BACKGROUND

The Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board (GHRAB) sought and obtained a $125,624 two-year grant from NHPRC to:

• Provide the services of an on-site professional archivist and regrants to Georgia repositories and local governments to improve their archival programs.
• Demonstrate how the services of a traveling professional archivist can benefit small repositories and local governments thus making grant programs more effective.
• Stimulate the development of a master’s level program to educate professional archivists.

Three extensions totaling 14 months were requested and approved:

• An extension from December 2006 through September 2007 was due to a six-month delay in hiring the circuit-rider archivist;
• An extension through December 2007 was to allow time to hold a strategic planning meeting and produce a report on GHRAB activities; and
• An extension through February 2008 was to allow time for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia to complete their regrant project.

ACTIVITIES DURING LAST EIGHT MONTHS OF PROJECT July 2007 - February 2008
During this period, the circuit rider archivist conducted visits in the second round of the circuit rider archivist program. The visits began in July with Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville in the northwestern section of Georgia, and the circuit rider proceeded with his visits largely by region.

In November, the circuit rider participated in the annual meeting of the Society of Georgia Archivists in Columbus. There he chaired a session entitled “Digging in the Archives.” He also continued his work as book review editor for the society’s journal Provenance.

The circuit rider also performed teaching duties at Clayton State University during the fall semester. He attended faculty planning sessions and taught the course Introduction to Public History at Clayton State. In academic activities, he served as a blind reviewer for an article for the journal West Virginia History and completed a review of a book for the same journal.

During the period of July – December 2007, the circuit rider spent approximately 70% of his time in work for the Georgia archives and 30% on behalf of Clayton State University. During the period of January – February 2008, the circuit rider spent 90% of his time on work for Clayton State and 10% for the Georgia Archives.

Budget Expenditures During the period of July 2007 through February 2008, grant funds totaling $10,762.49 were spent. Grant funds were used for circuit rider (CRA) travel $3,578.80; archival folders and boxes which were distributed by the circuit rider to small CRA organizations $769.20; nine archival supply grants and partial costs of one training grant $4,569.49 and printing the GHRAB report $1845. Archives staff contributed $4,815.60 in in-kind time during this period.

We request a reimbursement of $7,816.89 instead of $10,762.49 because NHPRC had previously reimbursed $2,945.60 as part of regrant awards for Burke County Commissioners, Georgia Southern University, and Thomaston-Upson Archives. These organizations subsequently left $2,945.60 as unexpended grant funds which were reallocated for archival supply grants.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS (Performance objectives appear in italics)
Circuit Rider Archivist Activities

• The circuit rider archivist provided on-site consultations to 108 local organizations in 74 counties; this work was accomplished with basically one half-time position.
• The wide geographic coverage of the CRA consultations gave GHRAB the opportunity to work with 81 organizations and 33 counties that had never before received a GHRAB grant. Eight of the 33 counties are located in underserved regions of the state.
• The circuit rider archivist provided direct assistance to 16 grantees.
• Survey results and positive feedback from the CRA organizations demonstrate the value of the Circuit Rider Archivist Program and the need to continue it.
• A written report to assess the feasibility for a master’s level program to educate professional archivists in Georgia is being reviewed by Clayton State University.
• All narrative reports to NHPRC appear on the GHRAB website for sharing purposes.
• GHRAB produced Preserving Our Future - A Progress Report of the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board as its 2008 strategic plan and will use the report to request increased appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly to continue the circuit rider program.

Regrants

• $231,411.40 was awarded in regrant funds to 31 local organizations.
• $159,355 was unexpectedly contributed by Office of Secretary of State and increased the dollars available for regrants from $110,000 to $269,355 or 245%.
• 31 regrant projects were successfully completed in 26 counties
• Five of the 31 regrant projects will serve as models for other organizations and two will have statewide impact on disaster preparedness and records management practices.
• Two of the regrants heightened the awareness of local governments on records management and disaster preparedness issues across the state and produced the following significant products:
  a) Best Practices Guide for Records Management (attached)
  b) A recurring article on records management topics in the monthly newsletter of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, The County Line, (attached);
  c) A planning guide and template for superior courts clerks to use in writing disaster preparedness plans
  d) An archiving program to secure offsite backup of all electronic documents in each county’s courthouse in cooperation with the Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority. Over a dozen courts have begun daily backups using this system with dozens more in progress.
• Georgia’s archival infra-structure was improved through the regrants:
  55 persons were trained in 3 workshops to write disaster preparedness plans
  14 organizations wrote disaster preparedness plans
  75 superior courts adopted a disaster preparedness plan
  5 local governments adopted records management resolutions
  6 historical repositories wrote collection management policies.
• GHRAB produced Preserving Our Future - A Progress Report of the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board as its 2008 strategic plan and will use the report to request increased appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly to continue the circuit rider program.

PROJECT SUMMARY
Circuit Rider Archivist Activities

The Circuit Rider Archivist Program has helped over 100 organizations in 74 counties across Georgia (see attached list of recipients). From all-volunteer, local historical societies to metropolitan governments, the program has provided detailed information through on-site consultation and written reports about the care and improved use of archives and government records. The circuit rider has tutored local governments and historical repositories on basic to advanced topics and provided advice that is practical for them.

As a result, organizations have been able to set goals on a step-by-step basis and address their archival and records management tasks successfully. Some have embarked on policy-making and strategic planning. Others have pursued projects in preservation, inventorying, and arrangement and description. Governments have adopted records management plans and implemented retention and disposal schedules that allow them to conserve precious space and save money. Many have completed disaster preparedness plans with professional information provided by the Georgia Archives. Still, others have taken a step back and realized what they can realistically accomplish or not accomplish based on their time, money, and other resources.

One example of an organization that benefitted from the Circuit Rider Archivist Program was Peach Public Libraries in Fort Valley. Like most public libraries, Peach Public Libraries mainly concentrated on printed and audio-visual materials but found itself serving as a repository for local history collections. Its dilemma lay in the fact that it was unprepared to serve as an archives, but its staff wanted to preserve materials that were important to the community. The circuit rider provided advice that allowed the library staff to distinguish between archival and non-archival materials. This meant that the library could appropriately arrange and describe its archives for greater accessibility and provide for the proper preservation and security of original materials. GHRAB awarded supplemental funding to Peach Public Libraries for the purchase of archival supplies to apply the circuit rider’s advice.

The circuit rider has worked closely with over 40 local governments in the first two rounds of his visits. Support and instruction ranged from encouraging the adoption of records management plans and the use of retention and disposal schedules to advising governments on interagency cooperation on the development of records management facilities. Some organizations have become partners with the Georgia Archives and GHRAB in advocating the Circuit Rider Archivist Program and better records management in government. For example, the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners showed leadership during the visit by bringing other county offices and courts into discussions on the care and housing of records and enlisting the local media to educate the public on its efforts and those of the Circuit Rider Archivist Program in records work. The board of commissioners received answers to questions in its own office on microfilming, improved retention and disposal of records, and the benefits of using a private records storage facility versus a county-operated one.

The visit with the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners led to a future relationship between the organization and the Georgia Archives, a common result of circuit rider archivist visits. The board hosted a meeting in January 2007 to promote the second round of circuit rider archivist visits among governments and historical organizations in South Georgia. This brought a number of applications from the region for the second round of visits. The relationship between the Georgia Archives and Lowndes County Board of Commissioners also brought the board into contact with the Society of Georgia Archivists and its disaster preparedness efforts. The county clerk has brought the county government’s perspective on hurricane readiness to the society’s disaster preparedness committee.

A common trait between organizations in the first and second rounds of the Circuit Rider Archivist Program has been the volunteer nature of many of the historical societies and museums. This trait means that people of various backgrounds and interests find themselves working together in the interest of history—be it the history of an artists’ retreat in the mountains on the North Carolina line or the history of a rural county in the pine woods on the Florida border. It means that time and the ability to use that time to the most benefit is important. Part of the assistance of the circuit rider to such organizations is to teach priorities in the acquisition, processing, and preservation of archives.

One of these volunteer organizations was Prater’s Mill Foundation. The foundation preserves and interprets the life and work of the historic mill community in Whitfield County. Through the energetic work of volunteers, Prater’s Mill brings history to life at the mill through a country fair each October and regular exhibits of artifacts and archival materials in buildings in the mill community. They work in non-profit and government circles to preserve and maintain the buildings and resurrect knowledge of buildings that no longer stand. They also maintain offices in the Varnell City Hall, where artifacts and archives are stored.

In his visit, the circuit rider lent advice on the differences between archival and museum materials and their organization and preservation. He spoke about security, talked about efficient use of storage space, and gave advice on shelving. Part of the discussion centered on defining policies and a collection focus based on the organization’s mission. The discussions provided ways to save time—time for volunteers and visitors—through making collections easier to locate, making it easier to care for them, and avoiding the acquisition of items that might seldom be used and yet require care and preservation. The circuit rider’s advice opened paths for Prater’s Mill Foundation and gave its volunteers a new sense of direction in their collecting

A mark of the Circuit Rider Archivist Program has been its ability to reach out to the diverse regions and populations of Georgia. The county manager of Stewart County, on the Alabama border in southern Georgia, remarked on this. “We...appreciate the Secretary of State's "Circuit Rider Archivist" program. Those of us in the hinterlands sometimes feel left out of government's grander sweeps. This program gets straight to us with practical advice.” Feedback and survey results from the CRA organizations are attached to this report.

The Circuit Rider Archivist Program did not take place without variation from original plans. The overwhelming response for calls for applications and the desire by GHRAB to serve as many of the applicants as possible both limited the amount of time which the circuit rider could spend with each organization. The number of organizations served, combined with added teaching and professional responsibilities at Clayton State University for the circuit rider archivist, precluded visits beyond the initial ones except in cases where the organizations requested them or where they were involved in grant projects. Follow-up consultation by telephone and e-mail was readily available to each organization.

The Circuit Rider Archivist Program is currently funded through June 2009. GHRAB will seek funds from the Georgia General Assembly to continue this successful program.

Clayton State University Activities The circuit rider archivist taught ten courses at Clayton State University: Introduction to Archival Theory and Practice (two sections); Survey of United States History Since Reconstruction (four sections); Introduction to Public History (two sections); Archival Internship (one section); and Independent Study in History with Directed Research and Readings (one section).

One of the goals of the project, a report on the feasibility of a master’s degree program in archival studies at Clayton State University, took the form of an actual proposal for a Master of Arts in Archival Studies degree. This proposal was prepared by the circuit rider under the direction of Dr. Gene Hatfield, chair of the Department of Social Sciences, and Dr. Ray Wallace, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. That proposal is under review by the office of the university’s provost.

Breakdown of Circuit Rider Archivist’s Time

Regrants A total of three funding sources - NHPRC, Georgia General Assembly, and Office of Secretary of State – provided funds to award 31 regrant projects in 26 counties totaling $231,411.40. Five projects will serve as models for other organizations in the state and two projects will have a statewide impact on disaster preparedness and records management practices. The circuit rider provided direct assistance to sixteen grantees. See attached detailed report entitled “Historical Records Project Grants – Summary of March 2006 Cycle.”

Two of the regrants heightened the awareness of local governments on records management and disaster preparedness issues across the state. They produced the following products:

1. Best Practices Guide for Records Management;
2. A recurring article on records management in the monthly newsletter of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, Georgia County Government;
3. A planning guide and template for superior courts clerks to use in writing disaster preparedness plans; and
4. An archiving program to secure offsite backup of all electronic documents in each county’s courthouse in cooperation with the Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority. Over a dozen courts have begun daily backups using this system with dozens more in progress.

The Cherokee County Historical Society has been asked to write an article about their regrant for Provenance, the annual journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists.

Archival Supply Grants GHRAB offered archival supply grants to those CRA organizations that needed assistance but not a project grant. Supply grants averaging $382 were awarded to 17 organizations: Agnes Scott College, Bulloch Hall, Grady County Historical Society, Hall County Library System, Historic Augusta, Historic Macon Foundation, Long County Public Library, Lowndes County Historical Society, Meriwether County Probate Court, Paine College, Peach Public Libraries, Prater’s Mill Foundation, Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, Roswell Historical Society, Shields-Ethridge Heritage Farm Foundation, Whitfield-Murray Historical Society, and Willet Memorial Library Wesleyan College.

Additionally, GHRAB purchased archival supplies totaling $792 (file folders, document cases, flat storage boxes, and photo sleeves) that could be distributed by the circuit rider to small CRA organizations. These supplies were distributed to Macon State College and Fayette County Historical Society.

Training Grant A training grant was offered to representatives from CRA organizations to attend the 2007 Georgia Archives Institute. Designed for beginning archivists, manuscript curators, and librarians, the Institute offers general instruction in basic concepts and practices of archival administration and management of traditional and modern documentary materials. The Institute is sponsored by the Georgia Archives and the Society of Georgia Archivists. The grant, which covered a $500 registration fee and up to $1,000 for travel, lodging, and meal expenses, was awarded to Rhonda Sanders, Hall County Library System.

Board Activities GHRAB held a facilitated strategic planning session in August 2007 (minutes attached). The board produced Preserving Our Future - A Progress Report of the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board (attached) which will serve as the board’s 2008 strategic plan and will be used to request increased appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly.

TOTAL BUDGET EXPENDITURES

Grants – Federal grant funds and state cash matching funds totaling $239,415.15 were spent on grants as follows:

Following is a breakdown that shows total grants budgeted, awarded and accepted. One local government declined their award of $43,200 and accepted a reduced award of $10,000. The remaining funds of $33,200 had to be returned to the state treasury.

Salaries & Fringe Benefits - A total of $241,428.08 in cash and in-kind match was spent on salaries and $76,374.02 on fringe benefits. These amounts were much higher than budgeted because three grant extensions lengthened the project by 14 months.

Travel – A total of $11,089 (primarily grant funds) was spent on travel costs for the circuit rider archivist. The cash match of $786.76 and in-kind match of $871.42 were much lower than the budgeted $8,800. As previously reported, the actual figures were lower because lodging costs were over-estimated. The circuit archivist was able to visit several organizations in a region with only one or two overnight stays. Also, we had expected the local organizations to contribute more toward the lodging costs; however, they were reluctant to pay for travel expenses.

Supplies – A total amount of $833.01 in grant funds was spent on supplies - $769.20 on archival supplies for small circuit rider archivist organizations and $63.81 on project supplies.

Services - A total of $2,820 was spent on services: $1,845 in grant funds for printing 500 copies of Preserving Our Future - A Progress Report of the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board and $975 in in-kind contribution by the Georgia Archives for telephone usage.

Informational Meetings - GHRAB requested and obtained approval to use grant funds of $211.45 for meeting costs for holding informational meetings to publicize and encourage organizations to participate in Round Two.

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Attachments

1. List of Circuit Rider Archivist Organizations
2. Feedback from Circuit Rider Archivist Organizations
3. Survey Results of Circuit Rider Archivist Organizations
4. Summary of Historical Records Project Grants – March 2006 Cycle
5. Best Practices Guide for Records Management
6. Sample Article from County Line Newsletter
7. Preserving Our Future; A Progress Report of the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board
8. Minutes of Strategic Planning Session August 23, 2007