The Archives Rescue Corps is attempting to locate collections of documents that as a whole make up the “archives” of Alaska’s history. It’s an interesting project and one that all of us can take to heart. Many of us, myself included, have an “archives” of documents that relate to our personal family history and often the history of the communities with which we associate ourselves. Following is an excerpt from an interesting article on Alaska’s Archives Rescue Corps.
WASILLA — Cleaning out the attic or basement are chores many dread. For state and local historians, these upcoming acts of spring cleaning can also be a bonanza for preserving Alaska’s historical archives.
Family photo albums, service club ledgers, minutes and saved personal letters and diaries are among those dusty volumes that often find their way into a trash bin, said Frances Field, project coordinator and historian for Juneau-based Archives Rescue Corps. These are some of the archivable items that should be preserved and catalogued.
Archives Rescue Corps and local volunteers like Bethany Buckingham, curator for Wasilla’s Dorothy Page Museum, are mounting an effort to identify and preserve the state’s archives.
“We need to help protect our history, our archives, here in Alaska,” Field said.
The effort is modeled after a national program that catalogued and identified historical archives around the United States, she said. For Alaska, only 29 were listed.
“And we know there are a lot more – a lot more – than 29,” she said.
Read the full article by Greg Johnson in the January 24, 2009 edition of newsminer.com