On Saturday, February 26, from 4-7 pm we will be having our first Family History Guild Lock-In. The purpose of this lock-in is so that our patrons working on their family history will have time to do research. The program will be held after regular hours in order to provide uninterrupted research time.
Next month’s schedule will include our monthly meeting time on March 15th from 7-8 with Barb Snow presenting part two of her website discussion. On March 19th there will be another lock-in scheduled from 4-7.
Pre-registration is required for all. Please call 428-8045 to register.
Manchester District Library 
My tax dollars at work? My family’s income went down almost 20%, my property value declined almost 40%, but my taxes went up and your able to offer special services to a select few? Everyone at my husband’s business took a pay cut so the company could stay afloat and that’s a common theme all over Michigan and the country. Not only have you NOT followed suit, but you’ve been able to expand your hours and services to the benefit of a select few. Unless they’re coughing up some bucks for special privileges I’d like a refund on my taxes to come out of the library’s budget. Heather, did you take a pay cut to support this? Do people looking for jobs get “uninterrupted research time?” Do students get that benefit? What makes looking for your ancestors so difficult that you need “uninterrupted research time?”
I’m sorry you feel so negatively about this one program – obviously it touches a sensitive point for you, and I’m sure for many others. As for your specific complaints:
1) Despite the library’s falling income due to falling property taxes, yes, we’ve expanded hours and tried to offer new programs. We’ve done this not by spending more, but by spending less in other areas to compensate.
2) We’ve offered additional weekend hours (specifically, Sundays 1-5) precisely because we know people are job hunting, working long or odd hours during the week, or otherwise need weekend access to library resources like the public computers.
3) The genealogy lock-in was an idea suggested by the people attending Family History Guild meetings during the month. We’d hoped to meet their needs for access to library genealogy databases without cutting into computer time for the general public during the week. If a job-hunting lock-in would be useful, I’m happy to consider that.
4) Staff have not seen raises for the past 2-3 years, including myself. In addition we’ve cut back on benefits, changed insurance providers, and are closely watching our hours to make sure we stay within budget.
We are all concerned about the economy, and the Library Board and staff take our responsibilities as stewards of the library’s income seriously. That includes both offering needed/wanted services to our users AND being good money managers. In addition to talking to me, I encourage you to contact the Board with your comments and concerns and/or attend an upcoming Board meeting. Over the next 2-3 months we’ll be working out our budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. With cuts in State Aid to libraries, rising fees for technology, and falling property taxes, I expect to be making more adjustments and cuts this year, and library user input would be very welcome as we work through this process.
I wanted to thank the library for starting the family history guild. I have greatly benefited from the presentations and the research time we have been given. At the lock-in I was able to break thru a “brick” wall and found some relatives I had been looking for.
hooray for diverse interest groups that meet at the library thus allowing the library to do what it is intended to do and that’s educate ALL! Use of the library during off hours when it is still heated, lit and computer ready is a wise use of my milage dollars. I think if others with special needs .i.e job seekers who need to use the library during off hours need the library’s services then a special date and time should be created. So much has been learned by the genealogy researchers both about their families, local and national history and how we are all related. Hooray!