rchives
[Photo courtesy California State Archives]
Many
State Archives holdings are as colorful as
California itself. The Department
of Corrections collection for example, holds
mug shots and inmate records dating from the
nineteenth century. And among its six floors of
records, the State Archives houses one of its most
precious holdings, the handwritten 1849
State Constitution.
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2004
Archives Week poster.
[Photo courtesy California State Archives]
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Rebecca
Wendt, a lead archivist at the agency, says
library staff can refer their customers to the
State Archives and an archivist will help the
customers locate hard to find texts. She says that
“its best when customers have specific research
requests” because the State Archives does not
have a browsing collection. For example, a library
customer seeking the reason for his or her traffic
ticket would be best served by targeting the State
Archives California law documents, a collection
many attorneys use for court cases.
The
State Archives is also a great resource for
library customers interested in genealogy. Wendt
says that genealogists find the State Archives’
professional (medical, cosmological and so on)
license records dating from the nineteenth century
enormously helpful.
Any
member of the public can ask an archivist at the
State Archives to help locate a document. The
archivists will, according to Wendt, “pull files
together in boxes or pages and make copies for 25
cents a page." Because archive materials are
fragile, the public may not handle the items.
|
2005
Archives Week poster.
[Photo courtesy California State Archives]
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Non-traditional
State Archives programs
In
addition to its traditional archival duties, the
California State Archives administers an Oral
Histories program, and leads California’s
participation in the national educational outreach
program, Archives Month.
Oral
Histories
The
State Archives’ Oral
Histories, interviews with state government
officials, members of the media, and “people in
the [state government] trenches,” lend
subjective insight to the State Archives’
historical texts. Professional oral historians,
experts in California policy and politics at the
University of California at Berkeley and the
University of California at Los Angeles, among
others, conduct the recorded interviews. These
oral histories have included such public figures
as Ronald Reagan, Edmund G. Brown, Sr., long-time
legislator Ralph Dills, Proposition 13 champion
Paul Gann, California author Carey McWilliams, and
former Superintendent of Public Instruction Wilson
Riles.
“We
liken the oral histories to knowledge mining,”
Wendt says.
The
histories are available in bound volumes at the
State Archives and the California State Library.
In addition, the State Archives staff is working
hard to put the transcripts on the archives
website. People interested in listening to the
histories may do so by visiting the State Archives
at 1020 "O" Street in Sacramento.
Archives
Month
Archives
Month (formerly Archives Week), a national
campaign that engages the American public in the
world of history and research, has been successful
at the California State Archives for two years.
California’s program promotes the State Archives
as available to anyone interested in California
history, policy and politics. During California’s 2005 Archives
Week, the State Archives held an open house, gave
“behind the scenes” tours, and hosted
distinguished speakers who had used archival
materials in their work. Wendt reports that the event was extended to a month in 2006 because it
is so popular.
Wendt
says California’s new Archives Month will offer even
more opportunities to show the public what
archivists do and why historical records are so
important in our culture. This year, Archives
Month is in October. The State Archives Open House
will be on October 7 and Family History Day will
be on October 14th. Please check the State
Archives’ events
page for upcoming details.
For
more information about the State Archives
collections, please visit their website.
To contact the State Archives directly please call
916-653-7715.
