This file is from the Oregon State Archives on WWW using lynx. The Goto address is: http://159.121.28.251/ WELCOME TO THE OREGON STATE ARCHIVES * Facts about our new facilities * What is the State Archives? * What else does the Archives Do? * How does a record become part of the Archives? * How does a person use the Archives? * How does a person contact the Archives? FACTS ABOUT OUR NEW FACILITIES The Oregon State Archives was constructed on state-owned land bordered by Summer, "D", and Capitol streets and Mill Creek. The two-story building encompasses 50,000 square feet. There is underground parking for twenty-six vehicles and surface parking for thirteen visitors. The building includes a research area for patrons, a public meeting room, an exhibit area and 50,000 cubic feet of storage. The storage area has a closely monitored environment, and includes two vaults, one for magnetic tapes and the other for microfilm. The exterior facade is marble with granite elements in a variety of surface finishes. WHAT IS THE STATE ARCHIVES? The Oregon State Archives is dedicated to preserving Oregon's documentary heritage. Created in 1946, the primary purpose of the Archives is to manage all public records and acquire those with permanent value. The records stored here include all levels and stages of Oregon government. From provisional and territorial periods to today's government, the State Archives holds municipal, county and state records. Dating from 1837, the collection includes records from the Legislative Assembly, the offices of the Governor and Secretary of State, agencies such as the departments of Forestry, Corrections, Human Resources, Military and Water Resources and historical data from territorial counties. WHAT ELSE DOES THE ARCHIVES DO? The Oregon State Archives also manages all public records in Oregon. Its Information Resources Management unit works with state and local agencies to determine how long records need to be kept. This is done by means of a records retention schedule. The State Records Center assists state agencies by storing inactive records scheduled for eventual destruction. The Administrative Rules unit receives and processes administrative rules adopted by all state agencies. HOW DOES A RECORD BECOME PART OF THE ARCHIVES? When a record is created, the agency that created it, with help from the Information Resources Management unit of the Archives, decides on an appropriate retention period. A listing of all the records created and their retention period is known as a schedule. During the development of the schedule, records are evaluated for their historic or research value to determine what records should be sent to the Archives. When the records are transferred to the Archives they are arranged by agency and then by their function. Descriptions are written for each functional grouping of the records and are used by the Reference staff to find the records for individuals. HOW DOES A PERSON USE THE ARCHIVES? Finding all this information is easy. Fill out a registration form at the receptionist's desk, take your Records Use Form to the reference desk and tell them what you need. The research area here is rather different from a library. The material is kept in closed stack areas to which only the staff has access. The material in the stacks is not arranged by subject, but administered in record groups according to the agency that created it. Within the group, it is then arranged by series (minutes, correspondence, etc.). The Reference staff will help you find what you are looking for. If it is not at the Archives, the staff can refer you to another source. The reference room contains two terminals to connect you to both the Oregon Public Access Catalog (OPAC) and the Research Library Information Network (RLIN). When you are doing research these networks can be an immense resource. HOW DOES A PERSON CONTACT THE ARCHIVES? Archives patrons have a variety of methods to contact the Oregon State Archives including visits, e-mail, phone, and an electronic reference form on this server. Archives staff prioritizes the research requests of Oregon state agencies, local governments, special districts, and citizens. When resources allow, we also research out-of-state requests. To contact the State Archives by mail write to: Oregon State Archives, 800 Summer St. NE, Salem, OR 97310. Our telephone number is (503) 373-0701. The Oregon State Archives has recently installed a voice mail system. This gives you the opportunity to leave a message 24 hours a day. To do this, dial (503) 373-0701 and press 1 when the telephone is answered. The Archives is unable to return out-of-state calls. If you call from out-of-state, please leave your name, organization, and address with a detailed message so that we can reply by mail. If you call to place a research request, please limit it to two specific individuals and one census year or record source at a time. Legislative research requests must specify a bill number and year. If you need to speak to a reference archivist, please call Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. You may also submit an electronic reference request via internet e-mail to archives.reference@state.or.us. Your request will be answered as quickly as resources allow, usually before written requests. EOF Let me know if you can read this one. Chris cgaunt@umich.edu