I am glad folks are starting to see if they can place things. I have had quite a few boxes of stuff sent that I have received from folks who checked around on the internet and asked me if I would take them. In all cases I copied what I thought I could use and then started making calls. The only requirement is that I see if the folks who take them be already into genealogy and I check on that. I don't give them to anyone who isn't already into research. That seems tacky I'm sure , after all it is stuff belonging somewhere in their family tree but 'wanting to start' doing genealogy and actually doing it are seperate things. Often the stuff was collected just for that purpose and the person never actually did anything before it was too late. At this time the Public library is finished with their renovations and are unpacking into the freshly remodeled building . The Genealogy reference area will be one of the last parts restored. I will go talk to them about vertical file but so far I have found very little is kept there. I dont' think they want too much of a collection in the building. Sherman (Grayson Co. ) on the other hand keeps a large amount of info and this includes a rare book room for originals ( which they let me raid! I'm loading things from it slowly into the Grayson Website. ) It is a Gem of a library. The little libraries around the county, in Whitewright, Honey Grove and Leonard are good about the vertical files (especially Honey Grove) but there is a problem as H.G. and Leonard are housed in older buildings without any security or enough staff to watch over the objects and they are at the mercy of anyone going through the things. I've noted torn out pages and empty folders where things had been but no one knows what happened. They are enthusiastic about having things but cannot afford to protect them or watch over them. It is too bad too. The Leonard Library is hoping to move into a renovated building someday but it still will be in a building on the square that is the type you turn on the TV and see a whole block burned down overnight! The old building they are in reeks of mold. Money is their problem and not enough staff. I was hoping they would build a new library when they built a new post office and city hall but the library got left behind . Honey Grove has a nice building. But I'm not sure about any structural problems. It is not moldly smelling but the building is in a line of old ones. So fire is a worry. They have some nice cabinets but not enough to house the notebooks of the many clipping files someone took a long time to make. Their vertical files are unguarded basically . The last time I was there one young lady was to watch the whole building and both large areas. If something is very valuable you would need to have a talk on how they can protect it. The Whitewright library is good about vertical files and they have a safe building but it is somewhat crowded. I am hoping they will enlarge it soon. They watch things like a hawk and it is a good place to put things. No mold problems or too much danger of burning down, etc. Very unique items covering this area can be placed in the State Archives regional collection. It is an often over looked library. It is inside the library of the Paris Junior College library building. A seperate library though and it is set up to house old things and keep them in archival conditions. It is funded by the state and there are several of them scattered around the state. Paris is the one for this area. The Bonham Family History center cannot take much. Only books and family group sheets and books. There is a limit as to what can be kept and no antique records would be put there. In some cases I am scanning and preparing a digital copy of articles to go there and putting the originals in Paris. The museum in Bonham can take articles and maps but their is a limit on what paper items they want and they do not have a research room or anything like that. They used to have some items but sent them to the Sam Rayburn Library in Bonham because the regular library did not want them. The Sam Rayburn is a nice congressional library but local items that are there are stacked in a corner and not cataloged or protected in any way. I noted missing pages etc. there too. In fact I am surprised but the large collection of all kinds of books in the library is not cataloged ! No card catalog or other info on where to find anything , except the congressional records. They need to get organized into library format. So there is the sad tale! The local historical society doesn't have a library or anyplace outside the museum. If I was rich I know what I would build first! Lets all pray and wait for the local library to get itself in gear and then perhaps they will develop a plan for vertical files and rare book collections. They would be helping themselves in the long run. I am happy to try to place records/books and photos with families who would/could use them. I only ask around until I find the 'genealogy nut' of the families. Usually there is one to be found. It really depends on the items. Some items like genealogical data / notes etc. is probably best to be sent to the Salt Lake City Family History Library. It has the capacity and ability to protect and catalog items. It can also microfilm them for distribution anywhere on earth anyone is doing research. It does not take things though like yearbooks etc. You can be positive the items will stand the test of time and they can be found online by researchers easily. Other good places is with the State library and the Dallas library. They have a nice vertical file and rare books area. Where there is a WILL there is a way. So don't forget to put the instructions down in your will's . Figure out where things will go. Let everyone know about it so no one throws things out. I'm hoping I last long enough to get everything I want to where I want it to go. Digital is great! I have no plans on leaving soon. I'm not quite to the half century mark but suffer a lot of problems in my git-a-long. but then that is the reason I took up this hobby, I have a lot of down time waiting for pain to subside and ability to walk return. I have a work schedule I follow so I'm steadily reducing the stuff down. So far so good. If any of you have trouble finding a place to put items you worry about let me know maybe I can help you figure that out . Susan John Philip Adams wrote: > > Susan, I have been told the story that on both sides of our family of > 'relatives' coming through after the death of Aunt or Grandfather so and so > and these crazy people THROW away pictures, Family Bibles, Etc. This is why > we should form some sort of repository especially in the Bonham, Tx. area > for these items. Nothing should be burned or thrown away. A person's life > work is important to them as well as us. > Maybe this is the NEXT project for Ms. Hawkins or the Fannin Co. historical > society. > John Philip Adams > Baytown, Tx. >