From the Annual Meeting Supplement to the December 2004 Perspectives
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Welcome to the Washington State
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The Office of the Secretary of State is pleased to announce the opening of the Washington State Digital Archives, the nation’s first archives dedicated specifically to the preservation of electronic records from both state and local agencies that have permanent legal, fiscal, or historical value. Located in Cheney, Washington, on the Eastern Washington University campus, the new facility was designed from the ground up to host this technically complex project. The Web interface and database storehouse were custom designed specifically to hold the unique and important electronic records found throughout the state, and to provide simple, straightforward access to researchers.
The agency began strategic planning for the digital archives in
March 2000 and completed construction in June 2004.
The Washington State Digital Archive blends the latest technologies
with traditional archival theory to create a first of its kind
repository housing the historical electronic records of state and
local government
and making them easily accessible to the public, from anywhere,
at anytime. The first records brought into the facility’s care
were marriage records from three pilot counties—Chelan, Snohomish
and Spokane—along with historic census and naturalization records
from the Washington State Archives and Washington State Library.
More information about the project can be found on the archives web site at www.digitalarchives.wa.gov.
— Adam Jansen, digital archivist, the Washington State Archives.
Copyright © American Historical Association
Last Updated: January 23, 2008 3:14 PM