ARCHIVIST OF THE HALL OF RECORDS 45

that the facilities of the new building should become, by direction
rather than permission, the repository of all records antedating the
ratification by Maryland of the Constitution of the United States. The
enactment of Section 126A of Article 41 was the result. For us to
determine that this Act is directory and permissive would be tanta-
mount to our nullifying it. This we may not do.

The legislative history of the Act, and the mies of construction
to which we have referred, compel us to conclude that the provisions
of Chapter 248 of the Acts of 1945, enacting Section 126A of Article
41, are mandatory.

Very truly yours,
/s/ HALL HAMMOND
Attorney General
/s/ J. EDGAR HARVEY
Asst. Attorney General

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION

The Maryland Department of Information was created by the
Board of Public Works on February 3, 1948. It was established,
pending action of the Legislature, at the instance of Governor Lane.
Early in his administration the Governor became aware of the need
for an agency to meet the general information requirements of the
state. He had discussed the subject with state officials and others, and
after further consideration he requested Dr. Morris L. Radoff, State
Archivist, to prepare a memorandum for the board detailing a pro-
posal to organize an information department.

The memorandum prepared by Dr. Radoff, which the board ap-
proved without change, set forth the following objectives for the new
department:

1. Collection of all information about Maryland already available
in the several agencies of the State government.

2. Familiarization of the department director with other sources
of information on Maryland, such as federal agencies, and
local organizations, public and private, such as Chambers of
Commerce and libraries.

3. Organizing this information and making it available in pamph-
lets, press and radio releases, maps, films and photographs,