State & Local Records News

Vol. 6, No. 3 Published by the ADAH Government Records Division December 2001

Between August 19 and 25, 2002, the Sheraton Hotel in Birmingham will host the annual conference of the Society of American Archivists (SAA). Among its sessions will be an “archival basics” course that will be of interest to beginning archivists or those who desire more training on particular aspects of archival work. Entitled “Archives Unplugged,” the course consists of six seminars–each to be taught by a nationally recognized expert–that will explore the following topics: Fundamentals of Archival Acquisition and Appraisal Fundamentals of Archival Description Issues in Preservation of Archival Materials Fundamentals of Archival Reference Visual Materials in Archival Collections Fundamentals of Electronic Records Management     Beyond the initial conference registration fee, there will be no charge for these seminars. If your state agency, college or university, or local government already has an archives or would like to start one, plan to take advantage of this opportunity. More information will appear in State and Local News as it becomes available from SAA. Readers may also consult the SAA website: http:// www.archivists.org.		Athens State University Dedicates New Archives     Since 1997, staff members of Athens State University (ASU), with assistance from the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH), have been working to establish a university archives. This project culminated on November 4, 2001, with the dedication of the Dr. Elva Bell McLin Archive Room at Athens State University’s library.     Dr. McLin retired from the university in 1987 as the head of its English department. In her retirement, she has served as volunteer university Athens State Archivist Sara Love and Dr. Elva Bell McLin

archivist. ADAH staff members Tracey Berezansky and Linda Overman presented Dr. McLin with certificates of appreciation from both the State Archives and the Governor's Office. The certificates recognized and applauded her contributions in researching, organizing, recording, and preserving the history of Athens State University. Created with funds from the ASU foundation, the McLin Archives houses the McLin Collection, the Fiddlers Convention Collection, the University Collection, and the Historic Districts Collection. State and Local Records Commission Actions     On October 24, 2001, the State and Local Government Records Commissions approved the following records disposition authorities (RDAs): State Records Commission Board of Heating and Air Conditioning Contractors - revised Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners - new Jefferson County Department of Health - revised State Safety Coordinating Committee - new Local Government Records Commission Local Government Archives and Museums - new     Commission members also heard reports about several forthcoming ADAH publications, including new leaflets on records access issues, microfilming “basics,” disaster preparedness and recovery, and model job descriptions for agency archivists and records managers. These materials will be available to state and local agencies after approval at subsequent commission meetings.     The two commissions will next meet on Thursday, January 24, 2002, in the Milo B. Howard Auditorium at ADAH. Meeting times will be10:00 a.m. (state) and 1:30 p.m. (local).		State Records Section Hires New Staff Members     T he ADAH Government Records Division is pleased to announce the addition of two new state records archivists. Kerry Pond joined the staff on September 10, and Becky Lapczynski arrived on November 5. They will assist section head Richard Wang in our work with state agencies. Kerry has a Master of Library Science (MLS) degree from Florida State University and previously worked as a cataloging librarian at the North Palm Beach Public Library. Becky’s Master of Arts–History is from the State University of West Georgia. Earlier this year, she participated in the Georgia Archives Institute held in Atlanta. We are delighted to welcome Kerry and Becky to the ADAH staff. ADAH West Wing Update     G roundbreaking for a new west wing of the ADAH building is now set for December 14, 2001, the state’s 182nd anniversary. Architects opened a second round of bids for the project on November 6. Jesco, Inc., a Mississippi-based construction company with offices in Montgomery, submitted the low bid of $13.4 million for the base project. Discussions are still under way on the number of alternates that may be included and on opportunities for further reducing costs.     The original ADAH building dates from 1940. An east wing was added in 1974, expanding total floor space to 104,000 square feet. Completing the west wing will add another 60,000 square feet, with construction expected to take about two years. Although the wing will provide a new reference room and expanded storage space for records, some features (such as an auditorium, new museum space, and staff offices and processing areas) may remain unfinished until additional funds become available.

Loose Records Program Update     A labama’s loose records microfilming program, conducted by staff of ADAH and the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU), with assistance from county officials and volunteers from local historical and genealogical societies, continues to make outstanding progress. Since our last report in August: On September 6, Government Records Division staff attended a microfilm presentation ceremony in Limestone County. County Archivist Philip Reyer and local volunteers accepted copies of 196 rolls of county records microfilm. Loose records microfilming was completed in Washington County and is continuing in Dallas and Morgan Counties. Barbour and Pike Counties finished records preparation. New projects got under way in Butler, Chambers, Chilton, Cleburne, Coffee, Lee, Madison, and Talladega Counties. To date, the loose records microfilming program has produced 798 rolls of microfilm, containing over 1.3 million images of historical records from nine Alabama counties. Government Records Division archivists and local project members are preparing a session on the program for the forthcoming annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) in Birmingham (August 2002). More information will appear in future issues of State and Local Records News. “Short Takes” –brief items of interest from Government Records Division files: Earlier this year, Government Records Division staff returned historical Lawrence County records from the ADAH collection to Lawrence County’s archives on recurring loan. County archivist Myra Borden accepted custody of 24 cubic feet of probate and circuit court files, the earliest of which dates from 1818.		On November 9, members of the Local Archives Roundtable met during the Society of Alabama Archivists (SALA) conference in Birmingham. Topics discussed included the new RDA for local archives and museums, grant funding possibilities for local records programs, loose records microfilming, and reports from local archives. Participants included Ranee Pruitt and Rhonda Larkin, representing Madison County’s new local archives. For more about the roundtable, contact the Government Records Division, (334)242-4452 or records@archives.state.al.us. Dr. Ed Bridges, ADAH director, received the Alabama Humanities Award from the Humanities Foundation during its annual luncheon in Birmingham on November 1. Archivist Myra Borden with Lawrence County Records (photo by Luke Slaton, The Moulton Advertiser)