FY2007 Annual Report
May 16, 2008
Governor Blunt and Members of the General Assembly:
I am proud to share with you the Records Services Division Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2007 (FY07). This Division consists of three units: the Missouri State Archives, Local Records Preservation Program, and State Records Management Program. These three units work collaboratively to make government records available to the citizens of Missouri and to the nation. The Division's success is evident in the release of new historical resources, creation of educational programs, and financial and technical assistance provided to citizens and public officials throughout the state.
The Missouri State Archives is committed to fostering an appreciation of our common past through increased access to historical records and educational opportunities. This year the staff assisted over 35,000 patrons in-person and through telephone, e-mail, and postal requests. Internet searches continue to grow at an ever-increasing pace. In fact, in FY07, the Archives received more than 30 million web searches, representing a 250% increase.
During FY07, the Archives continued to add digitized records, educational resources, research guides, and other resources to its award-winning website. A major online resource that continues to grow is the Missouri Death Certificate Database, a searchable index with over two million individual death certificates dating from 1910 to 1957; the Archives is also scanning the individual certificates and posting them online so that anyone can locate and print them through the Internet. The Archives released two additional online lesson plans for eighth through twelfth grade students: Crack of the Pistol: Dueling in 19th Century Missouri, and Man’s Best Friend: The Old Drum Story. Such accomplishments and ongoing projects have made the Missouri State Archives a leader in online historical research. Family Tree Magazine selected the Archives website as one of the best in the country for the fifth consecutive year. The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) awarded its highest national honor – an Award of Merit, in recognition of the Missouri Death Certificate Database.
The Local Records Preservation Program helps county and municipal governments preserve their records and make them accessible to the public. Local Records archivists provided in-depth records consultations, helped public officials inventory records, dispose of extraneous documents, created computerized indexes, and preserved and microfilmed records of historical value. We also have the state's only publicly funded conservation laboratory for paper-based documents. During FY07, conservators treated a wide variety of damaged documents from across the state, including a large 1897 map of Cedar County, St. Louis Circuit Court slave freedom suit documents, several late 19th and early 20th Century maps from Cole County, and documents from an 1823 Supreme Court case. Finally, the Local Records Grant Program awarded $355,674 in grants to support 44 preservation and records management projects in 28 counties and the City of St. Louis.
The State Records Management Program promotes the efficiency and continuity of state government by providing state agencies with the resources necessary to manage their records effectively. Staff members help state agencies develop guidelines for the retention of documents, offer training on records management, and provide off-site storage. Records Management has also recently undertaken new physical records tracking and records retention software that will be implemented in FY08. This system will give the Division new tools to better serve the needs of state agencies. During FY07, the State Records Center accepted 27,818 cubic feet of records for off-site storage. Acting on behalf of state agencies, the staff disposed of over 20,815 cubic feet of records that had met their legal retention requirements. Based on a five-year retention schedule, off-site storage of these records at the State Records Center will save Missouri taxpayers more than $1 million.
I am pleased to lead a Division whose efforts are of such benefit to the state and its taxpayers. The Records Services Division places a priority on the "public" in public records. In focused and creative ways, the Division is efficiently delivering public records into the hands and onto the computer screens of our citizens and government officials. This report highlights the achievements mentioned above and many others. I invite you to take a closer look at the Records Services Division and discover where the story of our state begins.
Very truly yours,
Robin Carnahan
Secretary of State