State Archives are Joining University System

Responsibilities linked to the state’s archive collection is moving from the Secretary of State’s office to the state Board of Regents, which oversees Georgia’s public colleges and universities.

“This move will allow us to take advantage of the size and scope of the University System,” says Christopher Davidson, the director of the Georgia Archives.

In addition to the transfer, the budget is also getting a $300,000 boost, which will allow the archives to be open to the public two additional days per week.

Starting at the end of July, the hours of operation will be Wednesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

“They will (also) be able to begin conserving materials again, which they haven’t been able to do in a couple years,” says Dianne Cannestra, the president of Friends of Georgia Archives and History.

The archives were established 95 years ago and hold nearly 85,000 cubic feet of records.

“It’s our history as a people.  It’s the history of our state.  There are a lot of documents that can be used in county land disputes….where boundary lines lay.  I could just go on and on and on,” says Cannestra.

The move is scheduled to take place July 1.