Help save Worcestershire Archives!

[Andrew Tarr]

Your votes are not wasted the Petition forms part of the overall campaign to save Worcester Archives and its data and comments are being presented to the Council. I believe that you can make a positive difference.

Purely personally, I have not added to the petition because I have no family reason to search the Worcs archive, tho I can understand why users of this forum might think I should.  I did back the People's Vote campaign because I saw a personal interest in staying in the EU - but that's another topic, which used to be hot but seems to get steadily cooler.  Better not go there. 

[lubylou]

Purely personally, I have not added to the petition because I have no family reason to search the Worcs archive, tho I can understand why users of this forum might think I should.  I did back the People's Vote campaign because I saw a personal interest in staying in the EU - but that's another topic, which used to be hot but seems to get steadily cooler.  Better not go there. 

Is that not rather a selfish reason for not signing? I would have thought that as a family historian like the rest of us you would think saving any resources would be in everyones best interest even if you don't have need for that resource yourself.

[BumbleB]

How very sad, Andrew, that you have declined to sign the petition just because "I have no family reason to search the Worcs archive".

I also have no reason to search Worcester Archives BUT I feel that it is important that these venues are still accessible AND I have signed the petition.

I fought long and hard to keep Lichfield Archives open - I live in Tamworth, but have no connections to Staffordshire at all other than current residence.  However, I could conduct searches on behalf of others at no cost to myself, and I felt that this enhanced my own search skills.  My other reason, was that Lichfield was home to the Diocesan records, not Stafford, where the records are now housed.  Grrrrr 

[Andrew Tarr]

How very sad, Andrew, that you have declined to sign the petition just because "I have no family reason to search the Worcs archive".

I feel that a petition should reflect the demand for a resource, rather than just a sympathy vote. I don't suppose the archive is under threat of destruction, just the staff to service and access it.  If that were the case I would probably support.

I choose to provide genealogy support in other ways, for example I have just completed my latest assignment for FreeReg, almost 10,000 Lancashire Quaker baptism records.  I'm taking a break just now .... 

[Ruskie]

I don't even live in the UK but I occasionally sign petitions if it is something I think is worth supporting. Hopefully others might benefit even if I don't (directly). 

You never know where your research will lead you .... I currently don't know of any Worcestershire connections to my family, though I do have many in nearby counties. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that one of those branches may lead to Worcestershire.

[BumbleB]

Just to say that I also do my "bit".  FreeBMD and I've now uploaded over 330,000 entries BUT it doesn't stop my support for "on-site" resources.

[rosie99]

Just to say that I also do my "bit".  FreeBMD and I've now uploaded over 330,000 entries BUT it doesn't stop my support for "on-site" resources.

I have to agree with you.      I have also signed it but have no Worcestershire connections.

I consider that the time I spend on here helping others is my bit as I can't 'do' continual transferring of information on to spreadsheets. 

[Andrew Tarr]

I feel that a petition should reflect the demand for a resource, rather than just a sympathy vote. I don't suppose the archive is under threat of destruction, just the staff to service and access it.  If that were the case I would probably support.

If I may add to my earlier comment: I feel it's a bit hypocritical to lodge a protest about the withdrawal of something I have no expectation of using.  That is rather like the 1960s in the UK, when many people protested about the loss of their local railway, though they never used it - they liked it to be there just in case, and it was part of the scenery.

Obviously it is much better if the Worcs archives stay as they are, but simply wanting them doesn't bring home the bacon, as it were.  Maybe we should all find reasons to raise demand?

[rosie99]

I feel that a petition should reflect the demand for a resource, rather than just a sympathy vote. I don't suppose the archive is under threat of destruction, just the staff to service and access it.  If that were the case I would probably support.

If I may add to my earlier comment: I feel it's a bit hypocritical to lodge a protest about the withdrawal of something I have no expectation of using.  That is rather like the 1960s in the UK, when many people protested about the loss of their local railway, though they never used it - they liked it to be there just in case, and it was part of the scenery.

Obviously it is much better if the Worcs archives stay as they are, but simply wanting them doesn't bring home the bacon, as it were.  Maybe we should all find reasons to raise demand?

Perhaps we should all have protested then, many of these branch lines that were destroyed are needed now.  

It does no harm to sign things if it helps others to keep their services.  Maybe people should be encouraged to use them more and perhaps a charge for doing so - that would probably promote another petition