Archives Past and Future

ARCHIVES PAST AND FUTURE

By Everett L. Cooley

As I stand before you this evening, I am mindful of those who have preceded me on this spot to make their annual report to the general membership of the Society. I am indeed humbled by this contemplation.

Last year Dr. Creer concluded his report with a quotation I would like to use as an introduction.

The chief monument of the history of a state is its archives ... it is unquestionably as much a function of the government to provide for the preservation and use of its archives as it is to make laws and levy taxes. This is recognized in all civilized countries, and to neglect properly to perform this function is not only unbefitting the dignity of a great state, but it endangers an inheritance which future generations have a right to demand shall pass to them unimpaired.

What I am going to say tonight about the needs of the Archives, may in some people's minds, place Utah in the category of failing to live up to its responsibilities of preserving its archives for future generations. And I must confess that those who have such an idea will be correct.

During the past month, the dominant church of Utah has made public its plans to build a twelve story archives building, costing several million dollars, to preserve the permanent records of that church.

The permanent records of the state of Utah, on the other hand, are presently housed in damp, dirty, musty rooms in the Capitol, in sheds and warehouses, and in the former wine, silver, and jewelry vaults of the Historical Society Mansion. After taking a tour of these spots, as did the Archives Committee recently, I think any person with a sense of history will conclude with me that the government of the state of Utah is not discharging its responsibility to its founding fathers, to us today, and to those who follow in decades to come.

With a charge such as this made by the officer legally designated to preserve the archives of the state, I believe you as taxpayers, as citizens, as members of this Society are entitled to know then what I have been doing with my time and your tax money, and I dunk you are entitled to know what plans have been made to correct the deficiencies.

With no thought of boasting, I would like to say that the state's records are in a better condition than they have ever been. But this does not mean that there is not a long, long way to go. I would like to summarize briefly what we in the Archives have accomplished in the past few years.

(1) We have located and brought into the Archives, the territorial executive records. These have been classified and arranged by Mrs. Mary Anderson. Mrs. Margery Ward has prepared a helpful guide to direct the researcher in their use.

(2) We have built a complete file of the laws and journals of the territory. We have in our possession and systematically arranged all the known original and engrossed bills of the territorial legislature plus the ones for the state from 1917-1933. Lack of space prevents our acquiring additional ones.

(3) We have collected and are presently arranging all the known correspondence of the governors of the territory and state up to the present governor.

(4) We have gathered some correspondence, reports, and other records from practically every state agency.

(5) We are especially proud of one record series, namely, the Nauvoo Legion or Territorial Militia records. These have been unfolded, encased in plastic, and are presently being indexed and arranged under the direction of Mr. Robert Inscore, head of the Military Records Section. I am certain these will prove to be some of the most significant records of the Archives and the state.

(6) We have microfilmed some of the most fragile and important state, county, and municipal records. The originals are being protected and the microfilm is used by researchers.

(7) We have assisted numerous county and city officers in solving some of their most perplexing record problems.

(8) We have helped scholars, lawyers, government officials, genealogists, and plain cranks with research. Although sometimes having to take refuge in a basement vault or an attic hide-away, to avoid listening to yet another tale of how grandpa helped Brigham Young build the temple or the Chase Mill, we have honestly and sincerely tried to serve the public to the best of our ability — and with a smile.

(9) We have through the pages of the Quarterly and the help and encouragement of Dr. A. R. Mortensen and Mrs. Dorothy Summerhays been able to publish a few of the gems uncovered in the old records — among these are the Journals of the Legislature 1856, the Bliss Journal, and reports of various committees or commissions. We were also able to publish with the financial support of Secretary of State Lamont Toronto a rather unique edition of the Constitution of the State of Utah. Incidentally, the publications of the Archives were to a large degree the result of hard work by Mrs. Margery Ward.

(10) We have, during the past few weeks and will continue for the next several weeks, conducted weekly classes on the subject of public records for records officers from each state agency.

These things I have mentioned are the ones, I suppose, we will be remembered for — be it for good or evil. In addition, we have played an important role in staging a national convention, in holding the old Kearns Mansion together, in keeping lawns green, and the furnace running. While consuming valuable time, these items will not show up on the balance side of our ledger sheet — neither will all the interminable reports required of public officials.

Now I come to that portion of my report concerning the future of the Archives.

I feel it is unfortunate that the phase of a complete archival program which is most easily sold to those public officials who control the purse strings is that phase which involves destruction of records. This being the case, we have to stress the fact that last year (1959) we in the Archives were instrumental in destroying 3,345 cubic feet of records, thereby saving the state some $43,890 in recovered filing equipment and vacated floor space. Although this is what I consider a negative approach to an archival program, it is a necessary phase. And as previously stated, it is the one which can be sold to the budget-makers and legislators, whereas, the preservation of historical documents or permanent records is too often classified as one of the "frills" of government that should be eliminated or can wait for some future time.

But we can wait no longer. The records of the state have been accumulating for 110 years. They need protection. The great bulk of the more recent records need to be screened out and destroyed. The remaining permanent ones should join the old ones in a vault specially designed and constructed for their care and preservation.

What is to be done? I think there are three steps involved.

(1) We in the Archives should present a plan to the Board of Trustees of the Utah State Historical Society. This we have partially accomplished.

(2) The Board should, if they believe in the plan, endorse it and press for the adoption of the plan by (a) the present administration or a new one if a change is made in November, (b) the legislative council and ultimately the whole legislature. This the Board has partially done.

(3) The third step falls to you as members of the Utah State Historical Society. It seems to me that when you paid your membership in the Society you showed your interest in the history of Utah. It also seems to me that you assumed a responsibility to further the cause of Utah history. If my assumptions are correct, then I call upon you to live up to your obligations and support the Archives program before your legislator this fall. I think you are aware, that in government, legislators respond to pressure. We in the Historical Society staff are few — twelve with an additional eleven members on the Board. Our Society membership numbers only in excess of 1,200, so we shall have to make up in noise, enthusiasm, and dedication what we lack in numbers.

Here in brief is what we are asking you to support.

(1) A new Archives building, constructed to archival specifications.

(2) A records management program which will include the construction or renting of space for a records center (a building for the temporary records of the state).

(3) An adequate operating budget to provide a staff of approximately twenty people to carry out the legally assigned responsibilities of the Archives.

(4) New legislation to give the Archives carefully defined powers to assure compliance with a full archival program.

Only when these steps have been completed can it be said that Utah has an archival program worthy of the name. Only then can we boast that we are paying more than lip service to the cause of history in Utah.

The chief monument of the history of a state is its archives ... it is unquestionably as much a function of the government to provide for the preservation and use of its archives as it is to make laws and levy taxes. This is recognized in all civilized countries, and to neglect properly to perform this function is not only unbefitting the dignity of a great state, but it endangers an inheritance which future generations have a right to demand shall pass to them unimpaired.

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