[OPLINTECH] Organize your local dead people on the web

[Becky Hill]

Would you like to be part of an award-winning online obituary database?  
The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library is applying for an LSTA 
grant to expand its coverage of indexed obituaries in Northwest and 
North Central Ohio. We currently have 16 public libraries that are 
entering their obituary data into the web site - remotely, from their 
libraries' computers. NORWELD (Northwest Ohio Library District) has 
recently sponsored 12 of those libraries making this a more regional 
collaboration than it had been previously.  The web site earned an award 
in September for Technology Excellence from the New England Historic 
Genealogical Society and gets over 400,000 hits a MONTH! It is a great 
way to help genealogists and local historians find the people they are 
searching for, bringing new researchers into your libraries and helping 
people in other parts of the country find what you have.  Many libraries 
have existing old card files of obituary indexes that they would like to 
computerize and put online or they would like to start indexing their 
current newspapers.  Why re-invent the wheel ?

The grant will pay 75% of the one-time fee charged for new libraries to 
add to the database ($1500) and for one year's subscription fee ($200). 
The participating library's share would be $425.  After the first year, 
your library would have to commit to paying the $200 annual  
subscription fee to maintain the service.

The initial fee will allow the libraries to use the Hayes-designed 
software,  pay for the time it takes the Hayes staff to set up a 
library's newspapers in the system and for the training of each 
library's staff.  The ongoing fee of $200 per year will help defray 
Hayes staff costs and web storage.  Each library will be able to add 
their obituary information into the online database which is free for 
everyone on the web.

If your library is interested, contact Becky Hill (bhill@rbhayes.org) 
for further information.  The application for the grant is due by 
Nov.12, 2003, so time is of the essence.  If approved, it would go into 
effect April 2004. We are currently collecting names of libraries in 
Northwest and North Central Ohio which would like to be considered for 
this  partnership and we will need to include Letters of Support from 
each participating library.

Check out the web site at www.rbhayes.org/index

For further information on the Hayes Obituary Index, click here -

http://index.rbhayes.org/Explanation.cfm

Becky Hill

-- 
Rebecca Hill
Co-Head Librarian
Hayes Presidential Center
Spiegel Grove
Fremont, OH 43420

e-mail:  bhill@rbhayes.org
phone: 419-332-2081, ext. 31
fax:  419-332-4952
www.rbhayes.org