The Chronicle of Higher Education highlights the partnership between historians and archivist to maintain public access to Georgia’s state archives. We’re seeing a variation to Georgia’s announcement closing the archives all too often: public officials who proclaim the importance of history, and then strip the funding from institutions that preserve our heritage or programs that promote history education. The growing fervor and first steps by Georgia officials towards reversing the decision demonstrates why associations like the AHA, the Society of American Archivists, and National Coalition for History are critical advocates for open and reliable access to historical documents.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.