made accessible to the public in a search room open
six days each week, through photocopies produced
by an in-house photolab, and through the interlibr-
ary loan of microform.

State, county, and municipal government agen-
cies in Maryland may offer the State Archives all
files, documents, and records not in current use.
The records of all State agencies, boards, and com-
missions that are abolished or that otherwise con-
clude their work must be transferred to the custody
of the State Archives. By law, State agencies have
their records placed on retention and disposal
schedules. No public records can be destroyed with-
out scheduling and the prior approval of the State
Archives.

All records that are in the courthouses of the
State and that were created prior to April 28,1788
(when Maryland ratified the U.S. Constitution)
must be deposited at the State Archives.

All current deeds, mortgages, and releases re-
corded in the courthouses of the State are micro-
filmed and preserved at the State Archives for
security purposes. Limited facilities are available for
the filming of records of State agencies. The State
Archives also serves as the official depository for the
duplicate copies of subdivision plats formerly sent
to the Land Office as insurance against the loss of
the originals.

The State Archives shares responsibility with the
Division of Vital Records of the Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene for preservation of and
access to vital records information (Code State
Government Article, sec. 9-1015).

Rules and regulations promulgated in the Code
of Maryland Regulations give the State Archives a
role in the establishment of archives in local juris-
dictions (COMAR 14.18.03).

Publications and reports of State agencies as well
as some county and municipal agencies have been
collected by the State Archives since 1947. The
State Archives has received State publications and
reports under the State Publications Depository
and Distribution Program since 1982. The State
Archives also is an official depository for county
charters, codes, and laws (Code 1957, Art. 25, sec.
32A; Art. 25A, secs. 3B(3), 7(b); Art. 25B, secs.
7(b)(3), 12(b)). Municipal charter amendments
and annexations, after publication, are deposited
annually with the State Archives by the Department
of Legislative Reference (Code 1957, Art. 23 A, sec.
17C).

The State Archivist is designated as the Commis-
sioner of Land Patents and is responsible for issuing
land patents and conducting court hearings (Chap-
ter 355, Acts of 1967). In performing these duties,
the State Archivist acts independently of the duties

Independent Agencies/431

imposed as State Archivist (Code Real Property
Article, secs. 13-101 through 13-504).

The land patent process is the mechanism for
granting land in Maryland. Land patents were is-
sued by the proprietors during the colonial period,
and later by the State. Virtually all land in Maryland
has been patented. Through survey errors or due to
the inaccessibility of a tract, some land, however,
may never have been included in a patent. This land,
when it is discovered, may be patented, with title
passing to the patentee upon payment of the fair
market value of the land to the State.

An applicant for a patent must present evidence
based on a tide search of the property in question
proving that no former patent encompasses any
portion of the Land. Information concerning the
land patent process and an application for a patent
can be obtained from the Commissioner of Land
Patents.

The State Archives produces a variety of finding
aids and guides to records, as well as historical
monographs, essays, and directories. In addition,
the State Archives compiles, edits, publishes, and
distributes the MABTLAND MANUAL. The Ar-
chives also is authorized to prepare, edit, and pub-
lish future volumes of the Archives of Maryland
series. A brochure describing publications and pro-
viding guidance for research is available on request.

HALL OF RECORDS COMMISSION

Chairperson:
Robert C. Murphy, Chief Judge, Court of Appeals

Ex officio: Louis L. Goldstein, Comptroller of the
Treasury; Lucille Maurer, State Treasurer; Earl F.
Seboda, Secretary of General Services; Brian B.
Topping, President, Maryland Historical Society; Dr.
Steven Muller, President, The Johns Hopkins
University; Dr. John S. Toll, Chancellor, University
of Maryland System; Dr. William M. Dyal, Jr.,
President, St. John's College; Dr. Earl S. Richardson,
President, Morgan State University.

Appointed by Senate President: Julian L. Lapides
Appointed by House Speaker: Anne Scarlett
Perkins

Secretary: Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse, State Archivist
974-3867

The Hall of Records Commission was created in
1935 (Chapter 18, Acts of 1935). The Commission
serves as an advisory body to the State Archives.
The Commission reviews and comments upon pro-
posed budget, publications, and public access poli-
cies of the Archives.

The Commission is composed of eleven mem-
bers. Nine serve ex officio. Two are members of the
General Assembly: one senator, appointed by the