Hall of Records Commission
Minutes of a Meeting Held at
the Maryland State Archives on June 19, 1996
Call to Order by the Chairman
Chairman Robert C. Murphy called the meeting to order at 1:10 p.m.
Present were:
The Honorable Robert C. Murphy, Chairman, Hall of Records Commission,
and Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals
The Honorable Louis L. Goldstein, Comptroller of the Treasury
Mrs. Pat Bruce, representing The Honorable Mary A. Conroy, House of Delegates
Mr. Richard F. Pecora, representing Gene R. Lynch, Secretary,
Department of General Services
Dr. Whitman H. Ridgway, representing Dr. Donald N. Langenberg,
Chancellor, University of Maryland
Dr. Glenn Phillips, representing Dr. Earl S. Richardson,
President, Morgan State University
Mr. Richard E. Israel, Assistant Attorney General
Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse, State Archivist and Secretary,
Hall of Records Commission
Christopher N. Allan, Deputy State Archivist
Patricia V. Melville, Archivist V, Maryland State Archives
Lynne MacAdam, Archivist V, Maryland State Archives
Mimi Calver, Archivist V, Maryland State Archives
Elaine Rice, Archivist IV, Maryland State Archives
Betsy Bodziak, Archivist IV, Maryland State Archives
Special Guests
Ms. Elizabeth Schaaf, Archivist, The Peabody Institute
Dr. Robert Sirota, Director, The Peabody Institute
Ms. Julie Andrews, Secretary to Judge Murphy
Welcome and Introduction of New Members and Guests
Dr. Papenfuse introduced the special guests and Archives' staff members Pat Melville, Lynne MacAdam, Mimi Calver, Elaine Rice and Betsy Bodziak.
Reports and Minutes of Previous Meeting
Dr. Papenfuse noted that the date of the previous meeting of the Commission was the birthday of Comptroller Goldstein. The minutes of that meeting were amended to reflect the Commission's best wishes. Dr. Papenfuse also noted that the minutes for the previous meeting and the agenda for this meeting were transmitted by fax, cutting the costs of paper and postage.
- Celebrations of the Bicentennial of the founding of Prince George's County, April 23, 1996
On April 23, 1996, Dr. Papenfuse was the keynote speaker at the celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the founding of Prince George's County. The Hall of Records Commission chair, Judge Robert Murphy also made remarks at this event, as did Governor Glendening.
- Dedication of Courts of Appeal Building, June 3, 1996
On June 3, 1996, the Courts of Appeal Building in Annapolis was renamed and dedicated in honor of Judge Robert C. Murphy who will retire in October of this year after 25 years as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals. Dr. Papenfuse and a number of other members of the Commission were in attendance.
On a motion by Comptroller Goldstein both of the above ceremonial meetings of the Hall of Records Commission were approved as presented by Dr. Papenfuse.
Records Retention and Disposal Schedules
Records designated for retention or disposal since the last Commission meeting were approved unanimously on a motion by Treasurer Dixon.
Old Business
Dr. Papenfuse reported that a resolution of appreciation for former Treasurer and member of the Hall of Records Commission Lucille Maurer had been drafted but, unfortunately, she had died before it could be delivered.
Dr. Papenfuse demonstrated the Archives' work on the move of the General Assembly to Frederick during the Civil War. The webpage was assembled in response to Treasurer Dixon's suggestion with regard to the chronology section in the Maryland Manual.
Dr. Papenfuse reported that the Archives' staff is pursuing the matter of an IRS ruling on the tax-exempt status of the Endowment of the State Archives Fund.
Staff Activities
- Bulldog
Dr. Papenfuse noted that staff activities are reported regularly in the in-house newsletter, The Bulldog, which is now posted regularly on the World Wide Web.
- Dedication of Plaque to Cecilius Calvert, May 11, 1996
On May 11, 1996, a plaque marking the burial of Cecilius Calvert was placed in St. Giles in the Fields Church in London, England. At the invitation of the Governor, Dr. Papenfuse attended the ceremonies. He showed the Commission some of the research he did while in England, including looking into the financial records of the Calvert family and watermarks on paper used and sold by the Jesuits. He also visited Kiplin Hall in Yorkshire.
- State Agency Web Sites
The Archives' staff is working with a number of state agencies, including the Comptroller's Office, to establish Web sites for them. For the Comptroller's Office, the Archives will be housing a site which will handle 6,000 inquiries a day and deliver as many as 12,000 tax forms a day.
Recent Acquisitions
Information about recent acquisitions of the Archives is available at the Archives' Web site.
Appraisal and Transfer Activities
- Electronic Records
While the Comptroller's Office and the General Assembly are working with us on the storage of electronic records of permanent value, many state agencies are not. Dr. Papenfuse said that there is a real danger that in ten years many of these electronic records will be lost. He said that it is possible that, in a few years, we will know more about the 17th century than about the late 20th century.
The Vital Records legislation, which was passed unanimously in this session of the General Assembly and signed by the Governor, is a model for legislation with regards to electronic records. Under this legislation, the permanent records will come to the Archives in a form that we can manage and keep.
Finding Aids and Reference
- The Archives on the World Wide Web
Dr. Papenfuse noted that we are the only Archives in the world with guides to its collections available electronically on the Web. He showed the Commission, as an example, the 1784 will of Captain Berry from Orphans Court proceedings records. Comptroller Goldstein noted that the Berrys are a Calvert County family. Dr. Papenfuse also demonstrated the guide to religious records and showed how the Archives links to parish Web sites and they back to us. St. Margaret's Church was used as an example. He also explained the difference between the Internet which connects to the World Wide Web and the Intranet which a network internal to a building or a complex of buildings and which works very quickly and reliably.
Education & Outreach
The State House and its dome and acorn have recently been the subject of intense interest. Dr. Papenfuse noted that a worker with DGS, while doing routine maintenance on the dome, discovered that the acorn was showing signs of rot. In the past few months, the Maryland Historical Trust has done some in-depth studies of the structure and determined that the acorn must be replaced. These studies have also revealed that most of the material is original. Dr. Papenfuse showed the Commission slides of the preliminary work as well as of the drawings by Charles Willson Peale showing the original colors the dome and acorn were painted.
Administrative Matters & Fiscal Issues
- Peabody Art Collection
Dr. Papenfuse noted that this was a momentous day because the Board of Public Works had, that morning, approved the final payment to the Peabody Institute and the transfer of the Peabody Art Collection to the state. This will take effect on June 28. He then demonstrated the on-line catalogue of the collection which the Archives has put up on its Web site. Dr. Papenfuse thanked Dr. Robert Sirota, Director of the Peabody Institute, and Elizabeth Schaaf, Archivist of the Peabody Institute, for all of their help with the transfer. He also noted the work of Archives' staff members Elaine Rice, Curator of Artistic Property, and Mimi Calver, Director of Exhibits and Outreach.
Dr. Sirota thanked Dr. Papenfuse and said that this agreement was the most enlighted partnership between a public trust and the private sector that he had ever witnessed. Ms. Schaaf noted that Dr. Papenfuse had done the early survey of the collection and saw its value. She thanked him for his early support.
- Budget Issues
Budget issues were deferred to the next meeting when the focus will be on the next fiscal year.
Adjournment
There being no other business to come before the Commission, the Chairman adjourned the meeting at 2:10 p.m.
Approved by the Hall of Records Commission -
____________________________________________
The Honorable Robert C. Murphy, Chairman
____________________________________________
Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse, Secretary
Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse
State Archivist
Maryland State Archives
350 Rowe Boulevard
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
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© Copyright 1996 Maryland State Archives