That is a great idea. Emilie we could all send Salt Lake letters on your
behalf, well in behalf of the residents of your Island. How many people
are being affected by this closure. If we got them to write a letter and
if a handfull from the Nuestros Ranchos group submitted something maybe
they would hold up just a little longer.

Dear President Hinckley,

I am one of the moderators of the Nuestros Ranchos genealogy group which
primarily focuses on the Estados of Jalisco, Zacatecas, and
Aguascalientes in Mexico. One of our dedicated researchers, Emilie
Garcia, resently sent to the group a message that troubles me greatly.
She stated that her Family History Center located on _______ Island is
about to be closed. She indicated that all her films that were on
permanent hold will be sent back to SLC and that she is rushing to get
every minute she can to do her research before her films are returned.
Now I don't think I need to remind you that we were told that paying our
fees three times meant that the films would be kept permanently at the
FHC, but now the whole FHC is closing with no remedy in sight. I think
to help Emilie as she digs into her Zacatecas, Mexico roots the LDS
church should seriously reconsider the hardship that will caused by
these actions. At the very least why not consider delaying the action
for 6 months so she can strive to find family history. I don't want to
sound ungrateful for what the LDS church has done in supplying us with
these records, but I do as that you not forget the indivduals that are
in need of your help today.

Sincerely,

Joseph Puentes
http://nuestrosranchos.org

ps: I would think a nice compromise would be to contact the local
library and make arrangements with them to hold those films at their
location for a period of time of not less than one year so Emilie could
have the time she needs.

NathanJones wrote:

>Those of you facing an imminent closure of your local Family HIstory Center might consider petitioning Salt Lake City for an extension.
>
>I don't remember who said they live on an island, but you could address that issue in a letter to Salt Lake.
>Make them aware of the hardship it would be for you if they closed your FHC with such short notice, how your particular FHC is serving a vital sevice to the Hispanic community, and the community overall.
>
>You might get an extra month, maybe 90 days.
>
>