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The State of State Records TThhee SSttaattee ooff SSttaattee RReeccoorrddss A Status Report on State Archives and Records Management Programs in the United States January 2007 COUNCIL OF STATE ARCHIVISTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 2006–2007 Karl J. Niederer, President David Haury New Jersey Division of Archives and Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Records Management Commission Conley L. Edwards III, Vice President Sandra Jaramillo Library of Virginia New Mexico State Records Center and Archives Chris LaPlante, Secretary-Treasurer Patricia Michaelis Texas State Library and Archives Kansas State Historical Society Sandra Clark Roy H. Tryon Michigan Historical Center South Carolina Department of Archives and History F. Gerald Handfield, Jr. Washington State Archives David W. Carmicheal, Immediate Past President The Georgia Archives SURVEY MANAGEMENT TEAM Kathleen Roe, Chair Gordon O. Hendrickson New York State Archives State Historical Society of Iowa Tracey Berezansky Richard C. Cameron Alabama Department of Archives and National Historical Publications and History Records Commission Conley L. Edwards III CoSA Staff Library of Virginia Victoria Irons Walch, Executive Director James S. Henderson Jenifer Burlis-Freilich, Program Officer Maine State Archives The Council of State Archivists is grateful to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission which provided funds to support the surveys and other activities described in this report. NHPRC grant number #2004-019. Council of State Archivists 308 East Burlington Street #189 Iowa City, Iowa 52245 Voice: 319-338-0248 Fax 319-354-2526 Email: [email protected] January 2007 Also available on the Council of State Archivists website at http://www.statearchivists.org/reports/2007ARMreport/ © 2007 Council of State Archivists TThhee SSttaattee ooff SSttaattee RReeccoorrddss A Status Report on State Archives and Records Management Programs in the United States January 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface .......................................................................................................................................................... v CONTEXT The History, Functions, and Significance of State Archives and Records Management Programs ................................................................... 1 Evolution of state archives and records management programs ................................................. 1 What do state archives and records management programs do? ................................................ 8 Why do government records matter? ............................................................................................. 11 TRENDS Evaluating the Data about State Archives and Records Management Programs ...................................................................... 15 1. Resources and administration ................................................................................................... 16 Placement Joint vs. split programs Legal authority Financial resources New revenue sources Staffing 2. Extent of the record ..................................................................................................................... 25 Holdings Documenting government functions 3. Preservation of the record .......................................................................................................... 30 Preservation and conservation services Disaster and emergency planning Facilities 4. Access to and use of the record ................................................................................................. 33 Impact of the Internet Number of state archives users How state archives are used A Final Note to the Blue Ribbon Panel ........................................................................................... 36 DATA TABLES, MAPS, FIGURES IN THE BODY OF THE REPORT In the body of the report Tables Table A Years in which atate archives were established and state records management initiated in each state ...................................................................................... 2 Table B Most recent mergers of records management programs with state archives ............... 18 Table C States with fee-based funds to support local government records programs .............. 22 Table D Summary of holdings, all state archives 2006 (in linear/cubic feet) ............................. 25 Table E Functions of state government that should be documented in state archives ............. 28 Table F Newest state archives buildings ......................................................................................... 31 Table G Plans for construction or major renovations of state archives buildings ...................... 31 Table H Environmental controls in state archives buildings, number of programs reporting 100% or no coverage of record storage areas by each type of control ......... 32 Table J Comparison of "person-to-person" reference contacts in states that provided figures for all three years ..................................................................................................... 34 Figures Figure A Total volume of archival records held by state archives in FY2006, showing source of record. Sorted in descending order by volume of state government records held (* indicates volume reported in FY2004) .............................. 26 Maps Map 1 Placement of state archives programs within state government ................................... 17 Map 2 Placement of state records management programs within state government ............. 17 Map 3 Joint vs. split archives and records management programs ......................................... 18 APPENDIXES Appendix A Data tables ............................................................................................................... 37 Section 1. Resources and administration ................................................................................... 39 Finances Table 1.1 Archives and records management expenditures for FY2006 relative to total state expenditures in the same year ...................................................................... 41 Table 1.2 Sources of funding for state archives and records management programs, FY2006 ................................................................................................................. 43 Table 1.3 Increases and decreases in state archives and records management program budgets for 1994, 1999, and 2004, compared to changes in total state expenditures for those same years ................................................................... 47 ii Staffing Table 1.4 Total state archives and records management (ARM) full-time equivalents (FTEs) at the close of FY2006. Sorted from highest to lowest according to percentage of ARM FTEs relative to all state employee FTEs ................. 49 Table 1.5 Staffing trends: state records management FTEs in 1994, 2004, 2006 and percentage change over time ....................................................................................... 51 Table 1.6 Staffing trends: state archives FTEs in 1994, 2004, 2006 and percentage change over time ................................................................................................................... 53 Table 1.7 Staffing devoted to local government records, electronic records, and preservation at the close of FY2004 .................................................................................... 55 Table 1.8 Intensity of care index, showing staff size relative to volume of archival holdings, 2006 ........................................................................................................................ 57 Administration Table 1.9 Placement of state archives and records management programs within state government ................................................................................................................... 59 Section 2. Extent of the record ...................................................................................................... 61 Table 2.1 Total volume of records held by state archives at the close of FY2006 ......................... 63 Table 2.2 Growth in volume of archival records held by state archives, 1986-2006 ..................... 65 Table 2.3 Volume of records accessioned by state archives in FY2006 .......................................... 67 Table 2.4a Electronic records held by state archives at close of FY2006 .......................................... 69 Table 2.4b State archives indicating that they had not accessioned any electronic records as of the close of FY2006 ........................................................................................ 70 Table 2.4c State archives not indicating the status of their accessioning activities re: electronic records during FY2006 ............................................................... 70 Table 2.5 Extent of state archives holdings in specific functional areas of state government at close of/in FY2004 .................................................................................. 71 Table 2.6 Volume of records held in state records centers at close of FY2006 .............................. 73 Section 3. Preservation of the record ........................................................................................... 75 Preservation planning Table 3.1 Status of long-range preservation planning in state archives and records management programs at close of FY2004 ........................................................................ 77 Digital preservation planning
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