MARYLAND MANUAL 111

HALL OF RECORDS COMMISSION

Chairman: Ogle Marbury, Chief Judge of Court of Appeals

William Preston Lane, Jr., Governor; James J. Lacy, Comp-
troller; Detlev W. Bronk, President, The Johns Hopkins Uni-
versity; Richard D. Weigle, Preaident, St. John's College;

William L. Marbury, President, Board of Peabody Institute;

George L. Radcliffe, President, Maryland Historical Society.

Morris L. Radoff, Archivist

Gust Skordas, Assistant Archivist

Roger Thomas, Assistant Archivist

Hall of Records, Annapolis Telephone: Annapolis 4111

The Hall of Records Commission was created by an act of the Gen-
eral Assembly in 1935. The Commission is an ex-officio body com-
posed of the Governor, the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, the
Comptroller, the President of The Johns Hopkins University, the
President of St. John's College, the President of the Maryland His-
torical Society, and the President of the Board of Trustees of the
Peabody Institute (Code 1939, Art. 41, sec. 123). The Commission
supervises and controls the Hall of Records and appoints the Archivist,
who is responsible for the functioning of the agency.

All public officials and all agencies of the State, as well as the
counties, cities and towns of Maryland are authorized to deposit at
the Hall of Records all records and documents not in current use. It
is required, however, that all records, which are in the courthouses
of the State and which were created prior to April 28, 1788, the date
of ratification of the United States Constitution by the State of Mary-
land, be deposited at the Hall of Records (Code 1947 Supp., Art. 41,
sec. 126A). The transfer of these records is now in process. In addi-
tion to these records the agency has in its custody the non-current
records of many State agencies.

While the Board of Public Works has the power over the disposition
of non-current records, all such records must first be offered to the
Hall of Records, and then, should the Archivist decline the records,
permission to destroy them may be sought from the Board of Public
Works. Provision has also been made for the periodic disposition of
certain non-current records upon a schedule arranged by the record
custodian and the Archivist. All such schedules must be approved by
the Board of Public Works. The original of any paper or document,
except those excluded by law, which has been microfilmed, photo-
stated, or reproduced by any other photographic method approved
by the Hall of Records may also be destroyed. In all instances the
record custodian must submit to the Archivist a listing of all records
which have been destroyed (Acts 1949, Chs. 518, 765). The Hall of
Records is authorized to reproduce upon request the records of any
agency of the State government, as well as the land records of any
Courts of tbp Rtatfi upon the request of the Court (Code 1947, Supp.
Art. 41, sec. 127).