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JOHN OXIAN: Recommends that the architects or designers for the school should <br />consult with Historic Preservation Commission in formulating their proposal for <br />windows, doors, and additions. <br />3. All others wishing to be heard <br />MARY WATERSON: I as well as others feel that it is essential that the local historic <br />newspaper file stay at the St. Joseph County Library. Historic Preservation Commission <br />as well as various schools, churches, government bodies, veteran's groups, and other <br />institutions have used our Local Historic Genealogy Room over the past years. These <br />articles are comprised of recorded historic events that have occurred over the years and <br />can not be found any where else in the world. <br />If these historical articles are allowed to be digitized and the hard copies put into <br />storage outside of the Local History Genealogy Room of our local public library our local <br />history could be permanently lost forever due to the following reasons: <br />1. Recent examples have shown that scanned photos of these newspaper clippings for <br />digitization were very poor and that the hard copies would have to be used for back <br />up in order for them to be of any use to the public. <br />2. The type of machine that the library has purchased will be able to scan these <br />,historical articles right away and then have them indexed later. The danger in doing <br />this is that these articles will be scanned and then moved to an outside storage area <br />due to the fact that there is not enough qualified personnel and funding available. <br />There are currently over one half million items that will need indexing and with <br />improper or no indexing no one will be able to find the digitized items in the <br />computer. <br />3. Due to copyright laws the hard disc will not be able to be put into the libraries <br />center data base or online and will be limited to only one or two computers in the <br />Local History room and this will turn greatly restrict public access to these files. <br />Also reference questions about local history will not be able to be answered in <br />person, by phone, or email due to lack of access to staff members. Staff members <br />also will not be able to answer questions in a timely manner about our community for <br />those individuals that email or call in that are considering moving or locating their <br />business to our town. <br />4. Non computer people may not have access to their local history, because often the <br />staff is too busy to train a patron in this category at the exact time that a person <br />comes in. <br />5. As technology changes will the library continue to be able to afford to continue to <br />rework this large project? <br />6. The Local Historic Clipping File will not have room temperature control with <br />halon. With this type of environment and with acid free paper these newspapers <br />clippings would have a life span of over three hundred years. If these newspaper <br />clippings are not maintained and stored properly they could be lost due to disarray <br />and heat, fire, or unqualified staff. If this were allowed to happen then thousands of <br />hours of work by both professionals and volunteers that has gone into the making of <br />our community story which has span over a one hundred -year period could be lost <br />