8 SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE

During the course of the year there was one change in the pro-
fessional staff. Miss Teresa Florestano, who had been an employee
of the Hall of Records since 1937, resigned; on June 1, 1941 Mr.
Emil Fossan, formerly an assistant librarian at the Johns Hopkins
University, was appointed in her place as General Assistant. Mr.
Oust Skordas who had been put in charge of Reception and Arrange-
ment was continued in that position after a satisfactory year.
Miss Katharine Held has turned over most of her duties in the
Research Room to Mr. Fossan and has spent the best part of the
year in charge of accessioning.

Mr. Skordas has continued to supervise the WPA project and
Miss Elizabeth Meade remains in charge of the NYA. The duties of
the Secretary grow more onerous each year: two years ago the paper-
work involved in purchasing was considerably increased, last year
there were complicated changes made in the reports of expenditures
required by the Budget Bureau, an entirely new type of budget was
adopted; finally a new State Pension and Retirement system re-
quiring more bookkeeping has only recently gone into effect. Much
of the accounting for the WPA and NYA must be handled in her
office. The purchase of a large amount of new equipment during
the last few years has added a great deal to Mr. Trader's duties,
and the recent installation of lamination equipment has made it
necessary for the Repair Room staff to learn an entirely new and
complicated technique.

At the last session of the Legislature two bills were passed
which vitally affect the work of the Hall of Records. Acts of 1941,
Chapter 862 provides that any custodian of governmental records
may request the Hall of Records Commission to accept his records
for deposit. If the Commission refuses to accept these records the
Custodian can then ask the Board of Public Works for permission
to destroy them. Records whose preservation are required by
statute are of course excepted as are those of courts of record. Acts
of 1041, Chapter 431 provides that whenever a governmental official
wishes to have his records copied he may send them to the Hall of
Records or to the Land Office to be photostated rather than have
them copied by hand or on the typewriter. The cost of copying is
to be paid by the custodian of the records so that no financial