The Archives Division of the Office of the Secretary of State of Oregon, or the Oregon State Archives, is an agency of the

Oregon Secretary of State The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in the line of succession to the List of Governors of Oregon, governor. The duties of the offi ...

charged with preserving and providing access to government records. The Oregon State Archives is open for research by appointment. It also publishes the '' Oregon Blue Book'' and ''

Oregon Administrative Rules ''Oregon Administrative Rules Compilation'' (OAR) is the official compilation of rules and regulations, having the force of law in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the regulatory and administrative corollary to Oregon Revised Statutes, and is publ ...

''. The position of State Archivist was authorized by the

state legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...

in 1945, though not filled until 1947, and was originally a staff position within the

Oregon State Library The State Library of Oregon in Salem, is the library for the U.S. state of Oregon. The mission of the State Library of Oregon is to provide leadership and resources to continue growing vibrant library services for Oregonians with print disabil ...

. The duties and functions of the archivist were placed under the purview of the Secretary of State in 1973, when that office was deemed the chief records officer of the state government by the legislature. it comprises the state archivist, a reference unit, a publications unit, an information and records management unit, and the State Records Center.

History

Before the division was established, Oregon's record keeping had been delegated to various agencies resulting in disorganization and loss. Following a fire at the capitol building in 1935 and in the face of possible air raids during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the need for a state-level archivist became clear. The first state archivist was David Duniway. In 1991 the two-story Oregon State Archives Building was opened, providing two vaults, climate-controlled storage, and 50,000 sq. ft. of space. Its exterior is

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

and

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

. Cecil L. Edwards (1906–1995), who served as chief clerk of the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

in 1963 and as state legislative historian from 1975 to 1993, died on December 22, 1995, after which the building was renamed in his honor.

List of state archivists

* David C. Duniway (1946–1972) * James D. Porter (1972–May 1984) * Dale Hildebrand (''interim'') * Roy C. Turnbaugh (1985–Sept. 2005) * Mary Beth Herkert (Dec. 2005–May 2019) * Stephanie Clark (2019)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Archives, Oregon State State archives of the United States Buildings and structures in Salem, Oregon Culture of Salem, Oregon 1947 establishments in Oregon

History

List of state archivists

References

Further reading

External links