Archives Found

Two years ago, I wrote about a copy of the Declaration of Independence that was found in a Maine attic and sold to a private collector.  The Supreme Court of Virginia ruled this morning that the collector may keep the document.

From the WSJ article:

In 2005, after receiving a tip about the sale, the Maine archivist, David Cheever, sued Adams, demanding the document’s return. The argument: the document was a “public record.” Maine contended the document never should have been sold because of a state law which presumes that public documents remain public property unless ownership is expressly relinquished by the government.

Virginia’s high court disagreed on Friday, saying that a lower court did not err in ruling that Maine didn’t prove the document was ever an official town record.

So how is a copy of the Declaration of Independence, which had originally been distributed throughout Massachusetts (which Maine was once a part of) to be read to its citizens, not a public record? Adams’s attorney argued that Wiscasset’s town clerk copied the text of the Declaration of Independence into the town’s record books on Nov. 10, 1776. It’s that transcription, not the document upon which it was based, that is the official town record, the attorney said. And that’s the argument the court ultimately bought.

After the ruling, Cheever was one unhappy Mainah. He told the AP he found it “incredible” that the state’s rights were trumped by a private collector. “To us, it’s a public document. It was then. It is now.”

Related links:

Virgina Man Beats Maine in Declaration of Independence Smackdown- WSJ.com

Va. Supreme Court says collector can keep Declaration of Independence copy- Richmond Times-Dispatch

Court: Va. man, not Maine, owns 1776 copy of Declaration- Bangor Daily News

A few bits and bobs that tickled our fancy over here at Archives Found headquarters, but don’t really fit anywhere else….

• Archivist-turned-British-secret-intelligence-agent, now mystery novelist Stella Rimington has a new book out this month.  From an article in The Australian:

The ability to think clearly and organise information is more important to a real-life agent than any martial arts skills, says Rimington, who never carried a gun during her glittering secret service career.

Her university training as an archivist turned out to be an enormous asset because, “I mentally program information in quite an orderly way, and one of the key skills of a security service is about organising your own information and being able to relate what you learn to what you already know”.

I think that information science degree programs should start listing “international spy” on the list of potential careers, though I’m not sure I’d choose that over being an archivist… you?

• “The Archivist Cometh, or Mr. DeMille Wouldn’t Like This!” – short column in the Palm Beach Post that talks about the bereft feelings that some donors have after the boxes have been packed and Elvis has left the building…

• Official porn collection from the Dutch city of Leeuwarden is missing in action– short article from the AP and Columbus Dispatch.

Spokesman Erik Krikke of the city’s historical center said the archive — which contained photos, drawings and erotic texts with a connection to the city — may have been taken home “accidentally” by an employee or visitor.

“We’re hoping that someone will say ‘Hey, I have that in my attic’ and bring it back,” he said today. “No questions asked.”

• “Text Message Love Letter from the 1800s”- article from WalesOnline.uk

“DID u thnk th lnguge of txtng strtd wth th mbl fon?

Well, if so a century-old love letter discovered by archivists at Swansea University shows you couldn’t be more wrong.

The missive penned by William Weightman to his “dearest” Fanny was found in a temperance society minute book kept between 1879 and 1890.”

And last, but not least:

• From the Times Online and in honor of Valentine’s Day, Valentine memories from the French- check out the INA website for “14 ways to say I love you” – clips of various love songs, old and new.

I fully support equal civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Americans. Period.

For those of you who haven’t been involved in the various discussions on the Archives & Archivists listserv or on other blogs, this might be a bit of a departure from my usual posts. I’ve been tossing this post around in my head for a few days with no definite idea of what exactly I wanted to say– and I think that much of it has already been said more eloquently by colleagues and friends. Instead of belaboring the point, I’d like to encourage you to visit the links below.

My goal here is to simply add my support for my colleagues and others, and to stand up for what I believe is a fundamental issue of civil rights.

For more on the discussion of SAA and Prop 8, take a look here:

Archives & Archivists forum- first related thread

Beaver Archivist- I <3 equality!

ArchivesNext- Advocating for the rights of gay and lesbian archivists

@rchivista- Sobre archiveros, derechos civiles y el papel de las asociaciones (”About archivists, civil rights, and the role of associations”)

By no means an exhaustive list, but a few links on advocacy:

Human Rights Coalition

Mass Equality

List of rights denied to GLBT populations (compiled by the Kentucky Equality Federation)

 1138 reasons equality matters

Fifteen museums and cultural institutions (including the Smithsonian American Art Museum) are participating in Wikipedia Loves Art , a scavenger hunt/content-building contest that looks like a whole lot of fun. Check out the Flickr group and rules here.

Some of the prizes that looked most toothsome to me:

Indianapolis Museum of Art

The photographer with the most points (who shot at IMA) will win a fabulous prize package that includes a FREE iPod Touch, a fabulous IMA Blog t-shirt and a limited edition IMA Blog Rubik’s Cube.

Museum of Modern Art

Private after-hours tour for up to 10 people guided by an art historian.

Smithsonian American Art Museum

The winner(s) will receive a boxed set of books from our “Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum” series. In addition they will receive a special American Art Museum tote with an imprinted design based on our Kogod Courtyard roof, a tie featuring our building, a boxed set of museum note cards, and a copy of our publication Temple of Invention, about our historic building.

What are you waiting for? Get out there with your camera, and don’t forget to include me when you win that free membership or iPod!  (Thanks to Jeff Gates over at the Smithsonian Eye-Level Blog for this one!)

A (somewhat) similar local project is happening on Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio at Gallery Hop in the Short North. Several shops will be holding a photo scavenger hunt using Twitter, with gift certificate prizes. I didn’t find any information about what they’ll do with the pictures at the end, but it’s still a neat way to get patrons participating. Follow the Tweets here.

These are pretty low-budget ways to get tech-savvy folks involved that might otherwise never set foot (virtually or otherwise) in your establishment. Could you make this work for your institution, too?

 A quick roundup of recent articles about the effects of state budgets on archives and preservation.

 Economy hurts effort to preserve the past- The Columbus Dispatch

“Preserving the past is important, but if governments don’t start spending and borrowing less, there won’t be much of a future left for our kids to enjoy,” Sepp said.

The Ohio Historical Society’s budget has shrunk by 13 percent in the past eight years. The society has laid off its preservation staff and is relying on other workers and outside conservators to monitor and maintain collections.

With all of its storage space filled and no money to expand, the society is going through its collections to decide what not to keep. It has virtually stopped accepting donations of artifacts. In some cases, donors sell or give the artifacts away.

 Gov. Jennifer Granholm to propose pay cuts, eliminating departments- MLive.com

Granholm will propose the elimination of one state department, History, Arts and Libraries, and ask Lt. Gov. John Cherry lead a commission to recommend further reductions. The goal would be to reduce the total number of departments from 18 to eight.

Archives chief cuts own job to trim budget - The State (SC)

The Archives and History agency preserves and promotes the state’s heritage. The archives center houses three centuries’ worth of historical documents. The agency also coordinates historic preservation efforts and history education. The latest cuts reduce its staff to 61 employees, Stroup said.

Historical Society puts microfilming state newspapers on hold- Missourian

“There might be people 30 years from now that will be interested in the same kind of research that I’m doing, and it’ll be impossible if there aren’t any archives,” Meyer said.

Off the records- newsreview.com (Reno, NV)

Guy Louis Rocha may be the only state agency chief in Nevada’s capital who has twice experienced his agency being targeted for total elimination by two different state budget directors.

“They wanted to pave paradise and put up a parking lot,” quipped Rocha, referring to the Joni Mitchell song, in which she sings, “That you don’t know what you’ve got/Till it’s gone.”

For more than a quarter of a century, state archives administrator Rocha—like many state agency directors—has been Sisyphus, pushing his operation into the 20th century repeatedly, only to have it roll back down under the pressure of chronic budget crises or intramural state government politics. He was never able to push the agency into the 21st century.

State erases 1.6 billion budget deficit- The Arizona Republic

Even before the budget was finalized, details emerged on what those cuts mean.

The state parks director has said a $25 million cut will force the closure of five parks; the Parks Board meets Tuesday to decide which ones to close.

The state Library and Archives Department is ironing out details for an agency-wide furlough; it could affect operating hours of the new state museum, which was dedicated just two weeks ago.

Arizona State University has announced furloughs of 10 to 15 days for most of its faculty and staff, but that was when the school thought it would share in a $100 million budget cut. The Legislature authorized $141 million in cuts to the three universities.

Some more information:

Preserving the American Historical Record (PAHR)

Legislation “To authorize the Archivist of the United States to make grants to States for the preservation and dissemination of historical records” will be reintroduced soon (with a new bill number) by Representatives Maurice Hinchey (D-NY-22) and John McHugh (R-NY-23). Talk to your representatives and your state archivist about supporting PAHR.

Heritage Health Index by Heritage Preservation and IMLS- 2005 report on the state of collections in the United States can be used in discussions with local and state boards about preservation. (Does anyone out there know if this is being updated?) Full 2005 report can be found here.