Illinois
State Historical Records Advisory Board
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Please Note: What is
displayed here is a stripped down version of the strategic plan. The
printed edition includes numerous illustrations which are not
provided here because the file’s size would require most users over
one hour's time to download them. Those who want a copy of the
printed report should request the same using the
Illinois State Archives
Contact Form.
Choose Illinois State Historical Records
Advisory Board (ISHRAB) as the subject. |
Preserving the Records of Illinois' Past
for the Benefit of the Present and the Future, 2001
A Strategic Plan Produced by the
Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/ishrab/ishrab.html
This strategic plan for preserving
historical records in Illinois and making them available for the
widest use was funded by a grant from the National Historical
Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) and supported by the
Illinois State Archives and the Illinois Secretary of State, Jesse
White.
Purpose
of the Strategic Plan
The purpose of this strategic plan is to assess how
historical records in Illinois are currently being identified,
preserved and made accessible for use and to articulate goals,
objectives and actions that will enhance identification,
preservation and access to such records.
The Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board (ISHRAB)
is, by agreement between the Governor and the Secretary of State,
coterminous with the membership of the Illinois State Archives
Advisory Board, authorized by section 22a of the State Records Act
(5 ILCS 160). Members are listed at the end of this document .
Mission
The Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board promotes the
identification, preservation, access to and use of historical
records in Illinois. It advocates and encourages professional
custodianship and cooperation in the recordkeeping community in
order to ensure citizens' access to records and the preservation of
their cultural and historical heritage.
Vision
Within three years the Illinois State Historical Records
Advisory Board will have become a supported entity of the Illinois
State Archives through legislative mandate. As such, it will promote
professional practice in the creation, care of and access to
historical documents in the public and private sectors of Illinois
through education, advocacy and financial and staff assistance.
Methodology of the
Plan
The Illinois State Historical Records
Advisory Board in 1999-2000:
- Reviewed strategic plans produced by fifteen other state
historical records advisory boards.
- Engaged the consultant services of Maynard Brichford,
University Archivist emeritus of the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Fellow and Past President of
the Society of American Archivists. Mr. Brichford prepared an
assessment of the status of historical records in Illinois with
recommendations for improving their preservation and enhancing
access to them. His report can be found on the Internet at:
http://cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/ishrab/ishrrept.html.
Analyzed the results of the 1996 survey of archival
repositories in Illinois conducted by the Illinois State
Historical Records Advisory Board for the Council of State
Historical Records Coordinators.
Reviewed the 1982 "Survey and Assessment Report" on
the archival situation in Illinois produced by the Illinois
State Historical Records Advisory Board.
Held four meetings with Marilyn Foster Kirk, Associate
Director/Chief Operating Officer, Institute for Health Services
Research and Policy Studies, Northwestern University, as its
contracted strategic planning facilitator to create and discuss
this strategic plan.
Conferred with allied organizations to obtain comments on the
draft plan and conducted five public meetings to gain input on
the draft strategic plan from interested members of the general
public in Illinois. These were held on May 24 in Chicago,
September 21 in Springfield, October 12 in Carbondale, October
24 in Chicago, and October 27 in Mundelein, all in the year
2000.
Following revision of the strategic plan to address issues which
arose in the public meetings, the Board adopted the plan on February
16, 2001. The Board will be responsible for monitoring the plan’s
progress and will conduct annual reviews and report progress to the
interested public.
What are
Historical Records?
All organizations, institutions and individuals create
records simply in the process of doing their day-to-day activities.
Such organizations and institutions include governmental agencies,
businesses, churches, synagogues and other religious bodies,
colleges, universities and other educational institutions, labor
unions and a broad array of other cultural, social, political and
economic organizations and institutions. Individuals include
ordinary citizens as well as distinguished or prominent persons.
Records created by individuals, institutions and organizations in
the course of their everyday activities may contain information or
evidence that has value for future generations. If so, these records
are considered to be historical records. As such they deserve to be
preserved in an archival repository and made accessible for use both
today and in the future by government officials, historians,
attorneys, genealogists, students, journalists and members of the
general public.
Historical records have many formats—they may be paper-based
textual records such as letters, diaries, memoranda and financial
records; they may be audio and visual records such as magnetic
tapes, CDs, photographs, and motion picture films; or they may be
generated by computers in electronic formats and stored on magnetic
disks, tapes, cartridges or CDs.
No matter what their origin or format, historical records provide
invaluable information on what happened in the past, and frequently
they illuminate the present. As such they clearly deserve to be
preserved for use today and conveyed to future generations who will
want to know what happened in past times and why those things
happened.
Kinds of
Repositories
Historical records are held by two basic types of archival
repositories—institutional archives that have as their primary
mission the preservation of historical records of the particular
institution of which they are a part and general or cultural
archival repositories that have as their primary mission the
preservation of historical records for historical or cultural
purposes. Archival repositories are institutions where historical
records are identified, preserved and made accessible for use.
Among institutional archives are those administered by
governmental agencies (these include federal, state and local
repositories), corporations and other businesses, religious bodies,
and various other cultural, social, educational, economic and
political organizations and institutions. Among general or cultural
archival repositories are those administered by historical
societies, libraries, manuscript repositories and museums. Archival
repositories at colleges and universities often carry out the
functions of both of these two main types of repositories.
Historical records may be public records (i.e., created by
taxpayer-funded governmental entities) or private records (i.e.,
created by private organizations, institutions and individuals).
Summary Assessment of
the Present Situation
of Historical Records in Illinois
Is an adequate and representative
historical record of life in Illinois being preserved and made
available for use by today's citizens and future generations? The
answer, unfortunately, is no.
The current situation for the identification, preservation and
accessibility of historical records in Illinois is uneven at best.
While significant progress has been made since the Illinois State
Historical Records Advisory Board’s historical records needs
survey and assessment report was issued in 1982, there remains ample
room for improvement.
Accomplishments
Perhaps the most significant accomplishments in the area of
historical records in Illinois have been in the identification,
preservation and making available for use the historical records
generated by Illinois state government. The Illinois State Archives
has done a commendable job in this regard. Moreover, the Illinois
State Archives has played a key leadership role through its Illinois
Regional Archival Depository (IRAD) system in facilitating the
preservation and accessibility of county and local governmental
records in Illinois. A significant step forward also taken by the
Illinois State Archives was the establishment of an IRAD repository
at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, thus creating the
first archival repository, however modest, for early local
governmental records in Cook County.
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Major
Problems
Despite these
important developments, four very urgent problems remain.
- Illinois does not have a central state
historical/cultural agency charged with responsibility
for promoting the identification, preservation and
making available for use both publicly and privately
generated historical records of enduring value. In
other states such a leadership role is played by a
state historical society or a state department of
archives and history. In Illinois this responsibility,
for various historical reasons, is divided among
several bodies such as the Illinois State Archives,
the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, and the
Illinois State Historical Society. Thus there exists a
lack of unified and coordinated leadership in regard
to overall responsibility for historical records in
Illinois.
- There currently exists no adequate archival
repository to identify, preserve and make available
for use the mass of historical records generated by
the City of Chicago and Cook County. This situation
deteriorated further in 1993 with the closing of the
City of Chicago's Municipal Reference Library which
had served as an invaluable resource for scholars and
members of the general public for over ninety-two
years. Thus the public historical records of one of
the largest and most significant metropolitan regions
in the world are not being adequately cared for and
are in danger of being lost to future generations.
- Historical records generated by private
institutions, organizations and individuals in
Illinois are not being adequately identified,
preserved and made available for use. This is
especially the case in the Chicago metropolitan area
but it is also a significant problem in most of the
other counties in the state.
- The major cultural institutions in Illinois whose
missions include identifying, preserving and making
accessible historical records from private sources
have faced severe funding constraints that have
prevented them from adequately discharging their
missions.
Unless these glaring problems are addressed adequately,
current Illinois citizens as well as future generations of
Illinoisans will be deprived of the invaluable information
and evidence that historical records provide to illuminate
our times.
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Six
Major Goals
| 1) |
Promote
the identification, acquisition and preservation
of historical records in all formats. |
| 2) |
Promote
improved access to and increased use of historical
records in Illinois. |
| 3) |
Foster
cooperation among individuals and institutions
concerned with the collection, preservation,
access to and use of historical records in
Illinois. |
| 4) |
Promote
knowledge of and adherence to standards of
professional practice in the custodianship of
historical records. |
| 5) |
Advocate
a heightened awareness of the importance and
usefulness of historical records. |
| 6) |
Advocate
adequate funding for the identification,
preservation of and access to historical records. |
This strategic plan provides
an overall framework for addressing significant issues
involving historical records in Illinois and enumerates
goals, objectives and actions relating to these issues.
Within the context of these six overarching strategic goals,
five steps are most urgently needed regarding Illinois
historical records.
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Five
Most Critical Steps
- Expand the role and responsibility of the Illinois
State Historical Records Advisory Board to help
resolve the current problem of a lack of coordination
in the Illinois historical records community. This is
one of the most useful steps that can be taken by all
those concerned with historical records in Illinois.
Such an expanded role for the ISHRAB would require
substantial additional financial support from the
Illinois State Archives in order to ensure an adequate
level of staffing for the ISHRAB.
- Advocate to government officials in the City of
Chicago and in Cook County the paramount need to
establish an archival repository to identify, preserve
and make accessible the historically valuable public
records of the city and the county.
- Identify means to support existing Illinois
historical records repositories in discharging their
missions and encourage those Illinois organizations
and institutions without historical records programs
to form viable archives.
- IRAD institutions and other existing historical
records repositories should coordinate efforts to
expand their collection and preservation of neglected
non-governmental historical records pertaining to
their respective regions.
- Promote professional practices among historical
records volunteers and administrators, especially
those involved with non-governmental records. Host
Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
institutions should promote professional practices
regionally.
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Goal One
Promote the identification, acquisition and preservation of
historical records in all formats.
A more comprehensive documentation of Illinois history is needed.
Significant gaps exist in the identification and preservation of
historical records in all formats, particularly in the Chicago area,
but also throughout the state.
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Objective
1.1
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Promote
adequate documentation of the history of all regions in the
state.
Actions related to objective 1.1: |
|
1.1.1 |
Support the
establishment of a public archives for Chicago and
Cook County.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2003 |
|
1.1.2 |
Encourage
Chicago-area repositories to work together to ensure that
private historical records produced in the metropolitan area
are identified and collected.
Implementation schedule: ongoing |
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1.1.3 |
Encourage the
development of additional IRADs.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2003 |
|
1.1.4 |
Encourage each
IRAD host institution to commence or expand the collection
of non-governmental historical records generated in its
region and in turn encourage local area repositories to
collect historical records.
Implementation schedule: ongoing |
|
1.1.5 |
Promote the value
of establishing and maintaining internal institutional
archival programs at private organizations and institutions.
Implementation schedule: ongoing |
|
1.1.6 |
Encourage
historical records repositories to adopt and maintain
well-defined collection policies.
Implementation schedule: ongoing*
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Objective
1.2
|
Ensure
the physical protection of Illinois records having
historical value.
Actions related to Objective 1.2: |
|
1.2.1 |
Promote knowledge
of preservation procedures among records custodians by
developing and/or providing Internet access to information
and/or guidelines concerning: a) the proper environment for
and storage of records in all formats; b) disaster plans;
and c) names of organizations and firms offering disaster
assistance; traditional paper preservation services; copying
in microform, digital and other formats; and the
preservation and migration of electronic records.
Implementation schedule: 2002* |
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1.2.2 |
Support
preservation projects of at-risk historical records provided
they adhere to well-defined collection policies and
professional standards.
Implementation schedule: 2002**
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Objective
1.3
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Assist
records creators in understanding the critical importance of
electronic records to the permanent historical record of
Illinois and its citizens.
Actions related to Objective 1.3: |
|
1.3.1 |
The ISHRAB will
work to ensure that state statutes reflect the fact that all
state and local governmental records of enduring value,
including those created, transmitted or maintained in
electronic format, must remain accessible to the public.
Implementation schedule: ongoing |
|
1.3.2 |
Promulgate model
guidelines for the implementation of electronic records
programs at private organizations and institutions in
Illinois.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2002*
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1.3.3 |
Encourage the
Secretary of State to hire staff for the Illinois State
Archives who have been trained in electronic records
management.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2003
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Goal Two
Promote improved access to and increased use of historical
records in Illinois.
Unnecessary access restrictions and lack of information about
historical records repositories and their holdings have made it
difficult for the public to benefit from historical records.
Facilitating access and use by educating records-keepers, supporting
arrangement and description and utilizing new technologies is
critical to securing wider public support.
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Objective
2.1
|
Encourage
best practices in archival arrangement and description.
Actions related to Objective 2.1: |
|
2.1.1 |
Support archival
arrangement of unorganized collections and their description
in archival finding aids conforming to widely accepted
professional standards; encourage greater use of on-line
description.
Implementation schedule: ongoing**
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Objective
2.2
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Increase
the availability of information about historical records
repositories and their collections.
Actions related to Objective 2.2: |
|
2.2.1 |
Use
data from existing surveys of historical records
repositories to create a website for the entire Illinois
historical records community providing a directory of
repositories, organizational holdings and links to state and
national related resources.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2002* |
|
2.2.2 |
Encourage
the preparation of repository-level guides and/or online
catalogs, and their posting on local websites.
Implementation schedule: ongoing |
|
2.2.3 |
Encourage
the reporting of descriptive information on collections to
national and state bibliographic databases (e.g., OCLC, RLIN,
Illinet), or to the National Union Catalog of Manuscript
Collections.
Implementation schedule: ongoing |
|
2.2.4 |
Develop
and/or adopt existing digitization guidelines regarding the
selection of materials for digitization.
Implementation schedule: ongoing*
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Objective
2.3
|
Promote
and support the use of historical records.
Actions related to Objective 2.3: |
|
2.3.1 |
Provide guidelines
and/or instructional brochures to encourage the elimination
of unnecessary access restrictions which impede the use of
public and private records.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2002* |
|
2.3.2 |
Support efforts to
educate public officials about their legal obligations and
responsibilities regarding access to the records in their
care.
Implementation schedule: ongoing |
|
2.3.3 |
Encourage a
reassessment of 1) the definition of records and 2)
exemptions to public access to records as stated in the
Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140) and the
State Records Act (5 ILCS 160).
Implementation schedule: 2001-2002
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Goal Three
Foster cooperation among individuals and institutions concerned
with the collection, preservation, access to and use of historical
records in Illinois.
Within Illinois there exists a wide range of institutions and
individuals collecting, preserving and making available for use
historical records. Successfully reaching all institutions and
individuals and turning words of cooperation to deeds will be a
challenging but essential task for the broad implementation of these
strategic goals and objectives.
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Objective
3.1
|
Create
a statewide organizational structure to enable maximum
cooperation among historical organizations, agencies and
individuals.
Actions related to Objective 3.1: |
|
3.1.1 |
Expand the
ISHRAB's membership structure and mandate to promote
coordination and cooperation.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2002 |
|
3.1.2 |
Develop and
promote a public identity for the ISHRAB through dynamic
graphics and publicity materials in print and electronic
formats.
Implementation schedule: ongoing
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Objective
3.2
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Utilize
electronic communication tools to enhance cooperation.
Actions related to Objective 3.2: |
|
3.2.1 |
Create a listserve
for Illinois historical records repositories to facilitate
communication about collections and professional issues.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2003 |
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3.2.2 |
Create a public
listserve to facilitate interaction between the public and
members of the historical records community.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2003
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Goal Four
Promote knowledge of and adherence to standards of professional
practice in the custodianship of historical records.
All historical records custodians in the state of Illinois need
adequate training, continuing education and access to professional
resources to properly care for the state's historical records.
Assisting repositories in observing professional archival standards
is especially critical in the context of the widely divergent
backgrounds of current custodians of historical records in Illinois.
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Objective
4.1
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Promote
professional archival standards and disseminate information
regarding those standards.
Actions related to Objective 4.1: |
|
4.1.1 |
Establish new,
reinstitute former or utilize existing publications to
disseminate information on standards.
Implementation schedule: ongoing* |
|
4.1.2 |
Utilize electronic
tools to disseminate information on standards and guidelines
and links to information regarding best practices in all
areas of archival work.
Implementation schedule: ongoing* |
|
4.1.3 |
Establish a
regular program to convey standards to local organizations
and regional groups and through them reach a broad audience.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2003* |
|
4.1.4 |
Encourage
historical records custodians to attend meetings of the
Midwest Archives Conference and take advantage of other
related educational opportunities.
Implementation schedule: ongoing |
|
4.1.5 |
Encourage the
development and expansion of graduate education
opportunities for Illinois archivists and historical records
curators according to professional archival standards.
Implementation schedule: ongoing |
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4.1.6 |
Encourage existing
and future IRAD centers and their host universities to take
a leadership role in planning and holding workshops,
mentorships and other information exchanges regarding best
professional practices for the care of historical records.
Implementation schedule: ongoing
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Objective
4.2
|
Disseminate
information of benefit to the Illinois historical records
community.
Actions related to Objective 4.2: |
|
4.2.1 |
The publication, For
the Record, should be revived under the full editorial
control of the Illinois State Archives and distributed
widely in paper form with its contents also available on the
State Archives website.1
Implementation schedule: 2001 |
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4.2.2 |
Disseminate
information on the availability of grant funds and existing
funding sources for the professional care of historical
records.
Implementation schedule: ongoing |
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4.2.3 |
The ISHRAB should
cooperate with existing state and local organizations in
encouraging information sharing and interaction.
Implementation schedule: ongoing
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Goal Five
Advocate a heightened awareness of the importance and usefulness
of historical records.
The general public as well as the actual creators, holders and users
of historical records need to be made aware of those records'
utility, uniqueness and value to future generations.
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Objective
5.1
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Encourage
an appreciation of and the use of historical records by
publishing facsimiles of historical records and making the
facsimiles readily available to the citizens of Illinois.
Actions related to objective 5.1: |
|
5.1.1 |
Maintain and
strengthen the State Archives publication program for
teaching packages.2
Implementation schedule: ongoing |
|
5.1.2 |
Place the existing
and future packages on the Secretary of State/Illinois State
Archives website.
Implementation schedule: ongoing |
|
5.1.3 |
Encourage and
provide support for local historical records repositories in
developing print or electronic facsimiles of educationally
significant historical documents.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2002**
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Objective
5.2
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The Illinois State
Historical Records Advisory Board should serve in a
leadership role in communicating on archival issues within
the state of Illinois on an ongoing basis.
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Objective
5.3
|
The ISHRAB should
develop means to increase public awareness of the utility,
uniqueness and value of historical records for today's
citizens and future generations as resources allow.3
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Goal Six
Advocate Adequate Funding for the Identification, Preservation of
and Access to Historical Records.
Historical records repository programs will be only as effective as
the resources allocated to them. Illinois historical records
repositories, especially the smaller institutions, suffer from
chronic underfunding which results in less than adequate
identification, preservation, access to and use of historical
records.
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Objective
6.1
|
Secure
additional revenue for Illinois historical records
repositories.
Actions related to Objective 6.1: |
|
6.1.1 |
The ISHRAB should
apply to the National Historical Publications and Records
Commission for funds to operate a regrant program in which
historical records repositories can compete for funds which
the repositories in turn will match.4
Regrants will allow the directing of funds for archival
processing to non-major repositories that provide secure
storage and user access.
Implementation schedule: 2001 |
|
6.1.2 |
The ISHRAB
will assist in the development of quality regrant
applications by professional consultation beginning with the
grant application and concluding with project completion.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2002* ** |
|
6.1.3 |
The ISHRAB should
seek federal and state library financial support for the
Illinois historical records community.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2002 |
|
6.1.4 |
The ISHRAB should
seek grants from national agencies and organizations to
develop statewide or regional projects.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2002*
|
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Objective
6.2
|
The
ISHRAB should seek the resources and assistance required for
it to provide statewide leadership and support for
historical records needs.
Actions related to Objective 6.2: |
|
6.2.1 |
The ISHRAB should
request additional professional personnel based at the State
Archives to staff the board's expanded responsibilities,
including the provision of assistance to small local
repositories in developing grant proposals.
Implementation schedule: 2001
|
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Objective
6.3
|
The
ISHRAB should encourage individual historical records
repositories to seek new revenue sources.
Actions related to Objective 6.3: |
|
6.3.1 |
Utilize existing
and new web-based communication media to disseminate
information on funding opportunities including examples of
successful grant projects.
Implementation schedule: 2001-2002*
|
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*
**
|
dependent upon success of action 6.2.1
dependent upon success of action 6.1.1
|
Footnotes
1The
Illinois State Archives suspended publication of For the Record,
its semi-annual newsletter, with the summer 1996 issue. Previously,
this publication had been an exceptionally valuable resource for
historical records repositories statewide. 2Since
1982 the Illinois State Archives has produced a teaching package of
historical document facsimiles with a teacher’s manual every four
years. These have included packages on: The Illinois and Michigan
Canal, 1827-1911; Illinois at War, 1941-1945; From the
Ashes, 1872-1900; Early Chicago, 1833-1871 and Windows
to the Past, 1818-1880. Distribution has been free of charge to
each public high school in the state and to each Illinois educational
institution requesting the same. High school students represent a
large segment of the general public and constitute an excellent
audience to be introduced to historical documentation. 3Other
states' boards have identified projects including public service radio
and television announcements, an "archives week," brochures
and coordinated exhibits and lectures at individual repositories
statewide.
4Regrants
are block grants made by the NHPRC upon application from state
historical records advisory boards. The NHPRC granted funds are then
available for the state boards to reallocate or regrant to fund
archival projects smaller than those funded by the NHPRC's regular
awards program.
Members of the
Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board:
Patrick M. Quinn, University Archivist,
Northwestern University, Evanston, Chair
Martha T. Briggs, Associate Curator of
Modern Manuscripts, The Newberry Library, Chicago
Dr. Stephen Kerber, University
Archivist, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
David V. Koch, Curator of Special
Collections, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
William J. Maher, University Archivist,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Dr. Dominic A. Pacyga, Professor of
History, Columbia College, Chicago
Dr. Leslie J. Reagan, Professor of
History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Joan Ritter, Member, Illinois Local
Records Commision; Mayor, City of Lincoln
Diane M. Ryan, Information Services
Coordinator, Chicago Historical Society
Robert Schwarz, Member, Illinois State
Records Commission; Illinois Department of Central Management
Services, Springfield
Becky Haglund Tousey, Archives Manager,
Kraft Foods, Inc., Morton Grove
Elisabeth Wittman, Director for
Archives and Chief Archivist, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
Chicago
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Ex-Officio
Members: |
|
Dr. Thomas F.
Schwartz, State Historian, Illinois Historic Preservation
Agency, Springfield
(Designated representative: Gary T. Stockton)
|
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Jean Wilkins,
Director, Illinois State Library, Springfield
(Designated representative: Dr. Jodi N. Martinez)
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With the
support of:
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Dr. John Daly, Director, Illinois State Archives, Springfield
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Robert Bailey, Illinois State Archives
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Mark Sorensen, Illinois State Archives
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 Back
to Illinois State Historical Records
Advisory Board page
|
