Last week, genealogist Dick Eastman got tired of all the complaints about "the high cost of genealogy services" and wrote a knee-jerk reaction article "I Have a Complaint Concerning Many Genealogists" that pointed out what a bargain these type of services actually are. Well, he obviously struck a chord with readers, because as of this morning the article has received over 200 reader comments - both supporting and speaking out against the opinions expressed by Dick in his article.
I definitely agree with many of Dick's views. I even get reader complaints when they find they have to register to access records for free (such as was originally required for the RecordsSearch beta at FamilySearch Labs, although that was expanded to a public access pilot last week and no longer requires registration to view the free records). On the other hand, it can be easy sometimes to get frustrated at the high cost of genealogy research. The North Carolina State Archives, for example, charges me an extra $20 fee for each genealogy request (on top of photocopying and mailing expenses) because I do not live in the state. On the one hand, this makes complete sense as a means for keeping records access reasonable for residents whose taxes go to support the archives. But on the other hand, my ancestors have been paying taxes in North Carolina for over 300 years, and literally hundreds of their descendants still live in and pay taxes in the state. Does this give me cause to complain?
Kimberly Powell at
http://genealogy.about.com/b/2008/05/26/why-genealogy-isnt-always-free.htm
See also the last comment at
http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/05/i-have-a-compla.html
I definitely agree with many of Dick's views. I even get reader complaints when they find they have to register to access records for free (such as was originally required for the RecordsSearch beta at FamilySearch Labs, although that was expanded to a public access pilot last week and no longer requires registration to view the free records). On the other hand, it can be easy sometimes to get frustrated at the high cost of genealogy research. The North Carolina State Archives, for example, charges me an extra $20 fee for each genealogy request (on top of photocopying and mailing expenses) because I do not live in the state. On the one hand, this makes complete sense as a means for keeping records access reasonable for residents whose taxes go to support the archives. But on the other hand, my ancestors have been paying taxes in North Carolina for over 300 years, and literally hundreds of their descendants still live in and pay taxes in the state. Does this give me cause to complain?
Kimberly Powell at
http://genealogy.about.com/b/2008/05/26/why-genealogy-isnt-always-free.htm
See also the last comment at
http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/05/i-have-a-compla.html
KlausGraf - am Montag, 2. Juni 2008, 23:23 - Rubrik: English Corner
