Help Protect Michigan Libraries

Recently, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm issued Executive Order 2009-36, that will abolish the Michigan Department of History, Arts, and Libraries, and the position of state librarian, and transfer responsibilities of this department to other State departments.

Additionally, according to the proposed 2010 State budget, library funding is expected to be cut from $10 million to $7.5 million. While this cut is only a tiny fraction of the overall budget deficit for Michigan currently projected at $1.8 billion, this reduction in funding will mean:

• databases provide by the Michigan eLibrary, such as Learning Express Library, Academic OneFile, and Chilton's, may no longer be available;
• MelCat, the statewide interlibrary loan system, could end; and
  
• libraries may be forced to cut hours and staff at a time when demand for libraries and the services they provide is increasing.

The Michigan Library Association has set up a website called Michigan Libraries for the Future for residents concerned about these cuts. Here you can find updated information about the situation and links to background information. There are, also, links that allow you to directly contact your state senator and representative.

Please help keep quality libraries in Michigan. Contact your legislators today and tell them not to abolish the Department of History, Arts, and Libraries, and cut funding to libraries.

Library of Michigan Hosts Genealogists' Seminar, July 17-18, in Lansing

The Library of Michigan's 2009 Abrams Genealogy Seminar -- One Step, Many Solutions -- will take place July 17 and July 18 at the Michigan Library and Historical Center in Lansing.

Stephen Morse, a popular speaker well known for his outstanding One-Step Webpages, will present the keynote address on July 18 -- "One-Step Webpages: A Potpourri of Genealogical Search Tools" -- co-sponsored by the Eaton County Genealogical Society. Morse will give a second program, "One-Step Webpages: A Hodgepodge of Lesser-Known Gems," that same day.

Participants will learn about cemetery research, Michigan death records, online research for the British Isles and New England, and the collections at the Library of Michigan and other regional research institutions. See the complete schedule of events and registration form. Registration is $40, which includes a boxed lunch on July 18.

If you have questions about the Seminar, contact Kris Rzepczynski, Michigan/Genealogy Coordinator, Library of Michigan, rzepczynskik@michigan.gov.

Library of Michigan Hosts Genealogy Seminar on April 4

Genealogists and family history researchers can discover tools and tips to make their search for ancestors more productive at Learning More at the Library of Michigan: Online Genealogy, on Saturday, April 4, at the Michigan Library and Historical Center in Lansing. The Library houses one of the top 10 genealogy collections in the United States.

This free annual seminar – which typically attracts 300 Michiganians interested in exploring their roots -- will highlight the growing number of free Web sites and subscription databases for family history research.

Among the topics to be discussed are: Effectively Using HeritageQuest Online; Finding Free Vital Records; Ancestry Library Edition; Utilizing Footnote at the Library of Michigan and from Home; Seeking Michigan Death Records? A New Digitization Project; and Accessing Obituaries on the Internet.

The free, half-day workshop runs from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Michigan Library and Historical Center, located at 702 W. Kalamazoo St. Free weekend parking is available at the Library's parking lot off Kalamazoo. Seating is limited, so registration is recommended. Sign up online at www.michigan.gov/familyhistory. For more information, phone at 517.373.1300.

Seeking Michigan Digitizes Michigan History

Interested in Michigan history? Take a look at Seeking Michigan, a new website of digitized documents, maps, films, images, oral histories and artifacts, which tell the stories of the State's families, homes, businesses, communities and landscapes.

Seeking Michigan includes one million death records covering the years 1897 through 1920. These records -- never before available electronically -- are indexed for searching by name, death date, location and age, and hold tremendous research opportunities for genealogists, historians and students.

In addition, the site currently has:

• more than 100,000 pages of Civil War documents;
• approximately 10,000 photographs;
• a variety of Michigan sheet music;
• a rich section about Michigan's 44 past governors;
• Works Progress Administration data (circa 1936-1942) about land and buildings throughout rural Michigan; and
• oral histories with notable Michigan residents.

According to Sandra Clark, director of the Michigan Historical Center, Seeking Michigan moves the archives and library experience outside of the bricks and mortar of the building in which the collections are housed. By employing the latest Web technologies and social media, the site aims for an enhanced user experience.

Seeking Michigan is a project of the Archives of Michigan and the Library of Michigan. Funding is from the Talbert and Leota Abrams Foundation, a Lansing-based nonprofit that has provided more than $2.5 million toward the development of the Library of Michigan's and Archives of Michigan' genealogy collection. The National Historic Publications and Records Commission provided additional funding.

Foreclosure Information Available from Michigan eLibrary

Looking for foreclosure information?

Check out the Michigan eLibrary (MeL) Michigan Personal Finance Resources page.

This page has information on dealing with mortgage foreclosure and debt counseling, and includes links to resources from the the Royal Oak Public Library, the United Way's Michigan Foreclosure site, and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority's Save the Dream Campaign.

Next week, MeL will be adding information from the Commerce Township Community Library's Foreclosure Prevention Packets Workshop.

The Michigan eLibrary is a service of the Library of Michigan.

Check Out MeL Jobs and Careers for Tips on Finding a Job

Unemployed? Take a look at Michigan eLibrary (MeL) Jobs and Careers site.

Created and funded by the Library of Michigan, MeL Jobs and Careers includes links to web sites on how to write cover letter and resumes, employee satisfaction rankings, internships, and job postings. MeL also includes information on starting a business, finding financial aid for school and job training, exploring career preferences, and learning about new occupations.

If you are unemployed, it is worth a look.

New Database Features at TPL

While attending the Michigan Library Association Annual Conference in Kalamazoo last week, I went to a session that showcased new updates in databases to which the Michigan eLibrary (MeL) subscribes. These databases are provided to the Troy Library free-of-charge, courtesy of the State Library of Michigan. Here are the highlights:

• Kids's Infobits, this youth database now has the ability to read the text of an article to you. This can be helpful for people with dyslexia, or people who use English as a second language. You can play the audio at your computer while looking at the article, or can download it to your computer as an MP3 file to be listened to later.
  
• MeL Michigana has added more content. This database houses several digital collections relating to Michigan history, including the Civil War Diaries Collection from Western Michigan University, the Archives of Michigan Image Collection, and the Virtual Motor City image collection from Wayne State University.
• Business & Company Resource Center now has enhanced investment reports compiled daily by Reuters Research on Demand.
• LearningExpress Library has added a U.S. Citizenship practice test dealing with history and civics. LearningExpress still continues to offer practice exams for the ACT, SAT, ASVAB, and various civil service exams, as well as practice tests for various school subjects. LearningExpress Library also contains a large library of eBooks to help in test preparation.

To access any of these databases, go to the Troy Public Library homepage and click on "Information On-Demand". Have your Troy Library card number handy.

Breast Cancer Web Sites

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As with many medical issues today, people turn to the Internet to help them make sense of this illness.

How can you evaluate web-based information? Here are two sources that might help you, according to Suzanne Robinson, Databases Training Coordinator, for the Michigan Library Consortium:

First, Michigan State University has just released a report on the good and not-so-good of breast cancer web sites. A cancer site that the researchers thought was especially helpful was developed at Cornell University: http://envirocancer.cornell.edu.

Second, you can go to the Health and Wellness Resource Center database, which is provided free-of-charge by the Library of Michigan, via the Troy Library's web site. Once there, click on the Trusted Sites tab for some highly recommended health web sites.

To use this database, go to our web site at http://www.libcoop.net/troy/ --> Information on Demand --> Health and Medical -->Health and Wellness Resource Center. Log in by using your Troy Library card number.

As Suzanne adds: "Remember, early detection saves lives. The cure rate for breast cancer detected early is well over 90%. There are over 2.5 million women (and men) who are now breast cancer survivors in the United States."

Good advice.