I confess I used this bulletin board long before I became a member. By this, I was able to add to my family tree and contribute so other might benefit from what I in turn knew. This was a mutually beneficial arrangement and after time, I joined the FHS. I do not belong to any other society, of which there are many and so I suspect not a lot of new members, (like myself) would be generated if access was to be restricted. Indeed I would not have known of our society's existence without (a) the interest and need to gain information and (b) having a computer by which I could get it and (c) the openness of the society to let me have access to it.

E-zines are worthwhile as temporary access to information. If needed for the possible future reference, members would need back-up processes in order to protect this access. (How many of us have had a computer crash and lost information already?.) If photographs are available, how would they be downloaded quickly with a 56Kps modem?.

With 1000 members too, I suspect that over half do not have access to a computer, so some research into this angle may be of use.