Support Your State’s Archivists
Become an Original Co-sponsor of the
Preserving the American Historical Record (PAHR) Act
March xx, 2009
Dear Colleague:
Please join us as an original co-sponsor of the Preserving the American Historical Record (PAHR) Act. Much of the American record – evidence of births, education, marriage, property owned, obligations satisfied, and criminal conduct – is held at the local level. Our nation has recognized the importance of history by its support of such institutions as the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian Institution. Yet this support is not adequate to reach the rest of our nation’s record held in state and local historical societies, archives, and library history collections.
The PAHR Act will increase federal support for archival records held by state and local governments, historical societies, libraries, and related organizations. This initiative will authorize $50,000,000 to preserve and provide access to historical records by supporting:
· The creation of a wide variety of access tools, including archival finding aids, documentary editions, indexes, and images of key records online;
· Preservation actions to protect historical records from harm, prolong their life, and preserve them for public use;
· Initiatives to use historical records in new and creative ways to convey the importance of state, territorial, and community history; and
· Programs to provide education and training to archivists and others who care for historical records, ensuring that they are able fulfill their important responsibilities.
The Council of State Archivists, the Society of American Archivists, and the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators are supporting this initiative. Base funding would be provided to each state or territory, with the remainder of funding distributed using a population / area-based formula, comparable to that for library aid. A cost-sharing requirement of 50% of funding available will be required from state and local resources.
To co-sponsor or for more information, please contact Mike Iger in Rep. Hinchey's office at 5-6335 (or ) or Jason Miller in Rep. McHugh's office at 5-4611 (or ).
Sincerely,
/s/ /s/
____________________________ ____________________________
Maurice Hinchey John McHugh