A condensed edition of the Maine State Library reopened this past week, in temporary quarters on State Street.

The library’s much smaller spot at 242 State St. is in a state building that over the years has been home to offices of the state Department of Health and Human Services, Public Utilities Commission, and Department of Motor Vehicles. The new location is expected to be its home for about two years, while work continues to remove asbestos and perform mechanical upgrades at its longtime regular home at the state Cultural Building, which is undergoing about $15 million in renovations.

With only about 5,500 square feet of space for the public, versus the permanent library’s 22,000 square feet of availability, space is tight, and the collection of books and other materials is limited to about 25% of what was once on hand. But nearly the full complement of materials is in storage fairly nearby in a Winthrop warehouse, and can be made available to borrowers within one to three days or so, if requested.

You can read the full story by Keith Edwards at: https://www.centralmaine.com/2021/07/15/maine-state-library-reopens-in-temporary-quarters-in-augusta/.

The following was a message posted to the IAJGS (International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies) Records Access Alert mailing list and is republished here with permission:

In December 2017, Montana started to issue new birth certificates with an updated name and gender upon request of an affidavit from the individual, a government-issued ID showing the correct gender or a court order. No court order or proof of surgery is required. (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a2314a3a803bbf60aea3d4d/t/5b589c8b0e2e723fea135c41/1532533901004/Trans+birth+cert+change.pdf)

In 2021 a new law was signed, MT SB280 https://legiscan.com/MT/text/SB280/id/2375525/Montana-2021-SB280-Enrolled.pdf,  which states that the sex designation on a birth certificate can only be changed if the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services "received a certified copy of an order from a court indicating that the sex of an individual born in Montana had been changed by surgical procedure." The law suit further states, Montana's law requires an individual to reveal their private medical information in a public court proceeding, and, as a result, "deprives that person of their rights to equality and privacy in violation of the Montana Constitution."

On July 16, 2021, two transgender persons sued the date over the law that makes it difficult for transgender people to change their sex on their birth certificates. The suit says, the law prohibits trans people who don't want or can't afford gender-affirming surgery from obtaining accurate birth. The plaintiffs argue in their lawsuit that the measure violates their constitutional rights to privacy, equal protection of the law and due process. Being sued are: state of Montana, Governor Greg Gianforte, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and Adam Meier, the state health department's director.

According to NBC News, Twenty-three states allow self-attestation to change a gender marker on a birth certificate and do not require surgery nor a court order, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit LGBTQ think tank. Fourteen states allow an M, F or X, a nonbinary gender marker, on birth certificates.

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/aclu-sues-montana-transgender-id-law-requiring-proof-surgery-rcna1440

Jan Meisels Allen
Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

If you're looking for free ebooks to download and dive into, these digital libraries are worth checking out.

With the advance of digital technology, more and more people are choosing ebooks and audiobooks over printed books. Amazon alone offers millions of ebooks in every category you could think of. Some are free, while others come with a hefty price tag.

The good news is, you can always head over to a digital library to get the information you need when you need it. You just need to know what to look for. With that being said, check out these five digital libraries for free ebooks, audiobooks, and other online resources. There are thousands of books available, all are free, and quite a few of them are genealogy books.

You can find an excellent list of free (and mostly out-of-copyright) books in an article by Andra Picincu in the Make Use Of web site at: https://www.makeuseof.com/digital-libraries-download-ebooks-free/.

A South Carolina family reunited a Bible they found in a junk yard with the family it belongs to in Virginia.

Two years ago, Gena Greer, of Simpsonville, South Carolina, says her son found an old Bible while searching for car parts with his dad at a junk yard.

“My son said, ‘Hey Dad, look what I found,’" Gena's husband, Tyler Greer, said. "And it was a Bible. I didn’t know what he had found. I thought he was looking for the part we had gotten.”

Greer says his son found the Bible laying on the floor of a van in the junk yard.

“Things just don’t happen just by chance," Tyler Greer said. "There’s definitely a reason.”

He says he and his son went to pay for some car parts along with the Bible that day.

“And the guy went, ‘That’s between you and God. I’m not going to charge you for a Bible. If you found it, it’s meant to be, so I’m not going to charge you for a Bible,’” Tyler Greer said.

You can read more about this discovery and even watch a video about it at: https://bit.ly/36Jq63d.

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman. 

Most all paper manufactured in the past one hundred years or more contains acids. If left untreated, these acids will slowly decompose the paper itself. The use of acids in the manufacture of paper did not become popular until the early 20th century. Older newspapers of the 19th century were printed on paper that had no acids so they tend to last much longer.

Newspaper clippings or any other documents not printed on acid-free paper will eventually disintegrate. Today's newspapers usually contain more acids than other paper so newspapers are often the first to disintegrate. Luckily, modern science has created methods of slowing down or even stopping the decay of such paper.

The remainder of this article is reserved for Plus Edition subscribers only. If you have a Plus Edition subscription, you may read the full article at: https://eogn.com/(*)-Plus-Edition-News-Articles/10756851.

If you are not yet a Plus Edition subscriber, you can learn more about such subscriptions and even upgrade to a Plus Edition subscription immediately at https://eogn.com/page-18077.

From an article published in the romea.cz web site:

News server Denik.cz reports that the State Regional Archive (SOA) in Třeboň, Czech Republic has released on its website its archival collection of digitalized documents about the WWII-era concentration camp called the Zigeunerlager (in Czech, Cikánský tábor) at Lety; the digital collection was created in collaboration with the Institute of the Terezín Initiative in Prague as part of a project called the "Database of victims of the national socialist persecution of 'gypsies‘". "Several years ago we agreed with the Institute of the Terezín Initiative in Prague that we would like to make this collection publicly accessible as part of a project called the "Database of victims of the national socialist persecution of 'gypsies‘" supported by Bader Philanthropies," the director of SOA Třeboň, Václav Rameš, told Denik.cz.     

"The Institute digitalized this collection and experts from our archive then adapted it for our conditions," the director said, adding that the archival documents provide basic information about the creation and existence of all of the camps serving different purposes and of different levels of significance that appeared on the territory of Lety municipality, especially between 1940 and 1943, as well as up until 1945, when the Second World War ended. "There are, for example, lists of the gendarmes ordered to serve at the camp and above all there is documentation about those imprisoned there," the director said.

You can read more at https:/bit.ly/3xLEV19.

The following announcement was written by TheGenealogist:

TheGenealogist has now added a total of over 1 million individuals to its unique Lloyd George Domesday Survey recordset with the addition this week of 85,959 individuals from the 1910s property tax records for the Borough of Haringey. Covering the areas of Hornsey Central, Hornsey East, Hornsey West, as well as Tottenham A, Tottenham B, Tottenham C and Wood Green this week’s release is made up of maps and field books that name property owners and occupiers in a exclusive online resource that gives family history researchers the ability to discover where an ancestor lived in the 1910-1915 period.

When combined with other records such as the 1911 Census, the IR58 Valuation Office records give researchers additional information about their ancestors' home, land, outbuildings and property. While these records may be searched from the Master Search or main search page of TheGenealogist, they have also been added to TheGenealogist’s powerful Map Explorer™ so that the family historian can see how the landscape where their ancestor lived or worked changed as the years have passed.

All of the contemporary OS maps are linked to field books that reveal descriptions of the property, as well as listing the names of owners and occupiers. This release makes it possible to precisely locate where an ancestor lived on a number of large scale, hand annotated maps for this part of London. These map the exact plots of properties at the time of the survey and are layered over various georeferenced historical maps and modern base maps on the Map Explorer™. Only available online from TheGenealogist, these records enable the researcher to thoroughly investigate a place in which an ancestor lived even if the streets have undergone massive change in the intervening years.

Read TheGenealogist’s article that finds the Tottenham cottage responsible for giving the old Spurs football ground its popular name: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2021/haringey-land-valuation-records-uncovers-the-modest-house-that-gave-its-name-to-a-famous-football-stadium-1429/

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections.

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

Explore thousands of new church records from the Archdiocese of Southwark, Pembrokeshire parish registers, 27 new newspapers and additional pages for 45 existing titles. 

England Roman Catholic Parish Registers

The Catholic Heritage Archive has grown again with over 32,000 new baptism, marriage, burial and congregational records from the Archdiocese of Southwark.

Including both transcripts and images of original documents, these records will provide the dates and locations of important life events, birth years, the names of parents, spouses, children and more.

Read Findmypast’s Catholic records guide to grow your Catholic family tree. 

Pembrokeshire Parish Registers

Following last week’s community poll, Findmypast have added new Pembrokeshire baptisms from 1921 and marriages and banns from 1936.

Parish records are essential for progressing your Welsh family history research and Findmypast is home to the largest collection available online.

Newspapers

This week’s huge newspaper update sees 27 brand new papers added to Findmypast along with updates to 45 existing titles. This week’s new arrivals include:

• • Bell’s Penny Dispatch covering 1842
  • British Standard covering 1857-1866
  • British Statesman covering 1842-1843
  • City of London Trade Protection Circular covering 1848-1849
  • Cobbett’s Evening Post covering 1820
  • Consett Guardian covering 1860-1896, 1899-1900 and 1914-1929
  • Court Gazette and Fashionable Guide covering 1838-1841
  • Daily Politician covering 1836
  • Eastern Counties’ Times covering 1893-1895, 1897, 1899, 1901-1902, 1906-1908, 1911, 1914-1915, 1917-1929, 1932 and 1934-1935
  • High Life in London covering 1827-1828
  • London Packet and New Lloyd’s Evening Post covering 1801, 1803-1805, 1814, 1818-1820, 1830-1832 and 1834-1836
  • Myra’s Journal of Dress and Fashion covering 1875-1912
  • New Court Gazette covering 1840-1846
  • New Times (London) covering 1818-1828
  • Nonconformist Elector covering 1847
  • Oracle and the Daily Advertiser covering 1801-1809
  • People’s Weekly Police Gazette covering 1835-1836
  • Royal York covering 1827
  • Satirist; or, the Censor of the Times covering 1831-1844 and 1846-1849
  • Socialist (Edinburgh) covering 1920
  • South Wales Weekly Argus and Monmouthshire Advertiser covering 1892-1896, 1899-1901 and 1903-1905
  • Southall Gazette covering 1974-1976
  • Town & Country Daily Newspaper covering 1873
  • Trade Protection Record covering 1849-1850
  • Trades’ Free Press covering 1825-1831
  • Waterford Star covering 1899-1901, 1903-1906 and 1908-1913
  • Weekly Intelligence covering 1818

While the following papers have grown again with extra pages:

• • Aberystwyth Observer from 1870-1873, 1885 and 1905
  • Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser from 1911-1914
  • Birkenhead & Cheshire Advertiser from 1873
  • Blackpool Gazette & Herald from 1908-1912
  • Bootle Times from 1878-1880 and 1883-1886
  • Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette from 1896
  • Coleshill Chronicle from 1875-1877, 1881, 1888 and 1896
  • Cotton Factory Times from 1896
  • Dewsbury Chronicle and West Riding Advertiser from 1889
  • East Riding Telegraph from 1900
  • English Mail from 1859
  • Essex Times from 1868-1869, 1876-1877, 1880, 1892, 1900-1902, 1909 and 1914
  • Evening Irish Times from 1904, 1909
  • Faversham Times and Mercury and North-East Kent Journal from 1862
  • Fleetwood Express from 1899, 1903, 1910 and 1918
  • Fulham Chronicle from 1973-1975
  • General Advertiser for Dublin, and all Ireland from 1924
  • Gorey Correspondent from 1881
  • Illustrated Sporting News and Theatrical and Musical Review from 1863
  • Imperial Weekly Gazette from 1808 and 1810
  • Kenilworth Advertiser from 1901-1923
  • Lady’s Own Paper from 1866
  • Lancaster Standard and County Advertiser from 1893
  • Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser from 1834
  • Lloyd’s Companion to the Penny Sunday Times and Peoples’ Police Gazette from 1845-1847
  • Midland Counties Tribune from 1912
  • Mirror of the Times from 1805-1807, 1810 and 1812
  • Monthly Times from 1843
  • Morning Herald (London) from 1811-1812, 1815-1818, 1832-1833, 1835-1836 and 1854
  • Nantwich, Sandbach & Crewe Star from 1889 and 1892
  • Northern Daily Times from 1854
  • Northern Weekly Gazette from 1900
  • Penistone, Stocksbridge and Hoyland Express from 1912
  • Retford and Worksop Herald and North Notts Advertiser from 1912
  • Sleaford Gazette from 1894
  • Southport Visiter from 1894
  • St. Helens Examiner from 1909
  • Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser from 1910
  • Teignmouth Post and Gazette from 1894, 1897-1898, 1900, 1906-1907, 1909, and 1912-1914
  • Warwickshire Herald from 1898
  • Weekly Chronicle (London) from 1841-1847 and 1850-1867
  • Westminster & Pimlico News from 1976-1977
  • Westminster Journal and Old British Spy from 1805-1807
  • Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald from 1957-1968
  • Widnes Examiner from 1918 and 1920

The following is a press release written by ProQuest:

One of the most influential magazines of the 20th and 21st centuries, Rolling Stone provides a deep dive into music, film, culture and counterculture spanning decades

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, July 12, 2021 – Researchers can now access 50 years of the culture-defining journalism in Rolling Stone – digitally. The archive of one of the most legendary and influential consumer magazines in history is now available and easily accessible online for the first time to academic institutions and libraries globally through ProQuest.

With full-color, full-page content, The Rolling Stone Archive is a significant addition to library collections – giving users anytime, anywhere access to the entire publication’s backfile from 1967 to today. A key resource and guide to understanding the history of music, film, television, entertainment and popular culture, Rolling Stone is synonymous with culture and social relevance with its pulse on politics, social issues and the most significant countercultural movements of recent history, including contributions from writers like Hunter S. Thompson, Patti Smith and Tom Wolfe. The archive is also filled with articles that have defined history – including one of the first national features about the mystery of AIDS in the 1980s.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with ProQuest in making half a century of our culture-defining and award-winning content available digitally,” said Rolling Stone President and Chief Operating Officer Gus Wenner. “It is truly incredible to showcase our body of work from our first issue featuring John Lennon to one of our most recent and iconic covers featuring BTS. This collaboration shows the breadth and scope of the full Rolling Stone archive and expands access to it in a meaningful way. I'm excited and humbled to have the opportunity to share Rolling Stone's catalogue chronicling where we’ve been, while continuing to inspire future generations for years to come.”

“Rolling Stone is long known for both shaping and chronicling cultural trends, making its archive indispensable in research and teaching across all social science and humanities disciplines,” said Susan Bokern, Vice President of Product Management at ProQuest. “And because its content is discoverable in one place and easily searched, users will be able to uncover insights about how events, people, trends and themes evolved over time from its unique coverage and perspectives."

With cover-to-cover issues, article-level indexing and searchable text, users can review all types of content from The Rolling Stone Archive, including articles, editorials, advertisements and more. Available on the ProQuest® platform, The Rolling Stone Archive can be searched along with a diverse selection of content – newspapers, books, journals, dissertations and more – giving additional context to a research topic.

About ProQuest (https://about.proquest.com/en/) 

ProQuest supports the important work in the world’s research and learning communities. The company curates six centuries of content – the world’s largest collection of journals, ebooks, primary sources, dissertations, news, and video – and builds powerful workflow solutions to help libraries acquire and grow collections that inspire extraordinary outcomes. ProQuest products and services are used in academic, K-12, public, corporate and government libraries in 150 countries. Along with its companies and affiliates Ex Libris, Alexander Street and Bowker, ProQuest helps its customers achieve better research, better learning and better insights. For more information, visit our blog (https://about.proquest.com/en/blog/blog-listing/) , follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or visit https://about.proquest.com/en/.

About Rolling Stone 

Rolling Stone, the number-one brand in music publishing, has been the leading voice of music and popular culture for over 50 years. The multi-media brand features the latest in music reviews, in-depth interviews, hard-hitting political commentary and award-winning journalism across several platforms including magazine, digital, mobile, social and experiential marketing. Headquartered in New York, Rolling Stone provides “all the news that fits” to a global audience of approximately 60 million people every month and publishes over 100 pieces of content every day. For more information, please visit https://www.rollingstone.com/.

Willie Hudspeth drove past the burial site the first time he went looking for the bodies.

The longtime activist was trekking down a country road in search of a freedman’s cemetery in Pilot Point, a small town north of Denton. But over time, nature had run its course. Grass and weeds blanketed some 400 graves of St. John’s Cemetery, the final resting place for a community composed of freed slaves. Before a fence was installed, cattle would occasionally roam through the wooded grounds.

But on that day several years back, Hudspeth encountered a caretaker on the gravel road. Upon spotting his vehicle, she assumed he may be yet another high-school kid out to steal headstones. She held a .45 pistol behind the door of her truck.

Hudspeth laughs when he tells the story, explaining how the caretaker soon relaxed and showed him the way to St. John’s. Looking back on it now, the 75-year-old civil rights activist and local NAACP president is amazed he was able to find the overgrown site, largely forgotten. Ask him, and he’ll say it’s divine providence.

“I don’t know how in the world we found this. I don’t know how we found her, I don’t know how we found the road to turn on. Nothing,” he said. “But that’s how we actually found it, and then I got her permission to come out and do some work out here whenever I could.”

You can read the rest of the story in an article by Simone Carter published in the Dallas (Texas) Observer at https://bit.ly/3wHmLMs.