Written by Victoria Vasquez | December 15, 2023

Preserving the Past: Clerk Archives Team Visits Indiana State Archives

The Porter County Clerk Archives team visited the Indiana State Archives on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 for a conservation training workshop to learn about record preservation. Attending the workshop was Victoria Vasquez, Archives Coordinator, Linda Novotny and Victoria Jankowski, who make up the Porter County Clerk Archives team. The Archives team is tasked with the digitization of court records dating back to the county’s formation in 1836 that are held by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The Indiana Archives and Records Administration hosted the workshop at their site located at Indianapolis, Indiana.

Pictured: Victoria Jankowski, Archives Clerk (L); Victoria Vasquez, Archives Coordinator (C); Linda Novotny, Archives Clerk (R).

The Archives team was amongst several other record custodians from across the state, who participated in the workshop facilitated by Indiana State Archives Conservator Elizabeth Hague. Topics of discussion included document repair, proper handling of records to reduce damage, and an overview with practical hands-on instructions on the techniques for mending and cleaning dirty records.

Preservation methods were reviewed throughout the workshop as participants learned why specific tools and techniques are used to repair damaged records. Each workshop participant received a complimentary tool-kit to practice with their on-hands training for the day’s lessons. Participants also received a list of resources to help them with their archiving efforts. Elizabeth instructed the attendants on how to repair some of the most fragile and delicate documents using a variety of archival methods including archival adhesives, mending tissues and Kizuki Kozo Japanese Paper.

Photo Credit: Victoria Vasquez, Archives Coordinator, Porter County Clerk Archives, November 14, 2023; Indiana State Archives.

The Archives and Records Administration works with the Indiana State Historic Records Advisory Board known as SHRAB for historical records planning and preservation of records throughout Indiana. SHRAB was first created by Governor Mitch Daniels in February, 2006 and is tasked with being the central advisory body for records preservation. On January 14, 2013, Governor Michael R. Pence issued executive order 13-13 to ensure the continuation of the Indiana State Historical Records Advisory Board.

After the workshop, the Archives team took a tour of the Indiana State Archives, the largest record repository in the state. During their tour, the Archives team viewed a variety of historical records including correspondences from the early 1800s penned by prior state Governors since the founding of Indiana. Safely tucked away are some of the state’s most valuable documents, including the Indiana Constitution.

Governors’ correspondences neatly tucked away include but are not limited to Governor Oliver P. Morton’s Telegraph Books of Policy Files and Appointing Authorities written between 1861-1865; Governor Albert G. Porter’s Scrapbook; the 1862 Register of Officers of the Draft; Governor Conrad Baker’s documents on Militia Affairs; War Claims; Emigration and Immigration Proclamation; Boys and Girls House of Refuge; a Women’s Prison; a Soldiers Home and the State Debt between 1867-1873; plus miscellaneous records of the Governor from 1816-1883 with the journal of the Senate from 1816-1817.

Photo Credit: Victoria Vasquez, Archives Coordinator, Porter County Clerk Archives, November 14, 2023; Indiana State Archives.

The Indiana State Archives exists to protect and provide access to historical government documents and preserve those records that contribute to Indiana’s heritage. Historical documents preserved at the State Archives include the Indiana State Constitution, which is kept locked in a restricted safe for future generations. Other obsolete records that show the way our society has developed over time include a Register of Negroes and Mulattoes from Ohio County for the years spanning 1854, 1855 and 1857.

Photo Credit: Victoria Vasquez, Archives Coordinator, Porter County Clerk Archives, November 14, 2023; Indiana State Archives.

The Indiana State Records Center provides State government with secure storage, along with the transport and destruction of inactive records. It offers its facility to all 92 counties that would like to transfer their local records to a central repository. IARA is governed by state statute and works with the various county commissions of public records across the state.

The Indiana Archives and Records Administration (IARA) assists State and local government entities in the cost-effective, efficient, and secure management of governmental records by providing services throughout the lifetime of those records. A record’s life begins at its initial creation, the record’s purpose and its use, the time it is in storage, and its final disposition based on its retention schedule. The IARA staff are eager to share their knowledge of expertise with the general public and welcome requests to tour their facilities for a special presentation.

New horizons ahead for the State Archives!

The State Archives will be moving to a new location in 2025. The facility will offer more space to help local agencies with their record storage. A work in progress that is long overdue.

Reference: Victoria Vasquez, Archives Coordinator, Porter County Clerk Archives, Road Trip to Indiana State Archives, November 14, 2023.