Secretary of State Jim Condos Announces October as Vermont Archives Month

Montpelier, VT - Secretary of State Jim Condos has declared October as Vermont Archives Month. In celebration, the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA), a division of the Secretary of State's Office, is hosting a series of programs.

"From the great books of land records in VT's town offices, to the neighbor down the street who took those digital photos during Tropical Storm Irene, to the historical records collections in the local historical society or town library, our sense of our unique past has consistently led us to capture and preserve our experience in records," noted Secretary Condos. "As a result of that rich knowledge of our past, we have a better understanding of our present and a clearer glimpse of our future."

Condos added: "Last year's Vermont Archives Month events were very well attended, showing that Vermonters take their records and their history seriously. I am pleased that we can highlight the wonderful work of VSARA through the following events."

Monday, October 14th, VSARA, in cooperation with the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living (DAIL), is hosting an open house highlighting the history of the Brandon Training School. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the school's establishment as well as the 20th anniversary of its closing. The open house will feature exhibits from the recently opened archives of the school. The event will be 3pm-6pm at VSARA's facility located at 1078 US Rte 2 in Middlesex. A short film of the school's 1993 closing ceremony will be shown at 5:00 pm.

Tuesday, October 22nd, the Vermont Historical Records Advisory Board is sponsoring a free workshop entitled "Putting Your Collections Online." The hands-on workshop for archivists and other individuals entrusted with caring for archival collections will focus on using Omeka, a free web-publishing platform. The event will be 2pm-5pm at St. Michael's College. Registration information can be found online at http://tinyurl.com/mfsfl5e.

Thursday, October 24th, VSARA welcomes Jason R. Baron, Director of Litigation at the National Archives. An internationally recognized lecturer and author on electronic records and e-discovery, Baron is presenting a talk entitled "Freedom, Unity, and Information Governance: A Progress Report on the U.S. Archivist's Bold Managing Government Records Directive and its Implications for Recordkeeping in the Public Sector." This event takes place at 1pm in the Pavilion Building auditorium in Montpelier.

Saturday, October 26th, VSARA is holding a second open house. This event will offer behind-the-scene tours and an exhibition of highlights from the State Archives, including the 1777 Vermont constitution; Vermont's copy of the Bill of Rights; records recently accessioned from the Vermont State Hospital and Brandon Training School; and other records illuminating Vermonters, their government, and their history. This event will be 11am-3pm at VSARA's facility located at 1078 US Rte 2 in Middlesex.

Admission to all Archives Month events is free and open to the public. Directions and additional information are available at www.vermont-archives.org or by contacting VSARA at [email protected] or 802-828-2308.

Jim Condos is Vermont�s Secretary of State.