On June 16, AHA President Vicki L. Ruiz and Executive Director James Grossman sent a letter protesting proposed cuts to funding for the research collections at the State Historical Society of Iowa to Governor Terry Branstad and the leadership of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. Read the full letter below or on our website under News and Advocacy.

Since 2000, the staff at the state-funded agency has been reduced from 20 to 3, research hours have been cut to three days a week, and accessioning of new materials has been suspended. A coalition of historians contacted the AHA Research Division expressing their concerns about the cuts. The Research Division advocates for access to archives and research collections, an important aspect of the AHA’s mission.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.