A number of Archives' staff members attended the meeting and, afterwards, the entire Archives' staff celebrated with a cake, decorated with an image of the Archives building. 

Three Archives Staff Members Earn MAs 
by Mimi Calver 

The Archives' staff now boasts three more MAs. This month, Sasha Lourie, Kim Moreno, and Ryan Polk were awarded their MA degrees from three area universities. 

Sasha's MA is from the University of Maryland College Park in American Studies. His thesis, "'Have honestly and fairly laboured for money': William and Washington Tuck and Annapolis Cabinetmaking, 1795-1838," focused on cabinetmakers in Annapolis in the early 
 
 
 

Federal period and specifically on Washington and William Tuck who were apprenticed to John Shaw. His research has convinced him that some important pieces that have traditionally been attributed to Shaw were actually the work of the Tucks. His research also focused on the importance of public commissions for furniture, especially for the State House, in keeping the Annapolis cabinet making tradition and the entire artisan community alive in the face of the increasing importance of Baltimore. Sasha was asked to present the results of his research at an evening lecture at the Hammond Harwood House on April 14. 

Kim's research was a biography of Margaret Tilghman Carroll, wife of Charles Carroll the Barrister and daughter of Matthew Tilghman. Although she was a member of a very prominent Maryland family, very wealthy in her own right, and married into another prominent family, very little had been known about Margaret. Kim found numerous letters and other documents relating to her and especially her acumen in managing the family businesses after the death of her husband. Her degree was awarded by UMBC. 

Ryan's MA is from George Washington University's Museum Studies Program with a concentration in Curatorial Methods and American Decorative Arts. In addition to earning his MA, Ryan won the 2003-04 Marie Malaro Excellence in Research and Writing Award for his paper on "Raiders of the Lost Archival Materials: Loss Management at a Public Collection." 

To celebrate their achievements and also to congratulate other staff members for milestones in their lives, the Archives' staff held a cake and goodies party in the search room on May 10. Salvador Barragan was 

address about the mapping of Maryland, George Washington birthday celebration, Speaker's Society Awards, First Citizen Awards, and unveiling of the portrait of former Speaker Cas Taylor. 

Several staff activities were highlighted. In December four Russians librarians and several members of the League of Women Voters received an orientation and tour of the Archives. In April members of the DC Library Association were given a similar tour. On March 1 the Senate confirmed Ed's appointment to the Historic St. Mary's City Commission. Tim Baker and Kim Moreno participated in the recent MARAC Conference in Arlington, VA. Tim addressed the issue of vital records plans, and Kim spoke about the conversion of microfilm to digital images. 

Ed discussed the acquisition of the historical records of the Crownsville Hospital Center as the facility prepares to close this summer, and corresponding efforts to preserve the cemetery and to identify the many patients buried there. Delegate Mary A. Conroy, a Commission member, is donating to the Archives historical materials from her husband's papers. Presented at the meeting were a Civil War muster roll of a Pennsylvania regiment and bills introduced in the Senate in 1886.

Several additions to the Archives of Maryland On Line were mentioned. Dick Israel, former counsel for the Archives, researched the origins of the balanced budget amendment and compiled his findings into "A History of the Adoption of the Maryland Executive Budget Amendment" that will be posted on
archivesofmaryland.net. 

The latest addition to mdvitalrec.net encompasses Baltimore City deaths for 1950-1972. Emily Oland Squires demonstrated the 

Ed introduced Michael McCormick, the new Director of Reference Services, who discussed NICS (the National Instant Criminal Background Check program operated by the FBI) research. When the Maryland Judicial Information System (JIS) database cannot provide the information, the FBI requests are directed to the Archives for research in criminal court documents held here. 

The plats.net project has proven to be a cost saving endeavor for the state. The circuit court clerks no longer bear the cost of storage and preservation of oversized documents, but can still provide access through plats.net, both inside and outside the courthouse. The site is now averaging 1,000,000 hits per year. 

The Summer Internship Program includes projects to continue research into the underground railroad, inventory art works, map land and residents, do IT programming, conserve documents, catalog and package plats, process special collections, and conduct biographical research. Funding is being provided by Morgan State University, Senator Julian Lapides, Maryland Commission for Women, U.S. Department of Education, Judge Holland, Baltimore County Genealogical Society, S.J. Martenet Co., Kathy Murphy Blue, and Moss Family Foundation. 

Exhibits were featured during presentations by Mimi Calver and Elaine Rice Bachmann. Mimi discussed in general the exhibits displayed in the Miller Senate Building, that include several maps from the Atlas of Historical Maps of 
 
 
 

Maryland. Elaine described The Peabody Works on Paper Collection, also depicted in the Miller Building. The collection was acquired by Charles James Madison Eaton (1808-1893), a trustee of the Peabody Institute. Upon his death, the almost 1100 works on paper were donated to the Peabody. Most were not available to the public until the recent exhibit in the Miller Building and online on the Archives web site. 

Tim Baker concluded the meeting with remarks about the Archives building and records storage. With help from the Department of General Services, the computer rooms and fire alarm system have been upgraded. By the end of the year, the Archives will reach its capacity to store records. 21,000 CSE (clam shell equivalent) were acquired in FY2003, and 28,772 CSE thus far in FY2004. Now under consideration are another lease arrangement for warehouse space to handle record transfers for the short term and a capital improvement project for the long term.