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Re: institutional patronage



We're a smaller archive, but contain much of the material available to trace
circus performers.  Our statistics have been pretty stable over the last
three years.  However, the number of phone and in-person inquiries have
dropped off, being replaced by an equal number of e-mail questions.  We've
only been available by e-mail for about a year and 1/2, and the number of
electronic questions increased dramatically.  At least half of all our
queries are genealogical, possibly as much as 75%, and those haven't fallen
off.  We will be watching to see whether the Internet contacts will drop off
once we're no longer "new."  Of course, we hope by then to have a searchable
index on the Internet, and maintain our "new" status.

Erin Foley
Archivist
Circus World Museum
550 Water Street
Baraboo, WI  53913

608-356-8342, ext. 3283
fax 608-355-7959
efoley.cwm@baraboo.com


> Russell Baker wrote:
Colleagues:
I work at the Arkansas History Commission in Little Rock....
...My bosses want to know if this is just us or  there other institutions
like ours that have experienced a similar drop in patronage. I attribute
this drop to the intranet. Do you have other ideas. Genealogy is surely
disappearing as a hobby in the U. S. Thanks for your comments and help.

Russell P. Baker, CA
Arkansas History Commission and State Archives
One Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201
 501-682-6900
russell.baker@mail.state.ar.us <mailto:russell.baker@mail.state.ar.us>

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