Record Center, State Office Building, Annapolis

Telephone: Colonial 8-3371
Record Center, 801 W. Preston St., Baltimore I Vernon 7-9000

The Hall of Records Commission was created by an Act of the
General Assembly of 1935. The Commission is an ex officio body. It
supervises and controls the Hall of Records and appoints the Archivist,
who has charge of the active management of the building and its
contents.

State agencies as well as the counties, cities and towns of Maryland
are authorized to offer for deposit at the Hall of Records all files,
documents, and records not in current use. Should the Archivist
decline to accept the materials offered, permission to destroy them
may be requested from the Board of Public Works. If permission is
granted, a certificate of destruction must be filed at the Hall of
Records.

While many records are offered to the Hall of Records Commission
at the discretion of the custodians, all records which are in the court-
houses 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 Maryland, must be deposited at the Hall of Records. The
records of all State agencies, boards, and commissions which are
abolished or otherwise cease to function must also be transferred to
the custody of the Hall of Records Commission. The Commission is
authorized to prepare certified copies of all records in its custody.

State agencies are required by law to establish a continuing pro-
gram for the management of their records. The Hall of Records pro-
vides assistance and guidance in the development and furtherance of
the State Records Management Program. The program provides for
the use of records retention schedules which establish the period and
manner of retention of records. Such schedules must be approved by
the Hall of Records, and when destruction is recommended, they must
also be approved by the Board of Public Works. Whenever semi-
current records having no permanent historical or administrative value
are scheduled to be maintained for a limited number of years and
then destroyed, they may be stored for this period in the two Record
Centers operated by the Hall of Records Commission. The Hall of
Records inspects the records and records management practices of all
State agencies and reviews the proposals for the purchase or rental
of record equipment, storage space, and services (Code 1957, Art. 41,
sees. 171-82).

The Hall of Records microfilms or supervises the microfilming of
all current deeds, mortgages, and releases recorded in the courthouses
of the State which are required to be deposited annually in the office
of the Commissioner of the Land Office. Copies of some of these films
are also deposited with the State Tax Commission for use in the
preparation of tax maps. Limited facilities are available for the film-
ing of records of the various State agencies.

The Hall of Records also maintains a library of official publications
of the various State agencies, and all State agencies must deposit one
copy of each official publication at the Hall of Records (Code 1957,
Art. 41, sec. 144). The Hall of Records is further responsible for
editing and publishing the MARYLAND MANUAL (Acts 1959, chap.
506).

Appropriations 1959 1960

General Funds $102,039 $125,190
Staff: 21.