Hall of Records Commission

Minutes of a Meeting
held at Nichols House
As guests of Dr. and Mrs. William R. Brody
of The Johns Hopkins University
May 29, 1997

Call to Order by the Chairman

The meeting was called to order at 12:30 p.m. by the Chairman

Present were:
The Honorable Louis L. Goldstein, Comptroller of the Treasury,
  Chairman
The Honorable Robert M. Bell, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals,
  Vice Chairman
William R. Brody, M.D., President of The Johns Hopkins University
The Honorable Richard N. Dixon, Treasurer
Mr. Richard E. Israel, Assistant Attorney General
Ms. Annie K. Kronk, Special Assistant
   to the President of The Johns Hopkins University
Gerald P. Walls, representing Eugene Lynch,
  Secretary of Department of General Services
Dr. Whitman H. Ridgway, representing
  Dr. Donald N. Langenberg, Chancellor, University of Maryland
Jack S. Griswold, representing Dennis Fiori,
  Director, Maryland Historical Society
Steven M. Ports, representing Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.,
  President of the Senate

Special Guest
Matthew P. Lalumia, Esq., Chairman, Maryland Commission on Artistic Property

Staff:
Mr. Christopher N. Allan, Deputy State Archivist
Mrs. Shirley A. Bodziak, Administrative Aide to Edward C. Papenfuse
Ms. Mimi Calver, Archivist V, Maryland State Archives
Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse, State Archivist and
  Secretary, Hall of Records Commission

Welcome and Introduction of Special Guest

• [Before the meeting formally came to order, Dr. Brody welcomed the Commission to Nichols House and gave the members a brief history of the house. Mrs. Brody asked the Secretary, Dr. Papenfuse, to explain the role and functions of the State Archives.]
• The Secretary thanked Dr. and Mrs. Brody for hosting the meeting and luncheon and presented Mrs. Brody with a portfolio of historical Maryland maps. He also thanked The Johns Hopkins University (Division of Continuing Studies) for supplying the computer and projector for the meeting and an assistant to help with setting up the equipment.
• The Secretary introduced Matthew Lalumia who is the new Chairman of the Maryland Commission on Artistic Property

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

• The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as presented.
• the Secretary noted that there were also two special meetings of the Hall of Records Commission held since the last meeting:
  
• The Special Joint Session of the Legislature on March 7, 1997, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Women's Caucus
• Presentation of the First Citizen Award to Oden Bowie, March 26, 1997

On a motion by Judge Bell, the ceremonial meetings of the Commission were approved as presented.

Records Retention and Disposal Schedules

• Records designated for retention or disposal since the last Commission meeting were approved unanimously on a motion by Judge Bell.

Old Business

• There was no old business to come before the Commission.

Staff Activities

• the Secretary noted that staff and volunteer activities are reported in the Archives' biweekly newsletter The Archivists' Bulldog which is sent to each Commission member. The current issue of The Bulldog, as well as previous issues, are also available on the Archives' web site.
  
• the Archives is now involved in providing information for the litigation between the state and the tobacco companies. The lawyers for both sides have expressed an interest in knowing every record the state has relating to tobacco. The Secretary demonstrated for the Commission how the Archives is making records at the Archives available electronically. The law firms will be able to access the databases through the Archives' web site and, if the document has already been scanned, download a copy of it. If it has not been scanned, a copy can then be ordered electronically. The lawyers will first have to purchase password access to the scanned documents, but the service of finding out what exists is provided without charge.

Recent Acquisitions

• the Secretary referred to the Archives' web site for the recent acquisitions of government and private records at the Archives, and demonstrated the on-going enhancement of access to the collections of the Archives through the finding aids section of the web site.
  
• use of the Radoff Bequest Fund:
  with income provided by a bequest from former State Archivist Morris L. Radoff from time to time the Archives is able to purchase inexpensive items that relate to its collection. The most recent is a bible from a branch of the Carroll family in South Carolina and Texas.
  
  Of particular interest beyond the family history the bible contains are the uses to which the bible was put to practice the handwriting of family members. We particularly like the entry at the end of Malachi. Malachi ends with verse 6:

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with the curse

which is followed with a child's bold scrawl -

SARAH BALL HER HAND AND PEN 
SHE WILL RIGHT 
WILL DRAW GOD NOSE WHEN

Publications Featuring the Records at the Archives

• The Secretary distributed copies of the Treasurer's Annual Report which reflected Treasurer Dixon's interest in the Civil War and used images from the Archives' photographic collections.
• Secretary also distributed copies of the book The Evils of Necessity about Robert Goodloe Harper by Eric Robert Papenfuse which in part was based upon an early hitherto unknown speech still in private hands of which there is now a copy on microfilm at the Archives.
• the Secretary explained to the Commission that much of the index access to the Archives' records is dependent on the work of volunteers. An important example is Dr. Carson Gibb's supplement to the Early Settlers of Maryland. The Secretary explained that, in order to encourage people to settle in Maryland, Lord Baltimore offered so many acres per person for each settler brought with him to the colony. These grants of land were called "headrights" and the system was in existence from 1633 - 1683. A previous index of these early settlers had listed some 27,000 names, and Dr. Gibb had found another 8,000 new names. At the next Commisison meeting will have copies of the previously approved publication of Dr. Gibb's work as well as a demonstration of the web-based electronic version.

Education and Outreach

• The Secretary noted a recent program aired on MPT about the work of Marion E. Warren, one of Maryland's most distinguished photographers, and his daughter Mame, the Archives' former curator of photographs. Mr. Warren volunteers considerable time to help with the cataloguing of his extensive collection of photographs which are now permanently housed at the Archives. The much of the program was filmed at the Archives and featured both the importance of the Archives in preserving Mr. Warren's work, and an interview with Chairman Goldstein.
• The Secretary also told the Commission that documentary materials from the Archives are being used in history courses he teaches at The Johns Hopkins University. He took the Commission to his web site and presented some of the biographical research papers that his students last semester created on their own web sites, pointing out that the papers will be a permanent biographical resource available through the Archives web site.

Administrative & Fiscal Matters

• the Secretary reported that at the last session of the Legislature, the Governor's recommendation for reinstating biographical research at the Archives was approved. A new staff person will be added to oversee the work with the focus intially being on legislators, other elected officials, and first ladies.
  
• the Secretary requested approval from the Commission for two weeks of his upcoming trip to England be considered part of his official duties on State business, as he will be doing research on the history of the Charter, watermarks as a means of authenticating and dating official documents, and the history of financing the founding of the Maryland colony. On a motion from Judge Bell, the Commission approved the request.
  
• The National Postal Museum has requested the loan of the Archives' copy of the first printing of the Declaration of Independence by Ann Catherine Goddard, one of the rarest and most important original documents in the Archives' collection. The Goddards were instrumental in the establishment of the postal service during the Revolutionary War and the musuem is very interested in borrowing the document for temporary display. On a motion from Dr. Brody, the Commission approved the loan of the document.
  
• The Secretary informed the Commission that a manuscript dealer has offered the Archives the papers of former Vice President Spiro Agnew's chief of staff, Arthur Sohmers, for $16,000. He said that an inspection of the papers has revealed that there is little in them of permanent historical value worth that sum and recommended that the Commission decline the offer. On a motion from Treasurer Dixon, the Commission approved the request to decline the offer.
  

Issues for Discussion by the Commission:

The Archival Challenge: ensuring quality, reliability and permanence for all forms of the historical record

An archives is the conscience of the public, the repository of its collective memory, recording the triumphs and failures of the past and pointing the way to remedying the ills of the present. Without an archives there cannot be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Without convenient and affordable access to reliable information gleaned from the Archives no society can call itself truly free. No one understood this better than Thomas Jefferson, who in the Declaration of Independence, severely criticized the King of England for calling "together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures."

If we are fatigued by anything today, it is by a government not yet able to guide us through the torrent of change and information that issues daily from the technological revolution. Somewhat like Noah in the face of the flood, the Archives has taken the lead in building a simple, cost-effective ark designed to help government weather the storm and deposit us all safely on dry ground. The vessel is christened appropriately a 'homepage' on the world wide web of the Intranet of state government and on the public servers of the Internet.

• Setting Standards for the preservation of electronic records
• Promoting an Annapolis Campus of State Agency Web Sites
• The Archives' staff is working with a number of state agencies in the Annapolis complex to establish agency maintained Web sites, and to secure a viable electronic link to the Archives for the preservation of permanently valuable electronic records. Two recent examples are the Legislature's website which includes services provided by the Archives and the Comptroller's Office web site, which also is housed at the Archives where it is able to handle 6,000 inquiries and deliver as many as 12,000 tax forms daily. Since the last Commission meeting, a number of indexing/on-line query services have been provided for the Secretary of State's site including those for trademarks and charities.
• Serving as the clearinghouse for all State and Local governmental services on line with Maryland Electronic Capital

The Archival Challenge: providing space for existing collections and future acquisitions- beyond the year 2000

In April of 1981, the State Archivist completed the program for the new Archives building. In it, he argued for space to meet the projected demand for storage of permanently valuable historical records through the year 2000. In all, the predictions made in that program (including the emphasis on the future of the delivery of information electronically) proved remarkably accurate, although the down-sizing of State government and the rapid acceleration of the move to electronic recordation has, in turn acclerated the requests for the transfer of paper to the Archives. Today the Archives building is at near capacity for the storage of paper records and we have an outstanding demand for transfers over the next two decades that amounts to a space need on site equivalent to the existing stacks (160,000 cubic feet or the equivalent of 432,000 archival storage containers (CSE's)). In addition, to meet the challenge for the care and preservation of the electronic record, the Archives will need to build special facilities to handle the permanent storage of a fragile medium. This should include the technical capacity to service the records in their native format and to transform them into a more reliable, durable, medium, either traditionally through the production of microforms, or through the introduction of newer, more reliable electronic technology. We must begin planning anew for these space needs without delay.

The Archival Challenge: providing a spacial context for interpretation and education

We have discovered that the Archives can be a great resource for educating both government and students in the educational and informational benefits of the World Wide Web, both through the internet and the intranet of State government. In planning for the accommodation of the records, we will also need to plan for more space for education and development of the MUSEUM WITHOUT WALLS on the Web, which will be an integral part of the Archives' educational mission now and in the future. To achieve this goal, more teaching and resource development space will be needed, as well as a self-teaching kiosk-like environment to lead students and visitors into the world of government and the Annapolis campus. With a slight expansion of the conferencing facilities and additional links to off-site parking (via public transport), we will be able to accommodate visiting groups of teachers, students, and the interested public as a gateway into the world of government in Annapolis.

SKETCH FOOTPRINT of possible additions and improvements to the existing Hall of Records site

In light of the need for archival storage for paper and electronic records and in accord with its nationally recognized efforts to bring Maryland History and Government into the classroom and to anyhone visiting Annapolis or having access to a computer, the Commission requests the State Archivist to seek funding from the Preliminary Planning Fund or similar source in the amount of $10,000 to develop the program and initial plans for additions to the current Hall of Records building. These plans should encompass accommodating the documented need for approximately 61,230 square feet of space, and consist of at least three distinct elements: processing and storage space for paper and electronic records, teaching space for an expanded electronic classroom and orientation center for government and the public, and an electronic and document exhibit space that would serve as a gateway stop for visitors to government in Annapolis.

The Archivist should proceed in this matter without delay in the expectation that the request for capital funds for this project would be included in the next capital budget.

As a temporary measure to meet the pressing demands from such agencies as the courts and the Registers of Wills for the transfer of their records, the Commission also endorses the Archivist's request for temporary lease space that would suffice until new permanent space is constructed on the present site.

Following a discussion in which Dr. Brody asked the Secretary to break down the 60,000 sq. ft. expansion request into its component parts of 40 - 45,000 sq. ft. for the storage of paper records and the remainder for electronic storage, expanded teaching facilities, and a new orientation center for visitors to State government (which probably require extending existing easements with the Naval Academy), on a motion from Judge Bell, the Commission approved the proposed motion unanimously.

The Archival Challenge: Finding non-general fund support to access & preserve the collective memory

• the Secretary noted with appreciation a recent gift to the Archives' Endowment towards an internship for the processing of the papers of the Governor which came from the friends of former governor Schaefer.
• efforts to find support for the 30% cost of running the Archives that does not come from general funds include applications to
• the National Digital Library Competition (Ameritech/Library of Congress)
• the Archives and Anne Arundel County Schools Application to NEH
  the Secretary informed the Comission that the Archives and the Anne Arundel County Schools system were about to be awarded a grant of $170,000, about $100,000 which will come to the Archives for training teachers in the use of the technology of the internet and the use of original document facsimilies in the classroom. Under the terms of the grant, the Archives will maintain a web server and direct telephone or fiber optic link to the school system which in turn will provide the schools with rapid access to information about Maryland state government as well as to the teaching materials developed by the teachers and Archives staff at the Archives.
  
  The commission unanimously approved these efforts of the Secretary and the Archives staff to find additional funding for archival programs and encouraged similar undertakings.

Presentations to Comptroller Goldstein, Judge Bell and Dr. Brody

The Secretary presented Comptroller Goldstein with a framed copy of the Baltimore Sun feature on him with an inscription marking the Comptroller's election as Chairman of the Hall of Records Commission. The Secretary presented a framed copy of the front page of the Baltimore Sun photograph of the Court of Appeals to the Vice Chairman, with an inscription marking Judge Bell's election as Vice Chairman of the Hall of Records Commission. The Secretary noted that the photograph was of particular interest also because it was taken at the same time as the 'official' photograph for the Maryland Manual. The Secretary then presented Dr. Brody with a framed copy of the Baltimore Sun front page featuring his inauguration as president of The Johns Hopkins University, with an inscription thanking him for hosting this meeting of the Commission. All three of the newspaper articles were deacidified in the Archives' conservation lab.

Adjournment

There being no other business to come before the Commission, the meeting was adjourned at 1:20 p.m.

Approved by the Hall of Records Commission, October 23, 1997-

____________________________________________
The Honorable Louis L. Goldstein, Chairman


____________________________________________ 
Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse, Secretary