STATE ARCHIVES

ORIGIN & FUNCTIONS

Origins of the State Archives trace to the State's tercentenary celebrations in 1934. As the 300th anniversary of Maryland's founding approached, the Maryland Tercentenary Commission made a modern, centralized archives a key feature of the State commemoration. A "Memorial Hall of Records" was proposed as early as 1928, and in 1931 the General Assembly appropriated funds to erect an archives building in Annapolis. Construction began in 1934, and the first Hall of Records, located one block north of the State House, opened to the public in 1935. There, the records remained until 1986 when the State Archives moved to the new Hall of Records on Rowe Boulevard across from the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal Building.

View of Search Room, State Archives, Annapolis, Maryland, December 1999. Photo by Hillary Thomas.

With the creation of the Hall of Records Commission, the General Assembly provided for the management of the public records and for the collection, custody, and preservation of the official records, documents, and publications of the State (Chapter 18, Acts of 1935). Formed in 1935, the Hall of Records was an independent agency of State government and remained so until its incorporation into the Department of General Services in 1970 (Chapter 97, Acts of 1970). In 1984, the Hall of Records reformed as the State Archives, an independent agency within the office of the Governor (Chapter 286, Acts of 1984). The 1984 law defined an advisory role for the Hall of Records Commission and placed the Commission on Artistic Property under the State Archives (Code State Government Article, secs. 2-1513(b), 3-404(b), 7-213(a), 9-1001 through 9-1027, 10-604 through 10-608, 10-631 through 10-634, 10-637 through 10-642, 10-701, 10-702).

The State Archives produces guides to records, finding aids, historical monographs, essays, and directories. Every two years, the State Archives compiles, edits, publishes, and distributes the Maryland Manual: A Guide to Maryland Government and daily updates the Maryland Manual On-Line. In addition, the State Archives prepares, edits, and publishes volumes of the new series of the Archives of Maryland, including the Archives of Maryland On-Line. Examples of publications currently available are:

Archives of Maryland, new series I: An Historical List of Public Officials of Maryland - Governors, Legislators, and other Principal Officers of Government, 1632 to 1990.

Guide to County Records on Microfilm at the Maryland State Archives.

A Guide to Government Records at the Maryland State Archives: A Comprehensive List by Agency and Record Series.

Guide to Montgomery County Plats of Surveys, Subdivisions, and Condominiums, 1783-1993.

Guide to the Newspaper Collection on Microfilm at the Maryland State Archives.

Marylanders Who Served the Nation: A Biographical Dictionary of Federal Officials from Maryland.

Rules and regulations promulgated in the Code of Maryland Regulations give the State Archives a role in the establishment of archives in local jurisdictions (COMAR 14.18.03).

Within the State Archives are ten main units: Acquisition and Conservation; Appraisal and Description; Artistic Property and Public Outreach; Fiscal Administration; Government Information Services; Information Systems Management; Record Transfers and Space Management; Reference Services; Research; and Special Collections. The State Archives also has a Land Patents section and is aided by the Reference and Research Advisory Committee and the Hall of Records Commission.

LAND PATENTS
The State Archives became responsible for the functions of the Land Office and its collections in 1965. The Records Management Division, then a part of the Archives, took charge of recording and filing plats. When the Division was separated from the Archives in 1975, plats and other Land Office records became the responsibility of the Archives.

Designated Commissioner of Land Patents, the State Archivist is responsible for issuing land patents and conducting court hearings (Chapter 355, Acts of 1967). In performing these duties, the State Archivist acts independently of the duties imposed as State Archivist (Code Real Property Article, secs. 13-101 through 13-504).

The land patent process is the mechanism for granting land in Maryland. Land patents were issued by the proprietors during the colonial period, and later by the State. Virtually all land in Maryland has been patented. Through survey errors or due to the inaccessibility of a tract, however, some land never may have been included in a patent. This land, when it is discovered, may be patented, with title passing to the patentee upon payment of the fair market value of the land to the State. The land patent process also provides a simple, convenient and prompt method of reserving vacant land for the public use of State, county or local government bodies through the issuance of certificates of reservation (Chapter 290, Acts of 1993).

An applicant for a patent must present evidence based on a title search of the property in question proving that no former patent encompasses any portion of the land. Information concerning the land patent process and an application for a patent may be obtained from the Commissioner of Land Patents.

REFERENCE & RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Reference and Research Advisory Committee originated as the Search Room Advisory Committee in 1988, and adopted its present name in March 2000.

HALL OF RECORDS COMMISSION
Created in 1935, the Hall of Records Commission is an advisory body to the State Archives (Chapter 18, Acts of 1935). The Commission reviews and comments upon policies of the Archives that concern proposed budgets, publications, and public access to records.

The Commission is composed of eleven members. Nine serve ex officio. The Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals serves as chair (Code State Government Article, secs. 9-1001 through 9-1006).

COMMISSION ON ARTISTIC PROPERTY
In 1969, the Commission on Artistic Property was formed (Chapter 111, Acts of 1969). It was incorporated into the State Archives in 1984 (Chapter 286, Acts of 1984).

The Commission is the official custodian of all valuable paintings and other decorative arts owned by or loaned to the State (except those located in a State room of Government House). The Commission provides for the acquisition, location, proper care, custody, restoration, display, and preservation of these paintings and decorative arts. Every person, agency, or organization desiring to acquire a painting or other decorative art work for display in a State building or premises (except in a room of Government House) must secure from the Commission both prior approval and final acceptance of the painting or decorative art work. In such instances, the Commission considers the competence of the artist, the proposed location, and the quality, historical significance, and appropriateness of the work.

With the approval of the Governor and the State Archivist, the Commission may receive and accept gifts and loans of paintings and decorative art works. With the approval of the Governor, the State Archivist may accept gifts of money for the Commission from any source, public or private, and thereafter administer and expend the funds according to the conditions and terms of the gift. In 1996, the Commission, on behalf of the State, accepted the deposit of the art collection of the Peabody Institute.

The Commission consists of fifteen members. Eight are appointed by the State Archivist with the approval of the Governor. Seven serve ex officio. With the Governor's approval, the State Archivist names the chair (Code State Government Article, secs. 9-1016 through 9-1023).

ACQUISITION & PRESERVATION SERVICES

Acquisition and Preservation Services supervises the identification, management, and conservation of the permanently valuable records of Maryland State and local government. It provides digital-imaging, microfilming, photocopy and photographic support to all aspects of State Archives work. This department also manages, coordinates, and promotes the preservation digital-imaging services offered by the State Archives in Annapolis and at its Baltimore facility. In addition, this department provides logistical and technical support, and assists in the development of standards and techniques used in imaging projects.

Acquisition and Preservation Services is made up of three major divisions: Geographic Services, Imaging Services, and Preservation Services.

GEOGRAPHIC SERVICES
Geographic Services establishes intellectual and physical control over plat collections, processes images for posting on plats.net, and gives timely and efficient customer service to system users.

Geographic records useful to planners, surveyors, title professionals, and others concerned with land use in Maryland are maintained by the State Archives. These materials include land records, surveys, plats of subdivisions and condominiums, and other court records. Reproductions of original documents and microfilm of many records, as well as scanned images in a number of graphic formats are available as are finding aids to assist in the use of these records.

Survey Materials. Many retrospective collections of survey materials are accessible on microfilm. The State Archives offers a subscription service furnishing aperture cards of plats received from the courts on a weekly basis.

Land Records. The State Archives distributes microfilm of land records on a subscription basis as they are received from the courts. Retrospective collections of microfilm also may be obtained.

For geographic information services, the State Archives provides telephone reference from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. In many instances, requests for information can be answered within 24 hours.

IMAGING SERVICES
Imaging Services is responsible for basic image acquisition, both from original mylar or linen documents and from microfilm. This office helps preserve and make accessible copies of records through the creation and duplication of microfiche, microfilm, photocopy, and photography. In this way, the office assists government agencies; promotes Maryland scholarship by aiding students, historians, and genealogists; provides evidential materials for legal matters; and supports State Archives exhibits and publications.

Services to Government Agencies. Microfilm and Photography preserves the records of State and county government agencies while providing those agencies with working copies. In many instances, the office processes and inspects microfilm from other agencies.

Services to the Public. Projection prints, photographs, slides, microfilm, and other forms of imaging of archival material may be ordered from Microfilm and Photography. Through this office, microfilm of records is prepared and made available for interlibrary loans.

Preservation Microfilming. Records are microfilmed to archival standards that allow for the best resolution and density. These standards are defined by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI). Duplicates are provided on diazo and vesicular film. Other media, such as aperture cards, also are available.

Electronic Imaging. Record materials are scanned to convert images into electronic form. By this process, a document can be reproduced in many formats.

Preservation Services oversees the Conservation Laboratory, Preservation and Access, and Preservation Outreach.

Conservation Lab, State Archives, Annapolis, Maryland, 2001. Photo by Hanna Szczepanowska.

Conservation Laboratory. The Conservation Laboratory preserves the physical integrity of archives in many forms, including manuscript papers and record books, microfilm, microfiche, photographs, published books, government publications, maps, newspapers, and electronic files. The Conservation Lab monitors environmental conditions in temperature- and humidity-controlled storage areas. Where appropriate, conservation measures are used. These include deacidification of paper, repair and restoration, mylar encapsulation, phase boxing, and archival bookbinding.

Preservation and Access. The State Archives preserves information with microfilm and digital imaging to expand access to historical documents. Sophisticated computer-scanning technology and microfilm produced to national preservation standards preserve images of original materials. These procedures help individuals who are not able to use originals at the Archives, and they preserve the information value of fragile manuscripts, maps, newspapers, and photographs.

Preservation Outreach. The State Archives participated in the work of the Task Force to Initiate Preservation Planning in Maryland and has assumed a leading position in promoting preservation to organizations and individuals across the State. The State Archives was designated by the Task Force to coordinate public information, workshops, and low-cost conservation services. The goal is to ensure preservation of significant collections of books and documents in Maryland libraries, museums, historical societies, government offices, private organizations, and private homes. At the State Archives, conservation staff conducts preservation workshops each spring.

APPRAISAL & DESCRIPTION

Records Retention Schedules. Those records deemed to have permanent value are retained as archival documents. Their characteristics are described in records retention schedules. Other materials become disposable after a period of time

Disposal Certificates. Those records no longer needed are scheduled for disposal as certified through disposal certificates.

All records retention schedules and disposal certificates must be submitted for approval by the State Archivist, and it is in the review of these schedules and certificates that the disposition of records is determined. Through this process, the important administrative, legal, fiscal and historical records of government are identified for permanent retention and eventual transfer to the State Archives. Other materials, when agencies no longer need them for current operations, can be destroyed.

ARTISTIC PROPERTY & PUBLIC OUTREACH

Artistic Property and Public Outreach manages the State-owned art collections, traveling exhibits, and exhibits in the Annapolis government complex. It also supports the work of the Government House Trust, and the State House Trust. This includes management of all requests for use of the State House, and serving as liaison with the Department of General Services and the Maryland Historical Trust for maintenance and preservation of the State House, the most historically important building in Maryland.

PUBLIC OUTREACH
Public Outreach oversees exhibits in the Annapolis government complex, and traveling exhibits that tour Maryland. It also provides support for certain activities of the General Assembly.

During 2001, the Commission on Artistic Property mounted a new exhibition featuring works from the State-owned Peabody Art Collection for the new Miller Senate Office Building in Annapolis. Entitled From Private Fortunes to Public Gifts: Treasures of the Peabody Art Collection of the Maryland State Archives, this exhibit helped open the Miller Senate Building in January 2001. It highlighted such significant Peabody Collection objects as Frances Blackwell Mayer's Annapolis in 1750, the first painting commissioned by the Peabody Institute; Charles Willson Peale's portrait of George Washington; and American Impressionist Childe Hassam's Snowstorm in Madison Square.

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Each summer, internships are offered for college students to learn archival and historical methods at the State Archives. Work/study programs also are available.

GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES

Government Information Services, State Archives, Annapolis, Maryland, February 2002. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS
Publications and reports of State government agencies date to the early 19th century. They, with the publications and reports of county and municipal governments, have been collected by the State Archives since 1947 (Chapter 651, Acts of 1947). The State Archives also is an official depository for county charters, codes, and laws (Code 1957, Art. 25, sec. 32A; Art. 25A, secs. 3B(3), 7(b); Art. 25B, secs. 7(b)(3), 12(b)). Municipal charter amendments and annexations, after publication, are deposited annually with the State Archives by the Department of Legislative Reference (Code 1957, Art. 23A, sec. 17C).

LIBRARY
Organized in 1940, the Library is a reference source for works that supplement the holdings of the State Archives. These include published records and sources on Maryland history, government, biography, geography, and natural resources; county, city and town histories; regional studies; Chesapeake Bay; research guides; genealogies; and archives administration, conservation, and preservation. The Library of the Department of Natural Resources transferred to the State Archives in June 1987. It includes materials collected since 1942 on Maryland natural resources, wildlife, fisheries, forestry, water resources, and the environment.

MARYLAND MANUAL & MARYLAND MANUAL ON-LINE
Published by the State Archives, the Maryland Manual and the Maryland Manual On-Line describe Maryland State, county and municipal government (Code State Government Article, secs. 9-1026, 9-1027). The Maryland Manual has been published in print since 1896. The Maryland Manual On-Line has been accessible on the Internet since December 1996.

The Maryland Manual On-Line is a continuously updated guide to Maryland government. It presents an overview of the organizational structure and staffing of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of Maryland government. It shows agency budgets and organizational charts, lists mandated reports, and provides the origin, historical evolution, and functions of government agencies.

Biographies of government officials appear in the Maryland Manual On-Line. These include legislators, constitutional officers, department secretaries, judges, and Maryland's Congressional delegation. The Manual also gives information on local government (county and municipal), as well as intercounty, interstate and federal agencies. In addition, the Manual contains the State budget, the Constitution of Maryland, and election returns. The Maryland at a Glance section offers condensed data on many Maryland subjects, State symbols, Maryland historical chronology, and Maryland government.

INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

ELECTRONIC ARCHIVES
At its September 1998 meeting, the Hall of Records Commission resolved that a program of Electronic Archives be created within the State Archives. The program coordinates and manages the development of a permanent archives of electronic records.

MARYLAND ELECTRONIC CAPITAL
As part of the Governor's technology initiative, the Maryland Electronic Capital is the homepage for the State of Maryland. It started in the fall of 1995.

RECORD TRANSFERS & SPACE MANAGEMENT

State, county and municipal government agencies in Maryland may offer the State Archives all files, documents, and records not in current use. Record Transfers and Space Management supervises the transfer, storage, and retrieval of those government records deemed to be permanently valuable.

State Government Records. The records of all State agencies, boards, and commissions that are abolished or that otherwise conclude their work must be transferred to the custody of the State Archives. By law, State agencies have their records placed on retention and disposal schedules. No public records can be destroyed without scheduling and the prior approval of the State Archives.

The State Archives shares responsibility with the Division of Vital Records of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for preservation of and access to vital records information (Code State Government Article, sec. 9-1015).

County and Municipal Government Records. All records that are in the courthouses of the State and that were created prior to April 28, 1788 (when Maryland ratified the U.S. Constitution) must be deposited at the State Archives. All current deeds, mortgages, and releases recorded in the courthouses of the State are microfilmed and preserved at the State Archives for security purposes. Limited facilities are available for the filming of records of State agencies. The State Archives also serves as the official depository for subdivision and condominium plats.

REFERENCE SERVICES

Records are used for legal documentation, historical research, land title searches, geographical information, vital record research, and genealogy. The Archives offers limited research services by its staff. Copies of records can be produced (for a fee) on paper as photographs, or as digital image files. Self-service copying from microfilm also is available for many records. Most records on microforms may be purchased or borrowed through interlibrary loan.

DOCUMENTS FOR THE CLASSROOM
An electronic reference source issued by the State Archives is Documents for the Classroom. For the use of teachers, students, scholars, and the general public, Documents for the Classroom are digital facsimilies of selected original documents, secondary sources, and multi-media presentations. These electronic document packets use Maryland history to illustrate national trends. They cover elements of Maryland and American history from colonization to the modern era relating to political development, cultural diversity, and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the past.

RESEARCH

ADVISORY PANEL FOR ARCHIVES OF MARYLAND ONLINE
The Advisory Panel for Archives of Maryland Online was formed by the State Archivist in April 2000.

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Special Collections started in 1935 as the Gift Collection and reorganized under its present name in 1987. Special Collections supervises the care, preservation, accessioning, and description of private records. Usually, they are given to the State Archives by private donors and generally consist of personal letters, diaries, photographs, maps, church records, architectural plans, and other manuscript documents. Maps, for example, date from 1565 to the present. They serve as an important resource for scientists, historians, and citizens interested in the Chesapeake watershed. Photographs illustrate a cross section of Maryland life and culture, including agriculture, architecture, family life, government, nautical and naval affairs, recreation, and sports. In addition, the State Archives has microfilmed records of nearly 300 churches of various denominations, and more than 250 newspapers from across the State.

With the exception of collections of fine arts, the Director, in conjunction with the State Archivist, reviews offers of materials as gifts to Special Collections. Offers of gifts of fine arts are reviewed by the Curator of Artistic Property and the State Archivist. Materials are accepted on the basis of their relevance to the holdings of the State Archives, their condition, and the need to provide for their proper storage and care.

While collections generally are offered as gifts to the State Archives, occasionally materials are accepted on deposit. The decision to accept a collection of original materials as a deposit is made by the Director in conjunction with the State Archivist based upon the relevance of the collection to the holdings of the State Archives, its condition, and the historical value of the collection. A collection may be placed on deposit if its contents are to be photographed or microfilmed as a reference collection at the Archives and the original materials returned to the owner.

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e-mail: mdmanual@mdarchives.state.md.us