Maynard Brichford
3 August 1999

The goal of the Strategic Planning Project for the State of Illinois is to "address statewide historical records needs and issues", "involve a wide range of historical records stakeholders", and "through the planning process itself achieve consensus for that plan". In supporting the project, the objectives of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) are "to promote broad public participation in historical documentation", "strengthen the nation's archival infrastructure and expand the range of records that are protected and accessible", and request that state boards "take on statewide planning, advocacy and educational roles."¹

Just as consensus on a strategic plan to strengthen an "archival infrastructure" requires a common understanding of archives, planning for the retention of historical records requires a basic understanding of archival practice and the major developmental problems of historical records repositories. The "needs and issues" faced by archival practitioners in both individual and collective programs are the same. They must meet challenges in seven areas of archival practice to the extent permitted by their human and financial resources. They administer, authenticate, appraise, arrange, describe, protect and provide their holdings for long-term research use.

All custodians of historical records have administrative responsibilities. Every repository needs a clear and concise mission statement, a continuing source of financial support, and periodic program reviews. In small programs, the management of archives and manuscripts may be regarded as part-time activities and are often neglected. Larger programs may devote most of their resources to one area of their responsibility to the neglect of the others. Holders of archives must authenticate acquisitions to arrive at a proper appraisal of their research value, document provenance, and determine the amount of time required for description and preservation. Appraisal is an essential step involving the decision to keep or destroy a "record series" or "collection". It requires a thorough survey of related documentation, a knowledge of potential research usage, and calculation of the costs of processing and retention. The careful arrangement or organization of archival holdings is required to maintain the integrity of the material and to facilitate access in the future. Description in archival guides, inventories and finding aids is necessary to provide contextual and topical access to historical records. The physical protection of documentation by proper housing, storage and handling will ensure that it is available for future use. Providing archives for long-term research use is the primary goal of an archival program. It should be encouraged, documented and analyzed.

Three major problems facing historical records repositories are a lack of planning or a vision of future development, a lack of financial resources to meet the requirements of an archival program, and patchwork programs resulting from short term grants and limited continuing education opportunities.
 

An analysis of needs and issues relating to historical records requires some definitions. "Archives" are the organized records of an institution or an individual retained for research or administrative use. "Historical records" are archives or other documentary information retained for long-term research use. The dictionary defines "stakeholder" as one who holds a wager, but in connection with historical records, it appears to mean one who seeks to gain from an activity. For the purposes of this report "stakeholders" are the institutions with an interest in the retention of noncurrent records for research use. The term is used in the Council of State Historical Records Coordinators' 1996 national survey of historical records repositories. In analyzing the COSHRC questionnaires, "major stakeholders" are research institutions holding more than 5,000 cubic or linear feet, or having annual budgets exceeding $100,000, and have at least one professional staff member. "Large stakeholders" are records repositories holding from 500 to 4,999 cubic or linear feet, and having annual budgets exceeding $20,000. "Small stakeholders" are repositories holding less than 500 cubic or linear feet, and having budgets of less than $20,000. The latter category corresponds to the "medium" and "small" categories in the COSHRC report. The ultimate individual stakeholders are the entire population of the state.²

An understanding of the needs and issues of Illinois institutions also requires a knowledge of current conditions. The demographic, geographic and political relationships in Illinois are major factors in planning state programs. Regional and municipal influences are strong. The data collected by the Illinois State Archives for the COSHRC report provided one information base for this report. Of the twenty-one states providing data, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania were of comparable size. They account for 27% of the United States' population, 29% of the colleges, 28% of the libraries, and 31% of the historical records repositories listed in the 1988 National Historical Publications and Records Commission Directory.

Type of Repository

State	Hist. Soc./ Archives	Academic	Pub. Lib.	Museum	Originating Agency	Total
Illinois*	77	35	69	46	24	251
New York	192	65	87	74	66	484
Ohio	148	46	123	50	37	404
Pennsylvania	128	64	39	48	20	299
Michigan	73	23	64	43	15	218
Florida	9	14	9	2	4	38

Size of Repository

State	Major	Large	Medium	Small or not given
Illinois*	16	25	69	141
New York	11	59	136	278
Ohio	15	30	84	275
Pennsylvania	17	49	88	145
Michigan	12	21	46	139
Florida	3	6	11	18

Total Holdings of Paper Records (in thousands of cubic or linear feet)

  *Illinois data updated in 1999.
**With an archives building since 1938, Illinois had a head start in acquiring state archives.

Holdings by Repository Type (in thousands of cubic or linear feet)

***	Illinois figure includes the State Archives. Given the mixture of historical society and museum classifications, Illinois still trails Pennsylvania in local records repository holdings reported.

Other charts in the 1996 COSHRC report show acquisition policies, types of records held, collection subject areas, disaster plans, and preservation activities. For a copy of the survey form, see Appendix A.

Appendix A is provided in a PDF (Portable Document Format) file, which can be viewed or printed using your Web browser and Adobe's Acrobat Reader software. Macintosh and Windows versions of Acrobat Reader may be downloaded free of charge from Adobe. Click here to find out how to obtain the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download Appendix A in PDF format. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or later.

Strategic plans for Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin have listed priorities. The terms of the NHPRC grants emphasized public support of the state boards, cooperation, conservation, education, electronic records, and regrants of federal funds. The results also reflected some of the major issues confronting agencies that administer historical records.

Program activity		# of states
1.	advocacy and support, or public education	5
2.	conservation, or preservation	4
3.	public access and use	4
4.	electronic records	4
5.	professional education	4
6.	cooperation, or partnerships	3
7.	leadership	3
8.	collection policies and strategies	2
9.	regrants	2

A strategic plan for Illinois required a further analysis of the updated COSHRC data. Applying the size categories given in the definitions, Illinois has 16 major stakeholders, 30 large stakeholders, and 204 small stakeholders. A type of institution breakdown gives:

The data in the 1996 survey and a 1999 follow-up did not provide a complete picture of historical records in Illinois. While 251 responses from a mailing of more than a thousand questionnaires was a good return, they did not include Illinois State University, Lake Forest College, Caterpillar, Motorola, and the Museum of Science and Industry. There were also many borderline cases between large and small stakeholders, and between types of institutions. Both very large academic institutions and very small local historical societies and museums have major functions that do not relate to the retention of historical records. Budget figures were difficult to evaluate. Smaller stakeholders often served proprietary educational needs. Some state plans have limited the scope of their reports to public records that are accessible with only statutory restrictions. In Illinois, this would be a major deficiency. We have an excellent state archival program that provides its resources to nearly 900,000 people a year. However, significant portions of our documentary heritage are held by academic institutions, private historical societies, corporations and religious bodies that are not subject to statutory provisions relating to public access.

Based on the updated 1996 data, the major historical records repositories are:

The distribution of holdings by repository type is:

Government	149,150
Academic	102,300
Religious	23,469
Historical Society	17,700
Business	13,100
Library	10,700

Major repositories have their own strategic plans, but as a matter of public policy, institutions should look for ways in which they can identify with and support other repositories. Publicity and sharing electronic information may be legitimate goals. The higher educational community is a major provider and consumer of historical information. Academic institutions include entrepreneurs and image builders who are not likely candidates for cooperative ventures or statewide coordination for NHPRC funding. The most effective strategy for working with major repositories would involve simple, low-cost programs that offer tangible benefits to participants.

The responses to the 1996 survey's "most pressing problem" question shows:

The common responses of "funding" and "money" were omitted because financial support is necessary for all of the eight problems listed. Processing backlog is a result of lack of staff. Space and environment also overlap. The survey responses from small repositories (83% of the total) reveal their positions. Needs? - "Money" and "Everything".

The Association of Illinois Museums and Historical Societies publishes an annual list of historical and cultural agencies and museums. It is difficult to categorize many agencies because a historical society often has a genealogical reference library, a museum or historic site, as well as archival or manuscripts material. A breakdown of the 1,053 institutions by type shows:

With around 400 historical and genealogical societies, Illinois has the historical records infrastructure. A historical records policy should facilitate easy access to public and private records in either published or unpublished formats.

1. Cooperation

Statewide cooperation is essential for an effective program to assist historical records repositories. State agencies and records repositories must perceive common interests and benefits in improving the establishment, organization, and communication between repositories, and promoting access to, and use of, the historical records in their custody.

Historical research is a dynamic process involving human relationships. It is not an easy area for establishing official or professional control or planning. Attempts to coordinate historical records collections would be difficult, and probably unwise. The diversity and shifting responsibilities of historical records agencies may also preclude the adoption of uniform standards that are applicable to all types and sizes of public and private institutions. Our economic, political and social institutions and structures are not well-suited for a unitary system based on budgeted federal grants and state regrants.

2. Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board

The State Archives Advisory Board is authorized under Section 160/22a of the State Records Act. It is appointed by the Secretary of State and includes representatives of eight types of institutions and four public members. Under Section 160/22b, it makes recommendations on general policies for the State Archives, budget policies for annual appropriations and "policies for federal funded programs". By agreement between the Governor and the Secretary of State, the Archives Advisory Board also functions as the State Historical Records Advisory Board in dealing with the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. In practice, board members are usually from larger institutions with interests and clienteles similar to those of the State Archives. If the Board is to become a more active advocate for historical records in the state, it would need statutory authority for the promotion of the mutual interests of all types of historical records repositories. It should also develop closer relationships with archives, historic sites, historical societies, genealogical societies, and library special collections that hold historical records, and a system for communication among repositories holding public and private historical records. As presently constituted, the Board does not have the financial resources and staff for statewide communicating, facilitating and coordinating. The diversity of the present membership of the Board and its relationships with the State Archives and State Records Commissions would require minor changes if it were to assume a larger role in promoting the preservation of historical records.

Legislation should be secured to change the name of the Board to the State Archives and State Historical Records Advisory Board (SASHRAB), with responsibility for

1. promotion of the development and use of historical records repositories, including archives, historical societies, genealogical societies, library special collections, and historical agencies holding research documentation.
    
2. facilitation of the exchange of information on professional standards, programs of mutual interest and electronic access to historical records.
    
3. review of applications for federal and other program development assistance.

Membership of a Board with additional responsibilities could include a

1. member of the State Records Commission*
2. member of a Local Records Commission*
3. member of a local historical society or museum*
4. university archivist*
5. person in the field of higher education specializing in history or political science*
6. person in the field of secondary education specializing in history or civics*
7. genealogist*
8. research or reference librarian*
9. person who is employed or engaged as an archivist by a business establishment*
10. archivist for a professional or religious association
11. public member from Cook County
12. public member from downstate

*Current membership requirement by Section 160/22a of the State Records Act. The total membership remains the same, but educators (e and f) are divided into higher and secondary education, and j through l are "public members" with more specific qualifications.

The Director of the State Library and the State Historian would continue to serve as ex-officio, nonvoting members. The Director of the Illinois State Archives should be the secretary and administrative officer for the Board.

As an initial step, the Board should ask the State Archives to use the COSHRC survey data to establish a statewide data system for historical records repositories. In this respect, it should follow the British Historical Manuscripts Commission's National Archives Register model and maintain an Illinois register as a central file and a posting on an Internet website:

1. list of historical records repositories, showing name of repository, location, types of holdings, contact numbers, hours that the facility is open, and guides and websites.
    
2. list of organizations and associations whose records are held by historical records repositories.
    
3. list of collections or records series, showing repository, title, dates, volume and availability of a finding aid. The list should also indicate when copies of records in microfilm and electronic formats are available. As a long-range objective, a state register would simplify access. Few researchers choose to read printed guides or wade through national databases. In the short run, the listings should be selective, e.g. personal papers, organizational records and official institutional records and publications at the record group level.

The Board should promote cooperative relationships with national, regional, and state archival, cultural, genealogical, information management and historical agencies and associations. It should be located in the Illinois State Archives, which can provide the most effective support for a statewide development program. A state assistance program for historical records repositories should coordinate its work with the State Archives’ Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) system, community colleges, regional library systems and professional associations. It should schedule an open meeting with representatives of Illinois historical records repositories before the spring Midwest Archives Conference meeting. To carry out its responsibilities, the Board should have a staff of two or three persons and an office in the State Archives, with access to the IRAD staff.

3. Illinois State Archives

The Illinois State Archives has made significant progress since the 1982 report. With broad statutory responsibility for all sources and types of public records, it has promoted proper custodial standards. A comprehensive guide to archival holdings is available in CD-ROM format. Since 1982, reference usage has increased from 75,000 to 893,000, largely due to a sharp rise in Internet contacts. Internet access also brings increased on-site usage. The Archives has played a leading role among state archival agencies. It has excellent relationships with the Illinois Genealogical Society.

The implementation of a statewide plan for historical records will require the continued leadership of the Illinois State Archives. For seventy-seven years, Illinois has been fortunate in having leadership with sound educational preparation, practical experience, and a commitment to archival theory and practice coupled with an ability to innovate. It is of paramount importance that the Director of the State Archives will continue to have a broad and practical view of archives as information resources in the twenty-first century. Any increase in the Board's responsibilities will require strong leadership and increased professional staffing in the Illinois State Archives.

The Illinois Regional Archival Depository system covers the entire state. IRAD usage has increased from 2,170 in 1987 to 7,786 in 1998. Seven depositories in academic institutions hold about 8,300 cubic feet of county and local records and 14,200 rolls of microfilm copies. The system is most effective in the county in which the depository is located. Forty-one counties have placed less than 10 cubic feet in the IRAD, fifteen have deposited only microfilm, and one has placed no records. Since its establishment in 1988, the IRAD at Northeastern Illinois State University has made rapid progress. It is now first in holdings and second in usage. Until the City of Chicago and Cook County establish their own archives, the IRAD will continue to be responsible for public records in the city and county.

Comparison of IRAD area size and records holdings:

Depository	Population	Counties	Holdings
Chicago	5,076,800	1	4,247
DeKalb	3,245,700	18	3,807
Carbondale	1,030,600	23	3,607
Bloomington	854,700	14	3,585
Macomb	688,300	16	3,764
Springfield	565,500	14	3,230
Charleston	306,000	16	1,598

Per capita usage of holdings by IRAD areas has been:

Springfield	.00295
Charleston	.00163
Carbondale	.00162
Macomb	.00156
Bloomington	.00071
Chicago	.00032
DeKalb	.00022

The directory of Historical and Cultural Agencies and Museums in Illinois, 1998-1999 listed 459 locations that held or used historical records. The 1996-99 COSHRC survey produced 251 responses. The following table shows their distribution among IRAD areas.

The regional depository system has functioned well in providing archival custody for county and local public records and microfilm copies. Expanding the IRADs' responsibilities to include private records and papers could provide professional archival supervision in areas where no repository is available and strengthen existing regional centers for genealogical and historical research. It would also require the agreement and cooperation of state agencies, academic institutions and private societies which have extensive holdings of private records, e.g. Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, University of Illinois and Chicago Historical Society. An initial approach could secure legislation permitting regional and local historical and genealogical organizations to deposit records they have created or received in an IRAD.

4. Financial support of historical records repositories

Historical records repositories need an adequate and flexible source of program funding, e.g. public funds (taxes), endowments, fees, contracts, gifts and grants. For most repositories, innovative fund-raising and financial stability are more important objectives than winning a grant competition. In this context, matching grants and endowment income for basic activities should be explored.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission have provided grants to promote access to, and use of, historical records:

From 1980 to 1995, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) made 1,560 grants for the promotion of the humanities to Illinois institutions and individuals amounting to $99,507,291. Faculty and administrative personnel received most of the grants for research, writing and publication. Sizeable sums were also provided for conferences, exhibits and workshops to promote humanistic studies and the appreciation of the humanities. In addition to these subsidies and subventions of the academic and public users of archives and libraries, the Illinois Humanities Commission may have regranted some support to a few local historical records repositories. Archival and historical records projects were less than 7% of the total grants. Project descriptions did not permit an exact apportionment of the amount of some grants to major institutions that was spent for archival and historical records activities. The deletion of $1,050,000 for exhibits and $500,000 for building renovation at the Chicago Historical Society and $1,000,000 for staffing at the Newberry Library would reduce the total granted to Cook County institutions to $1,173,544. Of the $6,842,965 granted to Illinois, 28% went to the Society of American Archivists for national programs, primarily a preservation education program. Of the remaining $4,903,066, 81% went to the Chicago Historical Society, Newberry Library and Illinois State Historical Library. The grants went for exhibits (36%), processing (23%), staffing (20.4%), building improvements (10.2%) and preservation (6.3%).

In the past twenty-three years, NHPRC support has not been a major factor in the development of Illinois historical records repositories. Ten archival institutions have received seventeen records project grants amounting to $616,921. Of this sum, five "major stakeholders" received $479,077. Institutions outside of Cook County received $195,290, or $8,490 a year, or $84.90 per county. Eight publications project grants amounting to $1,976,656 went to three universities. Most of this money went to presses as publication subventions. A 1995 directed project provided $2,000,000 for the Dirksen Center. An additional $468,000 went to the national office of the Society of American Archivists located in Chicago. Neither the NEH nor the NHPRC has been a significant source of funding for most Illinois archives and historical records programs.

Major stakeholders, or research institutions have adequate budgets, staff and space for existing operations. They also have the development personnel and grant proposal writers to secure additional funding. The Chicago Historical Society, Newberry Library, Illinois State Historical Society, Illinois State Archives and University of Illinois Archives have benefited from grants to strengthen existing programs or launch new ones, such as the Illinois Regional Archival Depositories and the American Library Association Archives. The grant system has stimulated user demands for historical records without providing commensurate support for programs to enable archives and historical agencies to meet the demands.

If a significant amount of money were available for a regrant program, the ISHRAB could announce a broad program of competitive incentive funding for state archival, information management and preservation organizations. Large historical records repositories in academic institutions and the Chicago area should not compete in the same grant pool with repositories that do not have a full-time staff for the historical records program. A data base listing Illinois historical records repositories should be established to facilitate the evaluation of grant applications. It should be designed to function for both public and private sectors, and accommodate the variety of conditions and missions of small collections. It should also be organized by type and size of repository, and list objectives and plans, budget, staffing, holdings, and use. As independent sources of this information, they would provide an objective basis for evaluating grant proposals, which often emphasize a major exhibit, processing challenge, or preservation problem. All grants should require a final published report stating the results. The most effective grant for many small repositories might be a pamphlet and videotape package on planning, archival procedures, publicity, and fund raising.

An objective of the NHPRC's records project grants and the state Board's regrants should be the encouragement of the development of institutional archives. Grants to state boards and regrants to local institutions can direct funds to local repositories. To affect public support for historical records programs, projects need to attract broad public attention and appreciation. They would need adequate funding, persuasive applications, matching funds, and final reports of accomplishments to accomplish this objective. Semi-annual awards and feedback on unsuccessful proposals would stimulate applications and improve their quality. The initiative should be local. Consultation should be in the form of prompt helpful responses. Grants should be available for the arrangement, description and housing of records that are kept in secure locations and are accessible to researchers.

Effective outreach can enable historical records repositories to raise their own funds. The McLean County Historical Society has raised $500,000 from a private source and the Vermilion County Museum has raised $1,000,000 in donations. State support for local museums in fiscal 1999 was $15,000,000. Archival budgets provide the support for the acquisition, description and preservation of the documentation essential for understanding the significance of artifacts.⁵

Aside from federal grants and a few private foundations, institutions holding historical records are funded by local institutional appropriations and campaigns. If public policy called for meaningful support of all historical records programs, a system should be established for the equitable distribution of funds to all programs based on institutional capabilities and needs. A state historical records foundation could seek and receive private and corporate funding for block grants based on classification systems and resources. The Illinois Research Information Service at the University of Illinois in Urbana has data on foundations supporting archival and historical records programs. The Lilly Foundation grants in Indiana have been a significant factor in the development of historical interests.

5. Publicity and Advocacy

Public support for historical records programs is essential. Public appreciation is the key to the continued support of the institutions responsible for their retention. Historical records repositories need to be teachers, as well as providers, of the past. Competitors should cooperate to extend and diversify the demand for their services. The general public's interest in historical documentation is limited. While it may be stimulated by genealogical involvement or a local commemorative event, it is seldom a sustained commitment and rarely includes institutions in which the individual citizen is not a participant.

The Illinois State Archives should maintain a semi-annual newsletter and a Web site for communication with Illinois historical records agencies, archivists, and historians. From 1978 to 1991, the Archives' For the Record provided excellent coverage of state archival programs. A new publication could include state archival news, ISHRAB and NHPRC items relating to Illinois, features on types of archives, lists of archival meetings and continuing education opportunities, and stories on archival institutions. Smaller than the old archival issues of Illinois Libraries, the newsletter and an electronic version for the Web would be a valuable cultural service to the state.

People involved in settling estates often find historically significant material, which may be destroyed, sold at yard sales, or wind up in the "ephemera" section of used book stores and antique shops. A leaflet should be issued to acquaint lawyers and estate sale agents with the importance of historical records, emphasize the goals and benefits of institutional cooperation and promote the usage of historical records by all user clienteles.

Exhibits provide an excellent means of reaching the public in shopping malls, public buildings, transportation facilities, tourist centers, academic buildings, and public events such as fairs and community "days". All public displays should identify the archival and manuscripts sources and their locations.

The State of Illinois spends almost $50 million a year in advertising its tourist attractions. Much of this material employs the terms "historic", "heritage" and "historically significant". The state would profit by investing ten per cent of its tourism budget in documenting, understanding, validating and promoting the availability of its cultural source material.⁶

History fairs for school children are effective ways for introducing students to the use of source materials in historical exhibits and writing. Those who major in history in college or take graduate work also acquire some knowledge of historical research. Aside from genealogists and a few investigative reporters, adults have little direct acquaintance with the use of historical records. Cook, DuPage and Lake counties have 143 historical records repositories, history fairs and academic and historical societies. The other 99 counties average 3.17 historical and genealogical societies, archives, library collections and historic sites. They should join in annual community history fairs, where they could demonstrate the services they provide to the citizens and students in the county. By explaining how records are acquired, processed, kept and used to produce credible accounts of the past, such fairs would be a necessary complement to commemorative history days, museum exhibits, house tours, pageants, and newspaper and television features.

Archives and historical records repositories face major challenges in educating the public about the importance of documentary sources. The understanding and interpretation of our cultural heritage is a vital process and a shared responsibility. Our past is much more than commercial representations, video documentaries, newspaper feature articles, and local historical museums and sites. The selection and retention of evidence for academic study, entertainment or tourism requires planned archival programs and continued financial support. A statewide public service advertising campaign for historical records, supported by exhibits and speakers could be a higher priority investment than specific institutional grants.

6. Relationships with the User Community

The most important historical records needs are those of the users. The demands of popular, professional, private and public history dictate institutional policies and priorities. Use is the primary indication of value and the basis for effective publicity. The measurement of the value and amount of usage by Internet "hits", printouts, phone calls, letters, visits and materials used should be required in any requests for funding. Though less meaningful for statistical analysis, access is an essential precondition for use. Unnecessary access restrictions may limit the use of public and private records. The State Archives should monitor legislative restrictions on public access and technological advances that facilitate access through the dissemination of electronic records. The Advisory Board should work closely with user constituencies such as the Illinois Museum and Cultural Agency Association, Illinois Genealogical Society and Illinois State Historical Society.

Online archival databases are heavily used. Most popular are indexes or finding aids that permit the viewer to order documents from the archives. Such requests can generate considerable revenue and offset much of the substantial costs involved in entering, scanning, proofing and posting the data. Listings of landowners, alumni, clergy and county history biographies could be developed to produce additional usage and funding. In a few instances, high demand or educational usage may permit placing selected original documents on websites.⁷

Use is the major concern in a strategic plan. Legislators and resource allocators are aware that user clienteles vote. Small repositories need to know how to organize and motivate user support. Increased usage may be an unwelcome annoyance for those who hold public or private records. The Board should consider the problems that increased usage causes for small volunteer, non-professional agencies, and small public offices. If repositories at all levels are to provide proper care, they need to motivate, organize and manage user support for funding.

7. Relationships with records creators and information managers

Records creators are records users and in both capacities they have supported archival programs to make cultural resources available for future use. For the last fifty years, records managers and information managers have aided records creators in applying systems and technologies to improve the quality and control the volume of recorded information. They are most active in large corporate and governmental institutions and can facilitate the systematic transfer of information to an archives. Agencies holding historical records should maintain organizational contacts, cooperative programs, and regular communications with them.

State economic development and tourism agencies, the Board of Higher Education, financial and manufacturing associations and Association of Records Managers and Administrators chapters should be informed of the importance of historical records and the work of the Board.

8. Archival education

Archival education has been recognized as a national concern for more than twenty-five years. A 1973 conference of archival educators met in Ann Arbor and reached a general agreement on curricular content. A similar conference has been announced for the Pittsburgh Society of American Archivists meeting in 1999. In the intervening twenty-six years, graduate archival education has made some progress at specific locations and times, but academic programs have been reactive and regional. The two most ambitious efforts at Michigan and Texas have been funded by Mellon Foundation grants and an endowed chair. Programs at Maryland, New York, and U.C.L.A. have benefited from their proximity to major archival employers. Affiliation with professional education in library and information science has not produced sufficient support for full-time faculty and curricular development. As archival education does not fit into traditional academic disciplines such as history, law, and library and information science, endowments may be the answer. It is unlikely that the United States will support the type of national archival education programs that exist in France, Germany, Great Britain and Russia. Given the diversity and dispersion of American archival programs, European models may be impractical. On the positive side, financial insecurity has stimulated the entrepreneurial skills of adjunct faculty who find ways to teach graduate courses on archives, while carrying out their archival responsibilities. Graduate single course offerings have good enrollments, but do not provide adequate preparation for professional archival responsibilities.⁸

National and regional professional associations have provided publications, conferences and meetings, cooperative actions, and short-term continuing education. The S.A.A. continuing education workshops in specific areas have enabled archivists to obtain basic introductions to types of archival practice and updates on technological applications. The Academy of Certified Archivists' examination has provided a minimum competency level. Internships and grant-supported projects have afforded opportunities to gain job experience.

The major needs in archival education are graduate academic programs on the history, theory, administration and use of archival and manuscript materials, and basic educational materials designed for part-time employees, non-professionals and volunteers. The academic program should cover the administration, authentication, appraisal, arrangement, description, physical preservation and research use of original source materials. Staff needs in small repositories require access to low-cost information resources, such as audio and videotapes, websites and loose-leaf basic manuals. Given the turnover in all types of archival institutions, and the special needs of small programs staffed by volunteers, training videotapes could be a grant funding priority. A website should provide basic information on archival procedures, supplies and preservation.

9. Preservation

Nearly all physical formats that carry information tend to rot, degrade, or disintegrate over time. The lack of knowledge or indifference of records creators and custodians has compounded the problem. This tendency has given rise to grants, research, and institutional programs to restore, preserve, and conserve the original documents. Environmental controls and secure retention facilities will remain high priorities.

Control of ambient temperature, humidity, and air quality may ameliorate the problem, but the sheer volume of documentary information has limited the effectiveness of such costly, labor-intensive solutions as binding, mending, deacidification, lamination and encapsulation. Documentary preservation activities will continue to be limited by the shortage of funds.

Copying preserves and protects historical records and disseminates their informational content. Appraisal to determine "intrinsic value" may identify information and formats that should receive priority attention. Despite the survival of some ancient shards and scrolls, most of the information from the distant past has come from copies. The millions of cubic feet of nineteenth and twentieth century information that have been retained in archives should be appraised for copying into formats that can be reproduced periodically at minimal cost. Inscriptions and optical etchings may replace microfilm and electronic copying as the means of preserving information that has long-term value. Organized copying is the best preservation practice for large quantities of information having cultural value.

The rapid changes in electronic technologies pose a major threat to the survival of audiovisual archives. As no single non-profit institution is likely to meet this challenge, Illinois should participate in a regional program to provide a central location for the technical services and equipment required for the use of information recorded in noncurrent technologies.

10. Electronic records

The extensive adoption of electronic records-keeping systems has raised questions about the authentication, appraisal, description, preservation and use of archival holdings. Archivists have mucked through NUCMC, spun with SPINDEX, marked with MARC and coded with EAD. The future will bring new information technologies, software packages, updates and professional standards. The challenge to institutions holding historical records is to operate a system that is appropriate to their financial and staffing resources. At a general level, such a system should enable them to disseminate and share information about the scope and content of their holdings in a format that is readily accessible to the public. For smaller repositories, a basic program for the intellectual control of their holdings should be a priority. The emphasis on elaborate national standards for descriptive control in large repositories that are featured in professional conferences and workshops is not appropriate for institutions holding less than 100 cubic feet of records.⁹

All historical records repositories should have ready access to electronic communications and records keeping systems. The Internet and e-mail provide means of rapid communication and publication, and ready access to advertising and opinions. Brochures, bulletins, newsletters and reports relating to the administrative, educational and professional concerns of archivists and manuscripts curators should be issued in electronic formats. Repositories should also report holdings and user information, which can be accessed through a statewide standardized descriptive system. Communications systems should move beyond statewide "chat rooms" to provide ready access to useful information.

The 1998 Illinois Electronic Commerce Security Act contained sweeping language concerning filing of electronic records with state agencies "to advance private and public sector commerce." Section 5-105 extends applicability to the records of the legislative and judicial branches of government. Section 5-135 (a) (3) provided that "the authenticity and integrity of the information...is retained." Section 10-135 authorized the Secretary of State and State Archivist "to certify security procedures" according to "commercial reasonableness" (Section 10-115 (a)) and industry standards (Section 10-135 (2) (b)). The act demonstrated that questions relating to electronic records cannot be handled by declarations that postings on the Web are "official records". Reformatting, enforcement of regulations, preservation of digital records, and long-term access could become added burdens for the State Archives. If the Secretary of State does not have the staff or financial support to comply with the provisions of this act, a complex problem could easily become an "unfunded mandate". The 1998 amendment of the Local Records Act provided that both digital and microfilm formats of permanent or archival records will be retained. The State Archives Advisory Board should recommend that any electronic records legislation pertaining to public records should be incorporated in, or related to, the State Records Act.¹⁰

11. Conclusion

Whether they are acquired by collection or archival appraisal, historical records form the basis for our understanding and interpretation of the past. Users of historical records have received a far greater amount of public funding than the archivists who select and preserve the records of the past. Conventional funding programs have sometimes operated like a tax code that has enabled the rich to become richer. One school of thought maintains that financial aid should be given to larger archives and historical agencies, which have professional staff, and the facilities and equipment that meet professional standards. These large repositories or major "stakeholders" may also hold the records of many associations, firms, individuals and organizations. Another school of thought holds that financial assistance should be provided to smaller repositories, which have a special interest in preserving and using information about their heritage and have closer ties to potential donors and users.

A strategic plan requires prioritization. A three step approach would include:

1. Establishment of an attractive statewide data system identifying historical records repositories, and providing a means for communication with them and responding to inquiries for information on funding, staffing, processing, preservation and space utilization. It could be based on the COSHRC and NHPRC Guide data. An annual or biennial electronic mailing of entries to institutions could provide updates and publicity opportunities.
    
2. Preparation in the near future of a documented report advocating a statewide responsibility for the development of historical records repositories. Community events and commemorations, educational projects, genealogical research, academic studies and tourism require access to historical records. The state should assist holders of historical records by enabling them to meet organizational goals and improve the quality of their public service. Institutions holding archives and manuscripts need help in promoting increased public appreciation and support for historic activities and historical records keeping. Some of the support for advertising the historic significance of Illinois communities should be allocated to filling in the gaps in our knowledge of that history. The Board should prepare legislation to accomplish this purpose and secure the endorsement and sponsorship of the Governor, Secretary of State and legislative leadership for the adoption of legislation to broaden the Board's responsibilities and provide for a small staff based in the Illinois State Archives to carry them out.
    
3. Promotion of long-term fund raising from private and public sources to meet institutional needs and support specific projects. Historical records are unique cultural assets. It is good public policy to assist the holders of these records by maximizing their use.

The task of rescuing and upgrading historical records repositories or stakeholders is a daunting one. Descriptions of model operations, financial pipelines, incentive grants, educational offerings, and descriptive publications all have their places, and their limitations. All institutions from the professionally-staffed majors down to the volunteers caring for items stored in an abandoned store need to "do it" themselves. The challenges are to acquaint the public with the value of historical records, to secure statewide cooperation in addressing the needs of historical records holders, to motivate volunteers and contributors, and to stimulate the user demand for a knowledge of our collective and individual pasts. Education, advocacy, funding, and usage are the keys.

Grants to exemplary programs and the dissemination of guidelines and standards are helpful, but are not as effective as direct statewide assistance for all historical records programs. Providing professional support and financial resources for community-based historical records repositories are more effective public investments than publicized enshrinements of prominent persons and specific events in major historical agencies and institutions. New information technologies should be applied to the organization and delivery of assistance and resources to historical records repositories.

Footnotes

1	Illinois Historical Records Advisory Board, Application for Federal Assistance, Project 1-20, May 12, 1998, 1993-43; Council of State Historical Records Coordinators, The NHPRC Planning Initiative An Evaluation, (January 1999) 15.
2	Victoria I. Walch, comp., Where History Begins, A Report on Historical Records Repositories in the United States, (Council of State Historical Records Coordinators, May 1998).
3	The best general descriptions of major Illinois repositories are in John Hoffmann. ed., A Guide to the History of Illinois, (New York: Greenwood Press, 1991), 205-306.
4	Karen E. Everingham, comp., Historical and Cultural Agencies and Museums in Illinois, 1998-1999, (Springfield: Association of Illinois Museums and Historical Societies and Illinois State Historical Society, 1998).
5	"Vermilion Museum Drive Tops $1 Million", Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, April 10, 1999; "Museums display thanks for funding from state", Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, May 19, 1999.
6	Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, Bureau of Tourism, Illinois Weekend Escapes get a million miles from monday, Spring 1999; "Illinois a top spender in tourism promotion", Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, July 18, 1999.
7	538,750 Illinois Public Domain Land Sales are available on the Internet as are about 100,000 pages of Ohio Death Certificates, 1913-1937. For the Record, (Winter 1995) 15:1:1; MAC Newsletter, (April 1999) 26:4:16.
8	In the 1967-99 period, over 400 graduate students took archival course offerings at the University of Illinois.
9	Daniel V. Pitti, "Encoded Archival Description: The Development of an Encoded Standard for Archival Finding Aids" in The American Archivist (Summer 1997) 60:3:268.
10	George H. Ryan, State Records Act and State Records Commission Rules (1995); Illinois Electronic Commerce Security Act (1998).

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