What Does it Mean to be the State Archives of Ohio? (Featuring a Local Government Records Archivist!)

 Ohio Adjutant General’s Civil Defense Collection held by the State Archives.

Other records are transferred to us because of their enduring value, as identified in their records retention schedules.  We have two primary components to State Archives, state government and local governments.  From the state government we’ve received legislative records, Office of the Governor records, Supreme Court records, and records from state agencies.  We also have records from the Ohio Penitentiary and Ohio State Reformatory, as well as death certificates from the Department of Health from 1908-1963.What we have from local governments can vary by the local government.  Some local governments maintain their records or transfer them to one of the Ohio Network Centers, a local historical society, or a local library.  Some examples of local records would be birth and death records from before 1908, marriage records, court records, and county tax duplicates (useful for land research).  We have records from counties, municipalities, and townships.3. What is a retention schedule? Who is required to keep one?
A retention schedule is a listing of records created with a retention period attached to each record series, or group of like records.  The retention period is the length of time a record must be kept because it is needed for ongoing business, to document an action, or for statutory reasons.  Not every type of records needs to be kept forever.  For example, a government only needs to keep a cancelled check for a defined period of time, not permanently.  The schedule allows the government to document how long each record series will be maintained so that records can be kept orderly and so that the public is aware of how long records are accessible.  Although it may seem counterintuitive to discuss records destruction in regards to archives, ensuring that records are destroyed when they have met their retention period provides the government with more resources to devote to records with a permanent retention. This lessens the risk of valuable records being lost in a storage room filled with records past their usefulness.

Requirements aside anyone could create a records retention schedule, they are a great way to identify your records and develop a plan before you become buried and can’t find that report you need. Non-government organizations and corporations will have retention schedules. You could have one for your own files at home.  How long to you keep your tax records or insurance policies?  They become essential for governments, though, because of the importance of openness and transparency when it comes to public records.  All public offices are required to have a retention schedule in order to dispose of records. If a record is not recorded on a records retention schedule, it cannot be destroyed without proper notification.

4.How do people use our State Archives collections?
Records held by the State Archives can be accessed through the Archives/Library at the Ohio History Center. The Archives/Library is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Our holdings are also documented in the online collections catalog at https://ohiohistory.on.worldcat.org/discovery.   Additional information about the State Archives can be found at ohiohistory.org/statearchives.

5.Are there any special rules about how you process government collections?
Not really, but we are more cognizant of the legal value of the records we hold and take care in handling restrictions and maintaining original order when feasible.  Government records are considered public records, meaning there is a responsibility to the public to care for, preserve, and make these records accessible.

6.What made you want to be an archivist?
I was a history major and really enjoyed working with primary resources when doing my research.  I love the idea of being able to touch, read, and learn from an original, unique record.  It’s more than just learning about history, but it’s being able to access a piece of that history.  Archivists work to ensure that future generations will be able to access and learn from these records and I wanted to be a part of that.

7.What’s your specialty? 
I suppose my specialty has become records management and records retention, primarily as it pertains to local governments.  I am the Local Government Records Archivist and I work with counties, municipalities, townships, schools, libraries, and special taxing districts to help them understand and follow the records management aspects of Ohio’s Public Records Law.  I also review local government records retention schedules and disposal requests.  People often just think about archival records once they are “old,” but records management is how we ensure that records are preserved and properly maintained so that they reach old age and can still be accessed by researchers.  Remember, the records being created today are the archives of the future.

Even if you are not a government official, the records kept by the State Archives can be very helpful in performing research. (Plus they are just plain interesting!) The Archives & Library at the Ohio History Connection is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Come check out the great records held by our State Archives!

A big thank you to Amanda for telling me all about her role as a government archivist! Stay tuned for more awesome updates during Archives Month!