In today's world you can do many tasks on-line via your own computer. Sometimes, it's nice to have…read morea face to face conversation with a human being to have circumstances reviewed and questions answered. That face to face meeting was exactly what I needed to happen with the Social Security Administration. After phoning the appropriate phone number I was a tad bit worried about the experience I may have during an actual meeting. If rating the phone experience alone it would be a 2.5 stars. This is based on busy signals, rambling messages, worming through the transfer system and the inability to talk to a live representative. So I went to the Social Security Administration without having a scheduled appointment. I feared disorganization and long waits. Oh how I had misjudged this agency with wrong preconceived notions. I met my husband in the parking lot and we entered the building together. Upon entering we were greeted from a distance by a security guard who pointed to a registration machine. Wow, a nice clean touch screen system, where you enter your Social Security number, then follow the prompts for reason for visit, etc. At the end it spits out a small paper tag with your registration number. We had a seat in the clean lobby and proceeded to wait for our number to be called. Within 10 minutes we were called to window "number" B. We met briefly with that employee who determined we needed to meet with a case worker who could further answer our questions, print out our options, and assist us with evaluating the whole picture. So we went back to the lobby area to wait. I figured it would be another 10-15 minutes. Wrong again. We no more than took a seat and we heard our last name announced and were told to go to window number 11. The case worker was a delightful, intelligent young lady who understood our questions and was armed with computer print outs of our collective Social Security data. She plunked the information we presented into the system and printed out our options. We were not rushed to make a decision but advised to take the information home with us and decide what works best with our current financial situation. She informed us because we had shown up in-person to make the inquiries she would generate a letter that was good for six months to make that date be the application date. WOW, my head is still spinning with this positive experience. Now we have a phone number to call to make an appointment or we can complete our application process on-line. A true five star experience with a government agency.

Very nice library in Frankfort. Your fingerprint is your library card…read more They always have the titles I'm looking for on the shelf. Either they have a great inventory or nobody reads books anymore. Or they don't read what I do.

This library isn't big, but it is quite pleasant, and represents a good climate-controlled space…read morewith public restrooms. The wifi just pops on without needing a password or anything; what a thought! There is a garage underneath the place. As libraries go, this is rather retro in the sense that it still has a lot of physical books and some, but not a ton of spaces for people to sit or do meetings. I imagine the library of the future being a ton of little rooms for zoom meetings. That being said, this tiny town doesn't seem to place too much demand on the space, and it's a nice place to be.

A 1-star is much too good for these conniving thieves. I have never dealt with such poor customer…read moreservice in all my life. I was searching for a relative's death certificate; they had shafted me before, so I wanted to be sure this time this particular record even existed. I had assumed they had made an honest mistake with my prior request. This time, however, when pressed, they would not answer a single question I had or even elaborate as to why they couldn't. To make the situation somehow worse, they immediately hung up on me. I was polite and courteous, so I was shocked by this mistreatment. I've dealt with less-than-stellar customer service in my time, but this was another level of apathy from the operator. What makes me disheartened is the fact that they can treat us like this because they have a monopoly on our most precious and valued documents and certificates.

Giving 5 stars because someone has to do the clerical work of births, deaths, marriages (same as…read moredeath lol), etc etc the office is closed due to coronavirus. They won't even let you in to pee if you have small children with you lol everything is online unfortunately and will talk 3-6 weeks for any changes and or anything you need mailed to you unless what you want can be overnighted. Huge building, there's an area specifically for handicap parking, and huge parking lots.

Located in a massive fortress building on a back road, adjacent to the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans…read moreMemorial, The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives is the official repository for historical records of governments in the state of Kentucky, including its various (and numerous) counties. Its collections include microfilms and original paper records dating to the very beginning of Kentucky as a state. It is truly a treasure for preservation of KY history and service to researchers of various interests. The archives are open to the public which include novices, intermediate and advanced independent researchers. I had a very specific and abbreviated research mission during my visit in September 2022, so cannot being to comment about the overall extent of their collections and services. I initially inquired via email about the availability of the specific records I was looking for and received a quick, very helpful reply. Once there, a very helpful, knowledgeable and efficient staff and they had me up and running quickly. I found exactly what I had hoped to find (prove or disprove a family legend about a wayward ancestor). It was truly amazing to hold 220 year old records of my ancestors and very grateful that we the public are allowed to do that. But my main purpose here is to clarify some things that may not be clear to first-timers, like myself. Like all similar facilities, there are stringent rules that must be followed and are strictly enforced. Experienced researchers are used to them, Novices may not. So just deal with it. Some supplemental comments: - Out of the way location, but easy enough to find. 626 to Coffee Tree road, next to Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which itself should be visited to pay tribute to the 1,048 soldiers who died and are honored there. - I overheard that cell phone service is poor/spotty. - Entry requires filling out a form with government ID at the guard desk. The guard will open the locked access door. - Items allowed to be carried in are limited and specific. Not at all unusual or unrealistic rule for facilities like this. Strictly enforced. - There are free lockers at the entrance for items not allowed. You will be given a key. - The hours are not clear. The overall facility is open 9-4, but the research room is open 9-11:30 and 1-4. You will leave for their lunch break 11:30 to 1:00. - Head out west on 626 for a couple miles to run into the usual fast food franchises. - If records are on microfilm, you must use that form, not the originals. - Two public rooms: microfilm and research. - To access originals, staff will prepare a request form after you have found the item on an index on microfilm and they will be called and delivered to the Research Room. Very fast, only 10 minutes or so. There will be a cut-off near the end of the day. - Desk space in Research Room IS limited. They advise reservations. When I was there on a Thursday, it was not busy. - Staff only makes photocopies. They are very accommodating as allowing very old, delicate records to be copied. - You may find that your very early records, like court proceedings, are written on what amount to scraps of paper bundles together. Treat them with care and keep them in order. - Verboten: Folders of any kind including even simple manila file folders, pens, briefcases, folios, knives, scissors, highlighters, food, drink, USB sticks (not sure why) and CD's (why would someone bring a CD there?). - Allowed: Laptops, pencils, note paper, loose papers, cameras, cellphones (ringers off!), overhead "book" style scanners, "hand scanners." Essentially you can photograph or scan documents as long as the scanner does not physically touch the object. That precludes flatbed scanners but allowed cell phone photos, camera photos and (presumably) overhead "book" scanners. - But ... the tables in the research room do not have outlets. - Your materials will be checked by the guard (a really nice, polite guy - this isn't the DMV) coming in and leaving. It is necessary to preserve the collection.

Kentucky's picturesque and historic capital is not in a giant bustling city. Instead, it is in the…read moresmaller and friendly welcoming burg of Frankfort. I've stayed in town here on several occasions, and found the people to be quite welcoming. It is a beautiful historic building and if you're a fan of classic revival architecture it is worth coming to have a look. And while you're in town, there are many restaurants and other interesting places to visit.

It is a beautiful building with a lot of history. Construction started in 1905 and was finished at…read more1909. Granite and marble inside was from, Vermont, Georgia, and India. honestly, I wouldn't enjoyed it as much if George and Linda hadn't been there, they were delightful. Good people! I WOULD RECOMMEND