The following excerpt is from an August 6, 2010 Lansing State Journal editorial. Although the state is hurting economically, breaking up such a wonderful resource, as the Library of Michigan is, seems extreme. Their genealogy collection is one of the best in the country.
The idea of parceling out the library’s functions and holdings never seemed to gel. The “Michigan Center for Innovation and Reinvention,” which [Governor] Granholm touted for the library complex, was deemed “squishy” by this board little more than a year ago.
And now an advisory panel formed by Granholm has recommended against the library’s dismantling. It says the non-Michigan genealogy records and other materials previously deemed not part of the library’s core mission should stay where they are.
The effect of this recommendation is, no surprise, unclear. Granholm’s office says it will review the recommendation.
Doesn’t it make sense to halt a break-up whose benefits are not well understood?
Yes, Michigan is spending money to maintain records that, strictly speaking, it does not need to operate. “For non-Michigan genealogical records alone, the state spends about $368,000 a year,” the LSJ reported last month.
That’s a great deal of money for the average Michigan family. For Michigan government, like it or not, it’s peanuts. For some context, consider that the Auditor General’s Office just issued a report questioning $4.4 billion in spending by the Department of Community Health.
