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IOWA CITY, IOWA —
November 29, 2005 — The Council of State Archivists (CoSA)
has received a two-year grant from the National
Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) which includes
$170,869 to support a project designed to lay the groundwork for stronger
local government archives in each state. The project will analyze
current conditions and determine what services, standards, and funding
strategies would work best to ensure the long-term preservation of and
access to local government records.
Local government records represent the foundation
of the U.S. archival system and are truly “Closest to Home,”
created and used in the communities in which we, as citizens, live and
work. They are arguably the records that most affect our daily lives
and those of our neighbors, documenting our marriages; the education
of our children; the homes, land, and businesses we own; the social
services we receive; and civil and criminal legal proceedings in our
communities.
An eight-member Task Force
will oversee the project. Kaye
Lanning Minchew, Director of the Troup County (GA) Archives, and
Roy H. Tryon, State Archivist
and Records Administrator of the South Carolina Department of Archives
and History, will co-chair the Task Force. Three Expert
Panels will support the work of the Task Force, each representing
a sector with a strong interest in improving archival programs for local
government records: local government officials, users of local government
records, and archivists who work directly with local government records.
The Task Force will also engage three consultants
to prepare reports on the key issues affecting local government records
of long-term value. While the Task Force will not finalize specific
charges to the consultants until its first meeting in February 2006,
the topics are likely to encompass electronic records and other technologies,
including imaging systems; funding mechanisms at the national, state,
and local levels; education and training for local government officials
and the archivists who care for their records; the impact of federal
and state mandates on records of long-term value at the local level;
and ensuring that users of all kinds have ready access to local government
archives.
In addition to the three consultant reports, products
of the Local Government Archives Project will include:
A case statement on
the value of local government archives to use in educating key
stakeholders about the value of local government archives, including
why they are important and why they constitute a national priority;
A feasibility report
on developing measures and common data elements for use in benchmarking
local government archival programs; and
An action plan and
recommendations for state and local governments, professional
associations serving archivists and local government officials, and
individuals who work in these programs.
Staff support for the project’s Task Force,
Expert Panels, and consultants will be provided by Vicki Walch, CoSA
Program Director, and Jenifer Burlis-Freilich, CoSA Assistant Program
Director.
The Council
of State Archivists (CoSA) is a national
organization comprising the directors of the principal archival agencies
in each state and territorial government. Working collectively through
their membership in CoSA, the State Archivists encourage cooperation
and promulgation of best practices among the states; define and communicate
archival and records concerns at a national level; and work with other
national organizations to ensure that the nation's documentary heritage
is preserved and accessible.
For more information about the Local
Government Archives Project:
Kaye Lanning Minchew, Director, Troup County Archives.
Phone: 706-884-1828. Email: kaye@trouparchives.org
Roy H. Tryon, State Archivist and Records Administrator,
SC Department of Archives and History. Phone: 803-896-6120. Email: tryon@scdah.state.sc.us
