<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Univers Condensed";}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'>In the spirit of that all
important holiday, Halloween, we would like to help Ohio libraries organize
their dead people. No, we’re not talking zombies here, but
obituaries!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'>Are you struggling in these hard
economic times? Make your genealogical collection a source of revenue in
the web-based Ohio Obituary Index, <a href="http://www.rbhayes.org/index">www.rbhayes.org/index</a><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Univers Condensed"'>,<b> </b></span>The
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center hosts this award-winning web site that
you can join, along with 49 other Ohio Public Libraries. Once your obituary
listings are online people will find them and either come to your library or
order them. We are now partnered with <i>Ancestry.com</i> and <i>Archives.com</i>
and the exposure to our data has increased exponentially because of those
affiliations although our site will always remain free to view.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'>The Hayes Presidential Center
will be demonstrating its Ohio Obituary Index at the Ohio Library
Council’s 2011 Convention and Expo in Toledo on October 26 and 27<sup>th</sup>
<a href="http://olc.org/expo.asp">http://olc.org/expo.asp</a>. I will be
there to greet old friends who are currently partners and encourage other
libraries to join us in this web-based index of newspaper obituaries and other
items, such as local history collections of clippings, wills and estates,
funeral records, etc.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'>Why re-invent the wheel and tax
your own too-busy technology department when we already have done the work,
created a very user-friendly interface, and attracted millions of viewers?
Started in 2000, the online Index currently receives almost 230,000 page views
a month (over 2 million hits a month) and is cited as a valuable
genealogical tool in books and referred to by over 300 other web sites. At this
time, we have over 2,200,000 names in the database from Fremont to Marietta and
citations to over 3 million newspaper sources. The Ohio Obituary Index received
the Technology Excellence Award given by the New England Historic Genealogical
Society. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'>For $1500, a public library or historical
society can join the Hayes partnership, receive training on how to enter their
data, and start inputting their names into the web-based system. The only
other charge is an annual fee of $200 for website maintenance and quality
control. If you have an existing database, it is possible for an additional fee
to import those records into our system.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'>Check to see if your Library
Director, other staff member or you will be attending the OLC 2011 Convention
and Expo and stop by booth #216 to see the Ohio Obituary Index and the
administrative side of the database in action and some Trick or Treat candy,
but no zombies. If you have any questions before or after, please contact
me at <a href="mailto:bhill@rbhayes.org">bhill@rbhayes.org</a> or 800-998-7737.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'>Becky Hill <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Rebecca B. Hill<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Head Librarian<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Spiegel Grove<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Fremont, OH 43420<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>419.332.2081 ext. 231<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>bhill@rbhayes.org<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>www.rbhayes.org<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>419.332.4952 (fax)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Rutherford B. Hayes Center Library is open Tuesday -
Saturdays, 9 to 5, closed Mondays due to State of Ohio cutbacks<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>