The battle cry for support has gone out, and fellow researchers are starting to respond. Ironic in all this is that just yesterday, Governor Nathan Deal signed a proclamation to designate October as Georgia Archives Month.
Following is a list of action items for those who are interested in keeping genealogy alive in Georgia. In doing so, not only are the residents of Georgia served, the thousands of visitors from out of state will continue to be served as well. While there has been an ongoing project to digitize the information, many years of scanning remain.
From the Friends of Georgia Archives and History:
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ACTION ALERT: SAVE THE GEORGIA ARCHIVES!
Georgia
Secretary of State Brian Kemp has announced that the Georgia Archives will be
CLOSED to all public access beginning November 1, 2012. He cites as reason the
requirement for a 3 % budget reduction for all state agencies. Secretary Kemp
has chosen to take the required cut of $750,000 entirely and only from the
State Archives. In addition to the elimination of public access, staff
reductions concerning the ten remaining staff are planned and will also be announced
soon.
This
action further cripples an institution that was among the first state archives
established (1918), has won many awards for its programs and state-of-the-art
archival facility, and has been a respected leader in archives, government
records programs, and research use. Over the past decade, however, the Georgia
Archives has been eviscerated by regular budget cuts, reductions in staff and
reductions in public hours to 2 days a week. Now Secretary Kemp wants to
eliminate even those few hours of access for Georgia’s citizens, making Georgia
Archives the only state archives without public access hours.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Tell
the Governor, the Secretary of State and the Georgia Legislature to reverse
this devastating decision. Write, call or visit and ask them to:
Restore a minimum of $1 million to the
Georgia Archives budget to return its operations to 5 days a week of public
access hours and eliminate projected staff reductions.
Reverse the Secretary of State’s proposed
budget cuts to the Archives by November 1 to ensure uninterrupted service to
the public.
When
you write/call or visit, focus on a few of the points below. Put this in your
own words, and use your own examples, particularly if you are a citizen of
Georgia:
WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY?
Points to make in letters/phone calls or
visits:
1.
The Secretary of State was directed to reduce his budget expenditures by 3%.
The entire sum needed to accomplish that has been taken from the Archives
budget alone and will result in the termination of all public hours. The
proposed “access by appointment…limited based on the schedule of the remaining
employees” effectively denies access based on “reasonable time and place” for
inspection of public records as required by Georgia law.
2.
Points to make regarding the importance of access to government records for
accountability and legal purposes:
•
This deprives citizens of regular and predictable access, as mandated in the
Georgia Records Act, Title 50, Chapter 18, Article 4, section 70(b) of the Georgia
Annotated Code that all public records “shall be open for a personal inspection
by any citizen of this state at a reasonable time and place, and those in
charge of such records shall not refuse this privilege to any citizen.”
• It
is contrary to the practice of government transparency by depriving citizens of
predictable and ready access to the records that are essential to providing
evidence of government accountability.
• It
deprives citizens, as well as Georgia’s own government, of access to records
needed to support due process of law. The Georgia Archives holdings have been
used for a range of court cases including land claims, boundary disputes,
utility right-of-way, and claims against state agencies.
•
Access to records is essential to avoid costly litigation that will result if
records cannot be located or accessed.
3.
Points to make regarding the importance of access to government records for
research
purposes:
• As
the Civil War Sesquicentennial begins, researchers need access to the historical
record in the Georgia Archives to provide accurate, factual evidence of that
experience. Many of Georgia’s governmental records were destroyed during
Sherman’s March; closing the Archives similarly deprives Georgians of access to
their heritage—but this time the fault does not lie with an invading army, but
with Georgia officials themselves.
• The
Georgia Archives holds records actively sought by genealogists and family
historians; in particular, they provide essential evidence for African-American
history and genealogical research not available in many private historical
collections.
• The
Georgia Archives has been an essential resource for environmental research and
activities including efforts to reintroduce the American chestnut tree in the
state and issues relating to pollution.
• The
Georgia Archives has been the site of research for television and films,
including the popular NBC series “Who Do You Think You Are” segments with Paula
Deen and Spike Lee, as well as Emmy award-winner Ben Loeterman’s documentary
“People v. Leo Frank.”
Governor Nathan Deal
206
Washington Street Suite 203, State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: 404-656-1776
Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle
240
State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 TEL: 404-656-5030
FAX: 404-656-6739
Secretary of State Brian Kemp
214
State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334 Phone: 404-656-2881
Fax: 404-656-0513
Individual
Georgia legislators: find specific legislators via Society of Georgia
Archivists site: http://soga.org/involvement/legislative
If you’ve signed an online petition, that’s
helpful, but direct contact is even more effective. For Georgians, a visit to
your local legislator will have even more impact. There has been a great deal
of attention on radio, newspapers, television and the Internet. In a democracy,
however, nothing speaks to the governor or elected officials like direct
contact from individuals. Speak up for the Georgia Archives.
Write, call or plan a visit today!
Please send copies of your letter,
information on contacts, or any questions to:
Coalition
to Preserve the Georgia Archives Co-Chair Kaye L. Minchew: kaye@trouparchives.org
THE COALITION TO PRESERVE THE GEORGIA
ARCHIVES
Includes
representatives of:
Friends
of the Georgia Archives; Association of County Commissioners of Georgia;
Georgia Salzburger Society, Greater Atlanta Chapter; Society of Georgia
Archivists; Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board; Georgia Genealogical
Society; Georgia Professional Genealogists; Association of Professional
Genealogists, Georgia Chapter; Cobb County Genealogical Society; Troup County
Historical Society; Georgia State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution
For updated information go
to: www.FOGAH.org
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Note: It was announced earlier this week that only three positions will remain-- and they are all management. How can the state let the knowledge base of the other workers go?
Ahh, genealogy. I am thankful for any support you can give. Without the past, we have no future.
©2012 AS Eldredge
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