Hall of Records Commission Minutes for a Meeting  at the Maryland State Archives Electronic Classroom 12 Noon November 22, 2005 Saint Cecilia's Day

Call to Order by the Chairman

Chairman Bell called the meeting to order at 12:18 p.m., at which time he welcomed special guests:  Steven P. Anderson, Christopher N. Allan, Mrs. Mary S. Allan, Paul Frazer, Leslie Frazer, and Jock Menzies.

He welcomed everyone to the first Hall of Records Commission meeting in the newly dedicated Edward C. Papenfuse State Archives Building.  Chairman Bell acted as the Master of Ceremonies; and Governor Ehrlich, former Governor Hughes, and Dr. Papenfuse spoke at the ceremony.  Dr. Papenfuse reflected that one of the most touching parts of the ceremony occurred for him when the Archives staff presented him with a silver medal based on a coin struck by Lord Baltimore, Cecil Calvert, in honor of the fact that he was about to settle Maryland.  An interesting fact is that there are no known copies remaining of the coin.  The coin presented to Dr. Papenfuse is based on drawings made of the coin when a copy was with the Maryland State Historical Society, and also a little bit of the silver from the microfilm processed at the Archives was used in the smelting.  This coin has become the symbol for the Friends of the Archives.

Chairman Bell referred to the Minutes of the April 19, 2005 Hall of Records Commission meeting and mentioned that a play based on the case of Ex Parte Merryman was put on by the Administrative Law Judges in June 2005.  Dr. Papenfuse noted that the Archives research staff contributed the images and some of the documentation that was used in writing and presenting the play. The play was very well received by the lawyers who viewed it in Ocean City, and it may be presented at Princeton in the summer of 2006.
 

Stephen P. Anderson, Director, State Law Library
Christopher N. Allan, Secretary, Friends of the Archives
Mrs. Mary S. Allan
Paul Frazer, Volunteer, Maryland State Archives
Jock Menzies, Chairman, Terminal Corporation

Chairman Bell welcomed the special guests.  Dr. Papenfuse added a sidebar  story pertaining to the introduction of Jock Menzies.  Mr. Menzies was present to help pay tribute to Kathy Beard, Dr. Papenfuse's administrative assistant who he had first brought to Dr. Papenfuse's attention as an excellent state employee looking for work closer to her Annapolis home.  Dr. Papenfuse noted that when  he first knew Mr. Menzies, a former neighbor, his family owned Terminal Corporation warehouse, which then housed the Baltimore City Archives, located in a richly historic district.  The Terminal warehouse is  but a few blocks away from the site of the Calvert Street Station of the Northern Central Railway.   In February 1861, President Elect Lincoln was supposed to arrive at the station on his way to his inauguration, but warned of a plot to assassinate him that had been hatched on Davis Street, also a short distance from the Terminal Warehouse, Lincoln chose a different route, passing through town in disguise.

Special Announcements/Opening Remarks

• Last Will and Testament of Francis Scott Key, 1837 (copy in packet);
• Dunlap's American Daily Advertiser, April 14, 1791 (copy in packet);
Dr. Papenfuse postponed speaking to the first two items until the next meeting when Chris Nelson should be able to attend.
• Papenfuse Newspaper Collection, MSA SC 5634 (copy in packet);
Dr. Papenfuse related how, in the course of going through eBay, he came across this newspaper offered for sale.  The newspaper includes a letter from Thomas Brown, who offers himself as a free black for the House of Delegates.  Mr. Brown's concept of what he was doing and how he thought he ought to be the voice for the free black community in Baltimore City is an extraordinary statement.  Dr. Papenfuse personally purchased the newspaper, donated the original to the Archives, and presented a framed copy to Chairman Bell.
• St. Cecelia's Day, November 22;
Dr. Papenfuse provided additional information on St. Cecilia, mentioning that George Calvert and Anne Myne chose to honor St. Cecilia by being married on her feast day, November 22d, 1604, at St. Peter’s Church, Cornhill, in London, and that 29 years later on the same day, the Ark and the Dove set sail for Maryland and the founding of a new colony intended to bring religious freedom to the New World.
• Gift from the Friends of the Archives of Portrait thought to be Leonard Calvert.
This gift is a portrait that is thought to be from the 17th century of Maryland’s first Governor, Leonard Calvert.  The portrait is being donated through the Friends of the Archives by Mr. and Mrs. Clayett, along with sources for its conservation, with the intent of displaying the portrait at the State House.  Once conservation is complete, we will know more about the provenance of the portrait.

Reports and Minutes of Previous Meetings

• April 19, 2005
The case of Ex Parte Merryman is mentioned in the April minutes, and Chairman Bell related that a reenactment of a play with the central theme being that case, was put on by the Administrative Law Judges Section of the State Bar in Ocean City last June.  The play was very well received and may be going on the road, perhaps to Princeton during the summer of 2006.  The Administrative Law Judge who wrote the play drew very heavily on research conducted by the Archives research staff did, and the Archives also provided most of the illustrations that were used as a backdrop.
• Special Meetings and Celebratory Events
• June 27:  Rededication of the State Archives Building:  Remarks by Dr. Papenfuse;
Chairman Bell welcomed everyone to the first Hall of Records Commission meeting in the newly dedicated Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse State Archives Building.  At the ceremony on June 27, 2005, Chairman Bell acted as the Master of Ceremonies; and Governor Ehrlich, former Governor Hughes, and Dr. Papenfuse spoke at the ceremony.  Dr. Papenfuse reflected that one of the most touching parts of the ceremony occurred for him when the Archives staff presented him with a silver medal based on a coin struck by Lord Baltimore, Cecil Calvert, in honor of the fact that he was about to settle Maryland.  An interesting fact is that there are no known copies remaining of the coin.  The coin presented to Dr. Papenfuse is based on drawings made of the coin when a copy was with the Maryland State Historical Society.  In addition, a little bit of the silver from the microfilm processed at the Archives was used in the smelting.  This coin has become the symbol for the Friends of the Archives.
• September 22:  Unveiling of Portrait of Governor and Mrs. Mandel at Government House.
This portrait by Peter Egeli is an extraordinary work.  Egeli began the portrait and left it unfinished in 1975.  He returned to the portrait in 1993, finishing it with no further sittings by Mrs. Mandel.  It is the only double portrait in the State’s collection.
Dr. Philips offered a motion of approval of the minutes, and recognition of the special meetings of the Commission as defined by standing resolution, seconded by Dr. Ridgeway and unanimously approved, the Chairman concurring.

Records Retention and Disposal

• Retention Schedules;
• Disposals;
• Retention Schedule 2330 for the Circuit Courts.
Dr. Papenfuse pointed out that the Circuit Courts recently went through an extensive revision of their scheduling of records, working very hard with the Archives staff.  Ms. Pat Melville served on the committee that made this a very good appraisal tool for the care and preservation of court records.  It has been approved by the Chief Judge, signed by Dr. Papenfuse, and promulgated by the Court.
Mr. Tabb offered a motion of approval of Records Retention and Disposal Schedules as presented, seconded by Dr. Ridgeway and unanimously approved, the Chairman concurring.

Collection and Recovery Policy for private manuscripts and public records:

• Extradition papers on eBay;
• Court of Appeals Judge's Papers on eBay;
• Sheriff's ledger, Prince George's County, 1777;
Chairman Bell approved Dr. Papenfuse's proposal to defer discussion of the draft Archives Collection and Recovery Policy until the next Hall of Records Commission meeting, at which time he will talk about some of the problems with regard to public records on eBay and other places, and how the Archives can acquire the records.  Dr. Papenfuse will then also show how the Archives works in conjunction and cooperation with the Historical Society, the University of Maryland, and other collecting entities so as not to be in competition with one another.
• Claude account book.
Dr. Papenfuse described the Claude account book and then sought Commission approval to proceed with acquisition of the book.
Dennis Claude was a doctor during the War of 1812, but he was also Mayor of Annapolis, Treasurer of the Western Shore, State Treasurer from 1854 to 1860, and the Comptroller of the Treasury for a brief time until his election was contested.  This account book details while he was concurrently in the Legislature and serving as a doctor, a situation now described in a resolution that is currently before the U.S. Senate that will permit Senators to continue to practice as doctors while they are in the U.S. Senate.  Because Dennis Claude treated practically everybody in town, his account book is a remarkable census with occupations.  In fact, four hitherto unknown cabinet makers have been found listed in this account book.  Even though the Claude account book is a private manuscript, it represents the special kind of acquisition made because of its significance to the public life and career of a very distinguished public servant for Maryland.  The price of the account book is $5,350.  The Friends of the Archives are willing to raise matching funds, and Dr. Papenfuse recommended the Archives provide the other half of the money from the Radoff fund, which was left as a bequest from Morris Radoff, the former Archivist of the State of Maryland.
Dr. Ridgeway offered a motion to defer discussion of the draft Archives Collection and Recovery Policy to a future meeting and approve the use of the Radoff fund for half of the purchase price of the Claude Account Book, seconded by Dr. Phillips and unanimously approved, the Chairman concurring.

Archivist's Report and Staff Activities
 (see the Maryland State Archives' Bulldog for additional details)

• April 21:  Dr. Papenfuse met with Stephan Rubin, member of the Abstractors Advisory Group for Baltimore City;
• April 21:  Mr. Swanson and Ms. Bramucci attended MDGFOA Tax Affinity Group;
• April 27, November 4:  Dr. Papenfuse attended MLA Advisory Board meeting;
• April 27, May 16, June 13, Sept. 19:  Mr. Baker attended ITAC meeting;
• May 3, November 9:  Dr. Papenfuse attended Maryland Commission on Artistic Property meeting;
• May 3:  Dr. Allen Weinstein met with Dr. Papenfuse's seminar to discuss Perjury and for a tour of the new exhibits at the National Archives;
• May 12, May 24, September 23, October 17, November 18:  Dr. Papenfuse and Mr. Swanson attended LRAC meeting;
• May 14:  Dr. Papenfuse met with Messrs. Elder and Reese re:  Washington letter;
• May 16:  Dr. Papenfuse attended a dinner in celebration of the Arts of Maryland at the residence of Chancellor and Mrs. Kirwan;
• May 17:  Dr. Papenfuse attended Governor's Consulting Committee Meeting on Historic Sites;
• May 19:  Dr. Papenfuse met with Mike Isekoff and Lou Taylor, members of the Abstractors Advisory Group for Baltimore City;
• May 26:  Dr. Papenfuse addressed the Baltimore Historians on Historical Research and Writing in a Digital Age (see enclosed CD);
• June 2:  Mr. Baker attended Imaging Standards Sub-Committee kickoff session/meeting;
• June 20:  Dr. Papenfuse addressed the Carroll County Genealogical Society (see enclosed CD);
• June 24:  Staff attended Reginald F. Lewis Museum  of Maryland African American History & Culture opening;
• June 30:  Elaine Rich Bachmann gave a lecture at The Mount (Home of Edith Wharton), in Lenox, MA. re:  The Refined Presidential Stage: The Restoration of the Kennedy White House;
• July 20-23:  Dr. Papenfuse attended the NAGARA Annual meeting in Richmond, VA;
• July 25:  Mr. Swanson attended meeting of the Real Property Records Improvement Fund Oversight Committee;
• September 8:  Ms. Melville attended dedication ceremony for an interpretive exhibit on the discovery of the Lost Town of Herrington (ca. 1660) and presentation to Ned Crandell with an ACT historical marker;
• September 14:  Secretary Januszkiewicz and Jamie Smith toured the Archives building as well as viewed a larger collection of the historical photographs that are available;
• September 16:  Dr. Papenfuse met with Josh Civin, clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg;
• September 26:  Dr. Papenfuse met with Speaker Busch re: recreating the House of Delegates chamber;
• September 27:  Mr. Rezvan attended the 2005 Procurement Summit and accepted from Lt. Governor Steele for the Archives the Governor Robert L. Ehrlich MBE Gold Achievement Award;
Mr. Rezvan described the ceremony, stating that the Maryland State Archives was among ten agencies to receive the Gold Achievement Award for its support of the Minority Business Enterprise program.  Mr. Baker added that the Archives has also been very successful with the Maryland Works Program, which employs disabled individuals, and has some fairly substantial contracts to support activities for mdlandrec.net going to that program.
• September 29:  Dr. Papenfuse met with Dennis Gurtz, Judge Harrell and Bill Weisburger re: 1795 Griffith map;
• September 30:  Dr. Papenfuse and Mr. Polk met with Senator Mathias at his West Virginia farm to view his 18th century law book collection;
• October 4:  Dr. Papenfuse and Ms. Calver attended State House Trust meeting, proposal;
• October 7-8:  Dr. Papenfuse attended fall meeting of the Historic St. Mary's City Commission;
• October 18:  Research staff hosted the Questers visit to the Archives to see the preserved Kent County books, including a tour of the Archives, powerpoint presentation;
Dr. Papenfuse reminded the Commission that the resources for doing conservation of original record material are relatively slim, and so the Archives is dependent upon support from private, non-profit groups that help with special conservation issues.  Ms. Cruickshank talked to a PowerPoint presentation that showed a visit of the Kitty Knight Questers from Kent County.  The Questors, who raised funds to conserve two 17th century volumes of original Kent County records, visited the Archives to see the conservation process.  The volumes being conserved were in terrible shape; they had been written on high acid paper in ink that was eating through the paper.
• October 21:  Dr. Papenfuse addressed the Bar and Bench Conference re:  The Lincoln Pardon;
Dr. Papenfuse stated that, when he spoke about The Lincoln Pardon, he extended it to talk a little bit more about Maryland and the need to really reexamine the issue of Habeas Corpus.  He mentioned an op-ed piece from the Baltimore Sun, written by one of the defense lawyers for one of the people who’s incarcerated at Guantanamo, that argued we are moving away too rapidly from the principle and concept of habeas corpus in our court system.  Dr. Papenfuse mentioned that he hopes to do a book on habeas corpus from a historical perspective.
• November 10:  Members of the Montgomery County Department of Public Works met with Dr. Papenfuse re:  demonstration of the Public Works' web site;
• November 15:  Dr. Papenfuse met with Judge Battaglia, Andrea Leahy-Fuchek and Ava Lias Booker re:  Women in Law project;
• November 21:  Dr. Papenfuse and Mr. Kintzel met with Judge Murdock re:  proposal for internship partnerships with the Baltimore City Court and the Baltimore City Court Foundation.

• Special Collections:

• Lillian D. Jenifer Collection of Jenifer and Risteau Family Papers, MSA SC 2006
Lillian Jenifer is a resident of Baltimore County who is attempting to preserve her family home that goes all the way back to the 18th century, and she has given the Archives a fair amount of record material relating to her family and the Risteau families.  She had previously given us at least three George Washington letters that she had had in her family, and now she’s begun to give the Archives the family papers as they relate to a public official, one of the sheriffs and one of the judges in Baltimore County.
• The Kent County Circuit Court Collection of William R. Nuttle Survey Records, MSA SC 5593
The Clerk in Kent County approached the Archives, stating that the whole collection was given to the Court and asking for assistance in making the records available.  The Archives agreed and the collection will be maintained in Special Collections.  Every single one of the Nuttle plats and the index to the plats is available now online through plats.net, and also through our Special Collections.
• Judge James F. Schneider Collection, MSA SC 5598
Jim Schneider is a federal bankruptcy judge who knows more about the history of the Bar and the history of the Courts, especially Baltimore Courts, than any person alive.  He is writing a book on the Supreme Bench and he has given all of his notes to the Archives, including his vast collection of notes relating to the wonderful portraiture collection that is in the Courthouse in Baltimore City.
• Jean-Barry Molz Collection, MSA SC 5614
Jean-Barry Molz is a lovely lady who has a small collection of really wonderful prints relating to Baltimore.  She has offered them to the Archives and has offered to have us make facsimiles for income producing purposes.  Dr. Papanfuse will address this subject in detail at the April 2006 meeting.
• Harold James Kie Collection, MSA SC 5615 (see enclosure)
Dr. Papenfuse and Ms. Beard related that Mr. Kie acquired this stone from a yard sale and had been using it as a door stop.  When he donated the stone to the Archives, the Research Staff determined that it is a lithographer’s stone.  It is actually a reject stone, not used in the final printing, but it has all of the elements and the text on it for the final stone.  Dr. Papenfuse further related that the Research Staff determined that the bond was issued to pay for the Annex to the State House.
• Charles McCurdy Mathias Collection, MSA SC 5620, 5626
Senator Mathias, over the course of his career as a lawyer, collected old law books, including a collection that was being thrown out of the Frederick County Court House that had been the Bar and Bench library in the Court House from the 18th century.  Dr. Papenfuse and other members of the Archives staff visited with Senator Mathias and looked at some of the collection, and have made plans to look at the rest of the collection in December.  In the first review of the collection, they discovered a volume relating to the establishment of the Orphan’s Court and Probate as a matter of law in the English context, a book that carries the signature of Baker Johnson, the brother of Thomas Johnson, who was the first Governor of Maryland.  They also noticed a copy of Bacon’s Laws that belonged to Thomas Johnson.
• Anne Whelan Alexander Maryland Book Collection, MSA SC 5638
• James Bready Collection of Maryland Rye Whiskey Bottles and Related Ephemera, MSA SC 5646
James Bready is a former reporter for the Sun has a remarkable collection of 150 to 200 whiskey bottles.  They are the only bottles that anyone knows about that still have the labels on them, and they document the whiskey industry in Maryland, especially the rye whiskey industry in Maryland, prior to prohibition.  Given the tremendous contribution that the rye whiskey industry made to the economy of the state of Maryland and in particular its importance to Frederick, Cumberland, and Baltimore, we have agreed to take the collection on and to care for it as a gift and to loan it out for exhibit.  The Archives conservation staff is working with the Smithsonian Institute to determine the best way to care for the bottles and to preserve them, as well as to put them on exhibit.

• Government Records

• Finding Aids, Reference Services, and Publications:
• http://mdlandrec.net
There are well over 118 million images online, and there should be 160 million images online by next September, making this the largest single electronic Archives in the country consisting of images of every single land record ever recorded in Maryland.
• http://www.mopw.net
• mdprobate.net
• Printed Edition of the Maryland Manual
• Government Publications On Line
Dr. Papenfuse praised Ms. Christine Alvey, the Archives' government documents librarian, who has been systematically identifying publications in pdf format to determine what ought to be saved and in what form it ought to be saved.  She is working with her colleagues at the State Law Library and with colleagues in the Legislature at the Legislative Services Reference, and also with the Government Librarian at Hopkins.  Just over the last year and a half she has identified well over 1400 publications online, all of which are accessible through the search form on our website.

• Summer 2005 Internship Program
• June 15:  Meet the State Archivist of Maryland, Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse;
• June 17:  Presentation by Vicki Lee re:  Records Handling and Conservation Lab Demonstration;
• June 20:  Presentation by Pat Melville re:  MSA Finding Aides and the General Guide;
• June 22:  Presentation by Lynne MacAdam re:  HTML and File Management Training;
• July 12:  Walking Tour of MSA Collections in Miller Building, Government House, and State House;
• July 18:  Presentation by Professor Emma Coleman Jordan re: topic of lynching;
• August 8:  Presentation by Maryland Humanities Council Speaker Dr. Jerrold Casway re:  The Baltimore Orioles and the Emerald Age of Baseball;
• August 15:  Presentation by Judge James Schneider re:  History of the Maryland Court System;
• August 22:  Final meeting with Dr. Papenfuse and Farewell reception;
• August 23:  Last day of the Summer Internship Program.
Ms. Emily Oland Squires related the success of the 2005 Internship Program and described how interns are selected, mentioning the boom of applications received in the last few years.  Dr. Papenfuse thanked the partners in the Internship Program who provide matching funds for interns.

• Courses taught and lectures given by State Archivist (see prior resolution on 4/19/2000):
• Fall 2005:  Legal History Seminar:  Leading Maryland Cases, University of Maryland School of Law;
• Fall 2005:  Teaching methods seminar:  Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age: methods and practical applications, Johns Hopkins University;
• Spring 2006:  Race and the Law: The Maryland Experience, University of Maryland School of Law;
• Spring 2006:  Teaching Gone with the Wind, Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus.
• May 16:  Boys' Latin School field trip to Annapolis;
• May 25:  Elaine Rice Bachmann gave remarks at the planting of a Wye Oak seedling, Naval Academy Primary School;
• June 14:  Ms. Melville served as judge at National History Day, UMCP;
• June 29:  Dr. Papenfuse and Ms. Bramucci conducted workshops at UMBC as part of the Teaching American History program to Baltimore City public elementary, middle and high school high school teachers relating to online primary sources available for incorporation in the classroom;
• June 30:  Dr. Papenfuse participated in the NEH Landmarks of American History program sponsored by St. Mary's College of Maryland and Historic St. Mary's City re:  Whose History?  Conflicting Memories and the Politics of Civil War Commemoration in Maryland;
• July 7:  Ms. Bachmann met with India Pasiuk to be interviewed for Time For Kids Kid reporter contest;
• July 13:  Dr. Papenfuse and Ms. Bramucci conducted workshops at UMBC as part of the Teaching American History program to Anne Arundel County public school teachers relating to online primary sources available for incorporation in the classroom;
• July 27:  Dr. Papenfuse and Ms. Bramucci conducted workshops at UMBC as part of the Teaching American History program to Baltimore County public school teachers relating to online primary sources available for incorporation in the classroom;
Dr. Papenfuse praised Ms. Bramucci who worked on her own time to get grant support to create a website called, “Teaching American History in Maryland,” teachingamericanhistorymd.net.  It’s a very heavily used website with hundreds of packets created by teachers for teachers.
• August 31:  Dr. Papenfuse met with Mrs. Ehrlich, Henry Rosenberg and Joe Coale re:  Washington document;
• October 15, 2005:  Staff of the Artistic Property Commission hosted a program in the State House for the Fellows of the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, University of Delaware, as part of their field trip to study 17th and 18th Century regional architecture and decorative arts. The program focused on the tradition of patronage by the Maryland Legislature in furnishing and decorating the State House and documenting the history of Maryland in commissioning works of art. The program included a tour of the dome, as well as viewing the Wye Oak Desk in the governor's office, and a hands-on examination of the Shaw furniture in the Old Senate Chamber. The program was a part of a day-long visit to Annapolis including the William Paca House, the Hammond-Harwood House and the Brice House;
• October 21:  UGRR staff gave a workshop at the 2005 Maryland African American Heritage Preservation Conference.

• December 1:  Joint meeting of the Advisory Board of the Underground Railroad and the members of the Slavery Commission;
• December 5:  Dr. Papenfuse to visit Richard Day, Sr. at his home in Leonardtown, MD to see his marine engine collection;
• December 16:  Dr. Papenfuse and Mr. Polk to visit Senator Mathias at his West Virginia farm to view manuscripts;
• December 19:  Dr. Papenfuse and Mr. Baker to make a presentation at the ITAC meeting to be held at the Archives;
• March 25:  Dr. Papenfuse to attend Historic St. Mary's City Commission meeting and Maryland Day observance;
• April 13:  Dr. Papenfuse to speak at Morgan State University History Day on The role of the Maryland State Archives in Interpreting the African American Past;
• May 5:  Dr. Papenfuse to address the members of the St. Mary's County Historical Society, Leonardtown, MD;
• June 12:  Dr. Papenfuse to address the 2006 Special Libraries Association at its conference in Baltimore re:  Atlas of Historical Maps of Maryland;
• July 31-August 5:  Dr. Papenfuse to attend the 2006 COSHRC-SAA-NAGARA annual meeting in Washington, DC (proposal)
Dr. Papenfuse mentioned that the Archives submitted a proposal to the National Organization of Archivists and Historical Administrators, the Council of State Archivists (which now has to be changed from COSHRC to COSA), Society of American Archivists, and the National Association of Government Archivists and Records Administrators, who are having a joint meeting in Washington, DC, next summer.  The Archives proposes to feature mdlandrec.net and the work that’s gone into the creation of this electronic archives.
• October 12:  Dr. Papenfuse to teach a Judicial Institute course on A More Equitable Society? Maryland Legal History, 1945-near present.

http://lrac.us

Dr. Papenfuse informed the Commission of this new website that was created for the use of the Clerks exclusively to keep track of the progress for mdlandrec.net in putting land records online.

Building Maintenance/New Facilities/Space Needs

• Capital Projects
Dr. Papenfuse and Mr. Baker explained that the capital project pending approval in the Legislature is to build a facility, similar to the one built by Johns Hopkins University, of compact shelving modules for the storage of records.  The Archives' proposal is in two parts.  It argues for consolidating at Crownsville the four adjunct rented facilities, three of which lack temperature and humidity control.  In addition, the proposal calls for expansion of the main Archives to allow for more in-house conservation, display and educational/out-reach opportunities, and storage space.  It is imperative to move the record material into an archival quality, permanent facility as soon as possible.

Budget Issues, Past, Present and Future:

Dr. Papenfuse informed the Commission he is still in the process of working on the Archives budget for next year.  The Artistic Properties Commission and staff for Artistic Properties have a proposal to reinterpret the whole of the State House.  The proposal focuses on the redevelopment of the House side of the old part of the State House as a working space and interpretative center for the Legislature, and what the Legislature looked like in the period from the Civil War to about 1904.
• Archives' Endowment Fund
• November 16:  Jim Stoops and Chantelle Green (New DLS analyst for State Archives) met with Dr. Papenfuse and Messrs. Baker and Lewis;
• Building Equity for the Future:  the twin Endowments, private non-profit and public.
Dr. Papenfuse raised the concern that, in order for the Archives to really be able to deal with research, writing, and adding value to the understanding of the records, there must be sources other than public funds for that activity.  He noted that at present the cost of running the Archives is 75% supported by income earned from entrepreneurial archival services, primarily electronic.   He then described a two-pronged approach to stabilizing the finances of the Archives through the establishment of two endowments.  One is the public endowment of the Archives, which is the equivalent of a Title 501c(3) foundation, known as the Maryland State Archives Endowment Fund, which is governed by statute and audited by the Legislative Auditors, and which derives its income from the sale of demand and traditional print publications, an overhead charge on all demand publications of the Archives including domain names and web sites administered by the Archives deposited directly to the endowment, grants, and gifts.   The other is a private undertaking of  the Friends of the Maryland State Archives which is in the process of being established as a title 501c3 organization dedicated to  enhancing the ability of the Archives to make the archival heritage of Maryland better known and readily accessible, a fund raising effort that most recently facilitated the purchase of the Washington document.  The two approaches to securing funding  for the Archives are meant to work in tandem, as challenge grants to each other and to those who control the appropriation process with the hope that not only will the endowments increase substantially but also the public commitment to Archives through significant increases in General Fund appropriations.  Dr. Papenfuse relayed his pleasure with the current success of these two sides in providing an economic cushion for the Archives to pay for good staff and the ability to explain and interpret the importance of the Archives.  Dr. Papenfuse then asked for a motion of approval for the concept of the two Educational and Entrepreneurial Endowments, with the understanding  that additional information about the success of each will be provided to the Commission at future meetings.

Dr. Phillips offered a motion of approval for the concept of the Educational and Entrepreneurial Endowments, public and private, seconded by Dr. Ridgeway and unanimously approved, the Chairman concurring.

• National prize for Charles Carroll of Carrollton Papers Project;
Dr. Papenfuse noted that one of the Archives' subsidized editorial projects, the papers of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, was just awarded the prestigious J. Franklin Jameson Award from the American Historical Association for Dear Papa, Dear Charley:  The Peregrinations of a Revolutionary Aristocrat, edited by Ron Hoffman and Sally Mason.
• Display of Audubon portfolio print from the Maryland State Law Library and possible joint facsimile project?;
Dr. Papenfuse related he and Mr. Anderson, the Director of the State Law Library, agreed the Archives would house the portfolio of Audubon prints until the State Law Library's Rare Book Room is completed, adding that the Baltimore Oriole print is on display in the Search Room at the Archives.  Mr. Anderson informed the Commission that the State Law Library dates back to the 1820's and used to be the State Library, which collected books, maps, and other items of a general nature, including the Birds of America prints.  The portfolio has more than 400 prints in four different books, and the books are being conserved by the Archives.  Dr. Papenfuse then suggested to Mr. Anderson that the Archives and the State Law Library could work together to offer facsimiles of the prints as a means of raising money for both institutions.  As an example, Dr. Papenfuse described the joint venture with Baltimore City and Carroll County, in which they sell CDs of material provided by the Archives and split the money with the Archives.  The CD created for Baltimore City brought about $400 to the Archives, and the CD for Carroll County brought about $800 to the Archives and is still selling.  Mr. Anderson stated that he would bring the suggestion to his Board.
• Welcome and Farewell:  Leslie Frazer and Kathy Beard.
The Hall of Records Commission formally welcomed Ms. Frazer to the Archives as Ms. Beard's replacement.  The Commission then bade farewell to Ms. Beard upon the occasion of her retirement after working for 30 years for the State of Maryland.  As a token of appreciation, Dr. Papenfuse presented to Ms. Beard one of the Friends of the Archives' silver map medal on a silver chain.  Ms. Beard thanked the Commission, the staff, and the Friends of the Archives for all they had done for her.

The next Hall of Records Commission meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 20, 2006.

Adjournment

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 1:50 p.m.

                                    ________________________________________
                                            The Honorable Robert M. Bell, Chairman
 
 
 

                                    ________________________________________
                                            Edward C. Papenfuse, Jr., Secretary
 
 

Email: edp@mdarchives.state.md.us

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