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Archiver > GENMSC > 1998-12 > 0913369338


From: Lesley Robertson <>
Subject: Re: Dumb Newbie Question
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 10:42:18 +0100


Cheryl Singhal wrote:

> We all need help sometime. I recently begged a favor down in Mobile
> Alabama (I needed a photo of a gravestone from a cemetery I knew several
> people on the list visited regularly and I haven't been in Mobile for 20
> years now). I have thanked the party, and have sent a token sum as
> partial reimbursement and have offered to lookup something here in DC
> for her. Likewise, I lookup stuff in records I have "instant" access to
> and send it off.

I think that this is a large part of the answer. We should all put back what we
take out. Ask for help if you need it, but be willing to help where you can.
I know that I'm much more likely to go to a lot of trouble to help someone I've
seen contributing help to others - and others obviously feel the same way. I
once posted a query, had an answer the same afternoon from a lady in the town
I'd been asking about - she had actually gone down to the main library to look
for my info in a copy of a very rare book they have there (rare enough to get
hysterical giggles if you ask for inter-library loan) - she said she'd gone to
all that trouble becase she'd seen me helping a lot of new folk! Obviously,
people new to the lists deserve a fair amount of leeway, but everyone can
contribute something once they've got started.
Some people get known for being "takers" - others give despite major problems
(one of the frequent helpers in another of these groups is wheel-chair bound,
another is rapidly developing sight problems, but they both help newbies
regularly).
There's probably no single answer.
Lesley Robertson

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