General Information

In each state there is or will be an individual responsible for maintaining liaison and communication between the FGS Records Access and Preservation Committee and the statewide genealogical/historical community with respect to matters concerning the preservation of and access to national, state and local historical records of genealogical and historical interest.

Appointments - Selection

Records Access and Preservation Liaison persons will be appointed from within the state genealogical/historical community by the state's genealogical umbrella organization where one exists, or by agreement of local genealogical/historical societies where there is no single umbrella organization. In such cases the FGS Records Access and Preservation Committee will request a suitable individual or organization to take the lead in seeking such appointment.

Responsibilities

1) Create and maintain within the state a communications network involving as many local genealogical/historical societies as are willing to cooperate.

2) Monitor state and local legislative and regulatory or administrative activities relating to records access and preservation.

3) Serve as primary communications link between the genealogical/historical community of the state and the FGS Records Access and Preservation Committee.

A. Transmits information to the Committee about records access and preservation activities within the state, including both problems (issues) and successes.

B. Transmits information from the Committee with respect to national and regional records access and preservation activities to the state genealogical/historical community.

4) Provide information in a timely manner regarding state and local issues to the RP&A Committee Chairman, David Rencher at fgs-access@fgs.org.

5) Assemble data for the state and each county within the state for records that are available and the retention schedules which will be posted on the state pages of the RP&A web site.*

6) Organize and/or promote coordinated action to respond to issues with respect to records access and preservation matters.

In carrying out these responsibilities the appointed liaison person may, and should, involve as many other persons within the state genealogical/historical community as s/he deems appropriate.

It is not intended that the liaison do all the work his/herself.

* States have a Records Management Schedule and a Records Retention Schedule. Merging these two documents will produce the needed information. Many of these are online at the State Archives Web sites. The information can usually be gathered off the Web but in some cases books will have to be used. For an example of how this can be done, visit the Arizona RP&A Records Retention and County by County pages at http://www.fgs.org/rpa/Az.htm.