Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Washington State Archives Records Management Local Records Grant Program April 2009

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Washington State Archives 1963 Preserves and provides public access to legal and historically valuable records from state government agencies. Washington State Archives, Olympia

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Mission: Preserve archival records for public use, and serve as the focal points for services to local governme nt. Regional Branch System, 1980s

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Local Records Grant Program WAC Created in 2001 to provide financial assistance to local government officials to support records management and preservation efforts. Administered by the Washington State Archives Office of the Secretary of State and The Archives Oversight Committee (comprised of local government elected officials and representatives)

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Grant Program Funding RCW Branch archives and grant program are both funded by: County Auditors - collect fee for each document recorded County Clerks - collect fee on tax warrants

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Local Records Grant Program Imaging and preservation of archival and essential records having fiscal, legal or historical value or which are essential to business operations

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Archival Records WAC Archival records are records that have permanent and/or historical value and are scheduled as archival Minutes, ordinances, resolutions Deeds, titles SEPA determinations Land surveys Maps, drawings, photos Building construction permits

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Essential Records Chapter RCW: “In order to provide for the continuity and preservation of civil government, each elected and appointed officer of the state shall designate those public documents which are essential records of his office and needed in an emergency and for the reestablishment of normal operations after any such emergency.” Minutes, ordinances, resolutions (archival) Payroll registers (long-term) Council board meeting packets (permanent)

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Are funds available to reconstruct damaged/destroyed records? How long before serious damage to agency’s operation? 3 months? Two weeks? A day? Are records replaceable from another source, agency, or office? Are digitized images sufficient to substitute for the original records? How safe are my agency’s records ???

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy How safe are my agency’s records ??? Fire Department, Ilwaco

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy County Records Storage How safe are my agency’s records ???

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy “This was the first time we’d received any grants in our City Clerk’s department, so it was a big deal to us. As our entire city is now included in a recently revised 100 year flood plain, off-site record storage was a critical need. Thanks to this grant, we have now significantly met our records-related mitigation plan for our Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.” Steve Marcotte Finance Director and City Clerk City of Fife City of Fife - $9,841 Scan and microfilm Fife City Council minutes, ordinances and resolutions (1957 to present) for access and preservation

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy City of Fife’s original, archival records now reside at the Puget Sound Regional Archives in Bellevue…

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy …and the images are available online at the Digital Archives website:

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Minutes from the first meeting of the Fife City Council

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Who Can Apply? WAC All local government entities, including special purpose districts. School districts Fire districts County officials City officials Library districts Law enforcement Housing authorities Transit authorities Public works Health departments

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Preservation of archival/essential records Records Management – planning and inventories Security backup microfilm for records that exist only in paper form Essential equipment (microfilm reader, metal shelving, archive boxes) Improved access to records via scanning Types of Projects Eligible for Grants

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy ( No Names Mentioned) School District - $17,445 Scan and microfilm school board minutes and high school transcripts (1915 to present), metal shelving, part-time personnel, and a filing cabinet

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy “A+” School District!!

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Longview Parks & Recreation $1,634

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Grant Program History $100,000 $200,000 $500,000 $ 898, Grants Grants Grants Grants So far…

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Decision Criteria Urgency of need Critical records problems Significance and age of records Soundness of methods proposed Best practices Local commitment to preservation of records

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Grant Cycle Guidelines, funding priorities, and application materials will be available in Spring of grants

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy www:secstate.wa.gov/archives/grants Local Records Grant Program Online

Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy Washington State Archives: Partners in preservation and access Thank you, Records Managers!