Not good enough
Even as an interim measure, the plan announced yesterday by Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp to offer some public access to the Georgia State Archives after November 1st is, to put it mildly, Not Good Enough.
The plan was reported yesterday in the Atlanta Business Chronicle online and posted on the Georgia State Archives website: researchers will be able to make appointments to access the Archives only during the first two weeks of each month and only for a maximum of two and a half hours.
According to Kemp’s press release, “The Georgia Archives currently averages 74 patrons per week (296/month). The average visitor spends 3 hours at the Archives.” His theory, of course, is that his plan will accommodate most of those needs: “The plan will allow 78 (36 2-hour; 42 2.5-hour) appointments per month in the Open Documents Research Area (ODRA), 120 (2 hour) appointments per month in Microfilm Reference, and 90 (2 hour) appointments per month in Open Reference. This would allow 288 visitors, which is 97% of the visitors that Archives accommodates now, but they will be limited to 2 or 2.5 hours.”
Oh, my. He just doesn’t get it, does he?
Let’s start with the fact that the Archives is only open two days a week now. So the number of researchers he’s reporting is way down just because access is already limited. Move on to the fact that the most serious researchers — and those from out of state — are likely to be there all day every day the building is open. Move on from there to the fact that one entire week of access appointments now will be microfilm only (which … ahem … could be put online if the staff wasn’t being cut to the point where little if anything else can be put online)… and what we have here is records access disaster.
Those who actually want to use archived documents in the Open Documents Research Area “will have to provide staff with specific requests when they make the appointment so they can have records pulled and waiting on them when they arrive.” Which means that you’ll need at least two trips if — as is the usual case in our research — looking at document number one in one record group tells you that you should also look at document number two in another record group that you didn’t know of before.
Now Kemp says he “will continue to work with the Governor, General Assembly and other interested parties to restore funding and access to the Archives.” But there is clearly no sense of urgency, no acknowledgment of the loss to the public and no real appreciation for the role of a modern archives in modern society.
We have to keep the pressure on if we are to have any hope of saving the Georgia Archives. Please… keep on top of developments — the website of the Friends of Georgia Archives and History (FOGAH) is a really good source — and let the decision-makers know this is an issue that matters to you.
Because what we’re about to be left with is just Not Good Enough.
In the meantime, to make a research appointment for after November 1, you’ll need to contact Christopher M. Davidson at cdavidson@sos.ga.gov or 678-364-3714. Your options are shown in the table below:
| Week 1: | |||
| Original Documents | |||
| Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |
| 8:00 – 10:00 | 7 Appointments | 7 Appointments | 7 Appointments |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Pull Records | Pull Records | Pull Records |
| 10:30 – 1:00 | 7 Appointments | 7 Appointments | 7 Appointments |
| 1:00 – 1:30 | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
| 1:30 – 2:00 | Pull Records | Pull Records | Pull Records |
| 2:00 – 4:30 | 7 Appointments | 7 Appointments | 7 Appointments |
| Week 2: | |||
| Microfilm | |||
| Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |
| 8:00 – 10:00 | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments |
| 10:00 – 12:00 | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments |
| 12:00 – 12:30 | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
| 12:30 – 2:30 | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments |
| 2:30 – 4:30 | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments |
| Open Reference | |||
| Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |
| 8:00 – 10:00 | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments |
| 10:00 – 12:00 | 5 Appointments (ODRA) | 5 Appointments (ODRA) | 5 Appointments (ODRA) |
| 12:00 – 12:30 | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
| 12:30 – 2:30 | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments |
| 2:30 – 4:30 | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments | 10 Appointments |
| Week 3: | |||
| Closed | |||
| Week 4: | |||
| Closed |
Judy, I have written to everyone (twice) and signed the petition. I was grousing after reading this morning’s “announcement” and my husband asked me if I had worked the other side of the problem–contacting those interested in tourism dollars in Georgia, or economic development. So this morning I wrote to all of those entities that I could think of, including the chairman of the board of commissioners for Clayton County, where the Archives are located. Just thought it was one more way of going about the problem. Can I afford to go stay in Georgia for a 2-hour segment? No. I wrote the Archives this morning to see if they would be giving any special dispensations to serious researchers coming from a distance, for a full day or two days of research. The reply, in a word: No.
Even as an out-of-stater who was planning an Archives trip, I can’t say I blame the Archives for that “no” decision, Janis. The main mission is to serve Georgians, after all. But… but… but… it just goes to show how very much folks as a whole don’t Get It. Still, having the economic-tourism folks on our side may well help with the Legislature so please keep those contacts going!
I believe this is the silliest plan I have ever heard of. I drive over two hours to visit the Archives and almost never go down for a single day at a time…and I’m a Georgia resident. I’m not driving round-trip nearly five hours through the heaviest traffic in the state to spend half that time researching. It’s not cost-effective. The list I have right now for this weekend’s trip (my last this year, apparently) will take longer to slog through than two hours. I can’t imagine how frustrated out of state researchers must feel. At least I can drive to county and other repositories, although that doesn’t help when I need original, non-microfilmed records held only at the Archives.
You’d think that the microfilm could be accessed in other ways and more time — much more time — given to the original records, Dawn. That’s why I don’t think this plan measure up even as an interim, stop-gap measure.
There are numerous other problems as well. For one, Kemp’s vision of serving 97% of existing Archives’ visitors is a joke, not only for the reasons you stated, but also because of the pressure now put on those researchers who live near enough to the Archives to take advantage of the appointment system, by those who do not have such ready access. I imagine it won’t take long for that system to be overloaded, resulting in longer and longer wait times for appointments, which will ultimately violate state laws requiring both reasonable and timely access to these records.
Microfilm is a whole ‘nother problem down here. Many counties refuse to give permission for researchers to have copies made of existing microfilm. I recently ran into that problem myself with some Richmond County records. I believe much of the microfilm can be ordered through Family History Centers, but that’s not an option for me. I agree with you that access to the microfilm held by the Archives could be handled in a better way, as it requires very little oversight from the staff. Well, from seasoned researchers, anyway.
All in all, I fear our only recourse in this matter may be through the courts.
Judy, as you know, I look at this from the other side of the desk. The staff was eviscerated and is now down to 3 people, one of whom is a janitor. According to Mr. Kemp, the Archives will be open three days, two weeks a month. At 8 hours per day three days a week for two weeks, that is a total of 48 working hours. Now, take those 48 hours, multiply that by 60 minutes and divide that by 288 visitors, the number of visitors Mr. Kemp says the Archives can accommodate under his new plan. Hmmm. That is exactly TEN minutes per visitor that those two “Archivists” will have to greet, inform, seat, pull material, answer questions, check materials and return materials to their proper locations. 10 minutes total PER VISITOR. Never mind that there are materials that are already backlogged and unprocessed (which happens in virtually all Archives), materials that need to be digitized, new material to be accessioned, conservation and preservation issues…well, you get my point. The utter lack of understanding of how an Archives operates is at the core of this problem; it really is no more than that. Because, you know, how hard can it be to take care of old stuff?
You are so right to focus on the staff issues, Laura. The staff has already been ravaged by losses, and the dismissal of the seven archivists who have pink slips effective next week can only be described as a travesty. It really does seem like the decision-makers think of the Archives as nothing more than a warehouse.
Judy, one thing you didn’t mention in your post (and it may be a new development since you wrote it) is that they are not allowing researchers to make multiple appointments in the same month. So all the out-of-town people (even Georgians) will have to plan their multi-hour drives to the Archives for 2-1/2 hours of research MAXIMUM per month. Even the folks who live nearby and are able to look at document #1, but then realize that they need document #2 will have to wait AT LEAST a month before they are able to look at document #2. Let’s hope there’s no document #3.
I’m glad Laura shared her insight from the other side of the desk too. I don’t get it … how does Secretary Kemp think this will work? If they are planning on serving essentially the same number of visitors with only 20% of the previous staff … I just can’t wrap my head around it. I can’t imagine the stress that will be put on these two remaining archivists to handle the entire workload that 9 were handling before (I’m excluding the janitor, I figure his job pretty much stays the same).
I hope the travel and tourism industry steps up and puts their 2 cents in as well. Even the restaurants in the area have a stake in this.
I was horribly afraid that only-one-appointment rule would be part of this, Jenny, but no, they hadn’t said anything about that up front. Oh that’s just awful. And then some.
Laura, great points. This is just gross misunderstanding of how an Archive works at all. Not to mention depriving Georgians and the rest of the nation. yea, world, of access to valuable historical documents. It’s just insane.
Hey, it’s just history, right? Who cares about that? Sigh… Polly, it’s enough to drive you to drink.
Sigh……. no time for drinking, have to put on thinking cap and think straight. We need more people, organizations, and businesses to get involved.
But I’ll have a virtual cocktail with ya’all when this problem is fixed!
Only after we win it, Skip, Only after we win.
I’ve been reading bits and pieces about the GA Archives debacle but was still unaware how serious the situation had become. Other State archives programs around the country are approaching something of a skeleton crew from budget cuts.
I can’t imagine if my Maryland State Archives were limited in this manner. It is a travesty when public record is essentially banned. I mean, call it what it is. They are denying citizens the right to view the documents they should be able to view. Staying open for a couple hours a month is insufficient. I never visit my state archives for less than eight hours in one day.
“Debacle” is a very good word, Josh. If anything, it’s not strong enough.
Dick Eastman has posted on his site that the Archives have received a temporary reprieve. He has a link to the website of the office of the Governor of Georgia that gives the details.
It’s good news for sure, Pat — but there’s more to do. I’ll hit this topic again tomorrow.