Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos was recently honored in Washington, DC by the Council of State Archivists (CoSA) as the recipient of the 2018 Advocacy for Archives Award. Condos was honored at the “Promoting Transparency” joint meeting of the Council of State Archivists, National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators, and Society of American Archivists.
The Advocacy for Archives Award acknowledges an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to efforts by state and local government archives to ensure the preservation and availability of American historical records.
“Public records are the cornerstone of government transparency and should be recognized and managed as public assets,” said Secretary Condos. “I am proud of our work promoting the importance of public records at the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration, and our ongoing efforts to increase ease of access for the public and the press.”
The Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) is a division within the Secretary of State’s office. Since taking office in 2011, Secretary Condos has worked with VSARA to increase access to public records and improve efficiency.
Examples include:
· Infrastructure upgrades that ensure dedicated archival processing spaces, improved work spaces for reference staff, and additional workstations for records and information management staff;
· Partnering with the Vermont Department of Libraries to improve the preservation of, and access to, state agency reports, legislative reports, and newspapers of record;
· Participating in the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP), which led to the first commercial digital preservation system, and an appropriation for VSARA to procure this system for preserving digital public archival records;
· Launching Vermont’s digital state archives, “VT Retain,” which includes a public access portal for searching, accessing and downloading digital archival public records; and
· Creating a "roving archivist” position and the Vermont Historical Records Program to support Vermont historical records repositories statewide, both of which were expanded this year through additional funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
“I want to thank State Archivist Tanya Marshall and the entire VSARA staff for their hard work and ongoing commitment to preserving our history and government records, and their tremendous customer service ensuring access for the public,” said Secretary Condos. “I’m honored to receive this award on behalf of the Secretary of State’s Office and VSARA team.”