There are definite pros and cons to an offspring’s college career. Out of state tuition charges can cause one to shed crocodile tears each time a check is written. But sometimes there are unexpected bonuses. Our child’s four years at the University of Cincinnati offered an unforeseen “pro” in the form of The Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County.
Located at 800 Vine Street in downtown Cincinnati, the Main Library has a genealogy collection that would make many State Archives bow their heads in shame. At first glance one recognizes a paradise. Rows of state of the art microfilm copiers share a common laser printer between each two machines. Cubicles furnish semi-private work spaces fully equipped with power plugs for laptops, and what might eventually be internet connections. Stacks of transcript books furnish a well stocked boundary. Copies, both microfilm and paper, can be accomplished efficiently without pocket change by inserting one’s library card into a machine followed by currency or change.
A few questions at the main genealogical reference desk yields the information that the library has on microfilm all the federal censuses for every county in the United States. The bad news is that the microfilm are in closed stacks and must be pulled by reference librarians. The request process is cumbersome, involving a paper request slip which must include microfilm number. The numbers have to be obtained from published books that detail the reel numbers for each state and county. As one would expect someone is always using the book that you need.
Although these are rows of transcript books in open stack there are also many that are filed in closed stacks. To obtain access, one must request the volumes with a paper request slip furnished to a reference librarian. This is an enormous hindrance to the researcher and greatly limits access to the library’s collection. An additional problem is the fact that the reference librarians are not at all friendly. They give the impression that they are empowered with the task of protecting the collection from the general public.
The open stack volumes are not organized in the manner normally found in genealogical libraries. One does not always find each county’s volumes offered as a single grouping. The feeling emerges that the organization is strictly by card catalog number and that the organizing librarian was not a genealogist.
Beginning this article with such praise, my reader has probably come to doubt my feelings regarding the genealogical collection at The Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County, Ohio. Doubt no longer. The collection is wonderful. The organization and employee demeanor is not. With a change in attitude this library could be a Mecca for researchers in our country’s heartland. Yes, I really do miss Cincinnati and its wonderful downtown library. But not the out of state tuition……