to get back out of the boxes and onto the shelves. There isn't a "warehouse" atmosphere anywhere in the place although there are several large rooms for various collections. This place has been very well planned and organized. There is room for receiving, a room for cataloging-----even a room for microfilming. (Yes, eventually they will be able to do their own microfilming!) I will ask everyone's patience. While I've actually seen this place and the boxes upon boxes of materials that have to be catalogued and put back on the shelves, I can only imagine the work that lies ahead for Jill and her staff. There are a lot of projects that have been started but Jill has had to put them on hold once again in order to complete this move. If you've requested research, it might take a while! I'm not talking a few hundred boxes. There are more like a few hundred pallets of boxes still with shrink-wrap holding them together so they won't get misplaced. Box upon box, pallet after pallet----room after room! But you know what, I'd bet before long, those pallets will be "history"----the kind Jill will have photos/journals of. If you have research to do in Montgomery County, plan next year's vacation now! I promise you will love this place----except for one thing. Since I'm also sending this message to Doug Weiland (County Mayor), maybe they might figure out a way of putting a public restroom nearby! Sandy Ellis