In addition to the new collections that have been given to us, from time to time we use the income from the Radoff bequest to acquire inexpensive items that relate to our collections or be of interest to our patrons. Recently we added a Carroll family bible to the Radoff collection that probably relates to a South Carolina or Texas branch of the family. What is of interest beyond the family history it contains are the uses the bible was put to practice the handwriting of family members. I particularly like the entry at the end of Malachi:
Dr. Papenfuse will be in England in July and requests the support of the Commission for two weeks of that time to be considered part of his official responsibilities as Archivist while he conducts further research on the financing and on the watermarks of the records of the colony of Maryland.
Resolution of approval of the loan
thirteen boxes of marginal material offered at $16,000-recommend rejection of offer
An archives is the conscience of the public, the repository of its collective memory, recording the triumphs and failures of the past and pointing the way to remedying the ills of the present. Without an archives there cannot be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Without convenient and affordable access to reliable information gleaned from the Archives no society can call itself truly free. No one understood this better than Thomas Jefferson, who in the Declaration of Independence, severely criticized the King of England for calling "together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures."
If we are fatigued by anything today, it is by a government not yet able to guide us through the torrent of change and information that issues daily from the technological revolution. Somewhat like Noah in the face of the flood, the Archives has taken the lead in building a simple, cost-effective ark designed to help government weather the storm and deposit us all safely on dry ground. The vessel is christened appropriately a 'homepage' on the world wide web of the Intranet of state government and on the public servers of the Internet.
In April of 1981, the State Archivist completed the program for the new Archives building. In it, he argued for space to meet the projected demand for storage of permanently valuable historical records through the year 2000. In all, the predictions made in that program (including the emphasis on the future of the delivery of information electronically) proved remarkably accurate, although the down-sizing of State government and the rapid acceleration of the move to electronic recordation has, in turn acclerated the requests for the transfer of paper to the Archives. Today the Archives building is at near capacity for the storage of paper records and we have an outstanding demand for transfers over the next two decades that amounts to a space need on site equivalent to the existing stacks (160,000 cubic feet or the equivalent of 432,000 archival storage containers (CSE's)). In addition, to meet the challenge for the care and preservation of the electronic record, the Archives will need to build special facilities to handle the permanent storage of a fragile medium. This should include the technical capacity to service the records in their native format and to transform them into a more reliable, durable, medium, either traditionally through the production of microforms, or through the introduction of newer, more reliable electronic technology. We must begin planning anew for these space needs without delay.
We have discovered that the Archives can be a great resource for educating both government and students in the educational and informational benefits of the World Wide Web, both through the internet and the intranet of State government. In planning for the accommodation of the records, we will also need to plan for more space for education and development of the MUSEUM WITHOUT WALLS on the Web, which will be an integral part of the Archives' educational mission now and in the future. To achieve this goal, more teaching and resource development space will be needed, as well as a self-teaching kiosk-like environment to lead students and visitors into the world of government and the Annapolis campus. With a slight expansion of the conferencing facilities and additional links to off-site parking (via public transport), we will be able to accommodate visiting groups of teachers, students, and the interested public as a gateway into the world of government in Annapolis.
SKETCH FOOTPRINT of possible additions and improvements to the existing Hall of Records site
Draft Resolution:
In light of the need for archival storage for paper and electronic records and in accord with its nationally recognized efforts to bring Maryland History and Government into the classroom and to anyhone visiting Annapolis or having access to a computer, the Commission requests the State Archivist to seek funding from the Preliminary Planning Fund or similar source in the amount of $10,000 to develop the program and initial plans for additions to the current Hall of Records building. These plans should encompass accommodating the documented need for approximately 61,230 square feet of space, and consist of at least three distinct elements: processing and storage space for paper and electronic records, teaching space for an expanded electronic classroom and orientation center for government and the public, and an electronic and document exhibit space that would serve as a gateway stop for visitors to government in Annapolis.
The Archivist should proceed in this matter without delay in the expectation that the request for capital funds for this project would be included in the next capital budget..
As a temporary measure to meet the pressing demands from such agencies as the courts and the Registers of Wills for the transfer of their records, the Commission also endorses the Archivist's request for temporary lease space that would suffice until new permanent space is constructed on the present site.
Dr.
Edward C. Papenfuse
State Archivist
Email: If you have an Email account linked to your WEB browser, click here to activate your mail program to send an inquiry or message to me at archives@mdarchives.state.md.us or contact me at (410) 260-6403.
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