The Archives

The county's Archives maintains approximately 7,500 cubic feet of records, dating from 1680 to the present. The Archives are the official repository of publications produced by county government. Records are stored according to professional archival standards in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment and in acid-free boxes and folders.

A professional staff includes three trained archivists, as well as a micrographics and scanning supervisor. Approximately 10 volunteers and student interns, working under the direction of a volunteer director, assist in processing collections and in serving the public in the reading room.

The archives staff facilitates workshops to instruct teachers and librarians in the use of government documents in the classroom and for public information, as well as serving the public researchers who utilize the reading room. There is a complete "Guide to the Collections" on the Archives web site, as well as published a pamphlet on doing genealogical research.

A conservation and microfilming program of the archives' maps, photographs, administrative and court records has been in effect since 1990. One of the most important projects in the archives is the scanning of all new maps to meet demands for both preservation and access. In addition, the scanning unit assists in archiving all land records filed in the county clerk’s office, scans important historical documents for Finance and Human Resources and handles discrete one-time preservation projects, such as the imaging of all the personnel cards.