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Re: Friday Funnies...a bit early



As a librarian who worked with a primarily genealogical clientele for
5 years, I *loved* this, and couldn't resist elaborating.

--- "Dostie, Arthur" <Arthur.Dostie@STATE.ME.US> wrote:
>
> Art Dostie
> Ten Commandments for Amateur "Genies":

The professionals could stand a little reminder, too.

> 1)  Thou shalt be brief.

Your fellow researchers don't care how you're related to the third
sheriff of Jingleheimer County, either.

> 2)  Thou shalt not complain about using microfilm.  Thou cannot
> have the original documents.

In fact, the originals have often been destroyed (as was the case
with federal census records.)

> 3)  Thou art perfectly capable of finding the bathroom on thine
> own.

"See that sign?"

> 4)  Eateth not thy peanut butter cups in the Search Room, nor thy
> potato chips.

Spilling Pepsi on French's Gazetteer isn't so great, either.

> 5)  Honor the Archivist, and bring him/her chocolate chip cookies.

Just saying Thank You on the way out goes a long way.

> 6)  Thou shalt not put a death grip on the microfilm reader at
> closing time.
>
> 7)  Thy spoiled unruly child shall never enter unto the Search
> Room,nay, not to the fifth generation, that My staff's sanity may
be preserved.

"MY child isn't spoiled, *theirs* are!"

> 8)  Honor the Sabbath Day.  Sitteth not down next to me at Burger
> King on
> Sunday morning as I peruseth the paper and telleth me all about thy
> family (this actuallyeth happened to me, folks!).

Oh, my.  A hint of what lawyers and MDs go through every day, I'm
sure.

> 9)  Thou shalt not bear false witness (thy grandmother, Bridgett
> McGillicuddy, was Not a full-blooded Indian princess.

These days, *every* Anglo/Yankee/WASP has Indian descent.  Otherwise,
we'd have no ethnicity at all.  :)

> 10)  Thou shalt faithfully obey Commandment Number 5, lest the
> chances of thy locating that "critical" birth record be diminished.

And 11)  Researchers-for-hire shall useth not the reading room as thy
professional office.  (We had a professional genie who gave out our
reference number and expected us to let her tie up the line with
personal calls and to take messages in her absence.)

Actually, I like genealogical researchers.  Only a few are a real
problem, those who behave as though I'm deliberately withholding
their ancestors, and I oughta get the hell out of the way.

Why I like them is the subject of another message, which I'll
consider writing and sharing with everyone, if there's interest.

Thanks to Arthur for a delightful piece!

  -C.



=====
*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:**:-,
"...every modern technology, from television to computers,
was invented by men & women whose education was conducted
almost exclusively with pen, paper, and book."
  --Neil Postman
Cynthia Van Ness, MLS, email: bettybarcode@yahoo.com
Shameless self-promotion: http://cynthia.is-online.net

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