HALL OF RECORDS COMMISSION

The Hall of Records Commission is an ex officio body created by
Chapter 18 of the Acts of 1935 to collect and preserve the historical records of
Maryland and to encourage research and investigation in the history of the
Province and State. Since passage of this Act, additional responsibilities
and duties have been assigned to the Hall of Records Commission and thereby
to the staff of the Hall of Records: to administer the Records Management
Program for State and County governmental agencies; to compile and distribute
the MARYLAND MANUAL; and to supervise the microfilming of current land records
for its files and for the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. The
Hall of Records has been made a depository for all publications of State
agencies. Also, its staff microfilms the Proceedings of the General Assembly at
the close of each legislative day. The Hall of Records Commission acts as the
historical agency of the State. It participates in the planning and conduct of
historical celebrations, the restoration of monuments and houses, and the search
for historical data necessary for the conduct of the State's business.

On January 25, 1967, the Archivist assumed the duties of the
Commissioner of the Land Office as Commissioner of Land Patents (Article 54,
Sections 12 et seq.)

Chapter 97 of the Acts of 1970, which was approved April 15, 1970,
and became effective on August 1, 1970, placed the Hall of Records Commission
in the Department of General Services. This resulted in a number of changes,
one of which is the Secretary of the Department of General Services replaces
the Governor of the State of Maryland as a member of the Hall of Records Commission,
The members of the Hall of Records Commission for fiscal year 1972 and the offices
which entitled them to membership were the following:

HONORABLE ROBERT C. MURPHY, Chairman

Chief Judge, Court of Appeals of Maryland

DR. RICHARD D. WEIGLE, Vice Chairman
President of St. John's College

HONORABLE GEORGE R. LEWIS

Secretary of the Department of General Services

SAMUEL HOPKINS, ESQUIRE

President of the Maryland Historical Society

DR. STEVEN MULLER, PRESIDENT

President of The Johns Hopkins University

DR. RICHARD FRANKO GOLDMAN

President of the Peabody Institute

The Hall of Records Commission met once during the year on
February 14, 1972.