Archives II, the design team of HOK/Ellerbe Becket will offer the National Archives three conceptual designs in November and December 1988. The design of Archives II will be completed in early 1990 and construction is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 1993. The National Archives plans to begin to move into Archives II in 1994. Archivist Signs International Agreement At the recent meeting in Paris of the International Congress of Archives, Dr. Don W. Wilson signed a reimbursable agreement with Renato Grispo, Director of the Italian Archives, which provides for the National Archives to microfilm the records of the World War II Allied Control Commission in Italy over a sevenyear period. The project will be located at the Washington National Records Center. The processing will be done by the Office of the National Archives and the filming will be done by the Office of Federal Records Centers. The reimbursable agreement will be monitored by the Program Policy and Evaluation Division. Archives Library Information Center Now Part of the National In cooperation with the Society of American Archivists, the Library of Congress, the American Association for State and Local History, the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators, and other members of the Archives and Records Information Coalition, the National Archives has begun development of an Archives Library Information Center (ALIC). ALIC is located in the National Archives library and is staffed by library personnel. ALIC serves as a central point of information for the archival and records management community, including institutions, businesses, government agencies and individuals. ALICS's goals include making the existing resources of the library more accessible by producing an annual list of publications received at the library and a quarterly list of acquisitions of archival interest and providing these lists to institutions requesting them. One of ALIC's most valuable resources is an automated database of archival literature which is being produced as continuing project. The National Archives library will either loan materials on interlibrary loan, reproduce uncopyrighted materials for a fee, or suggest other sources for materials requested by ALIC users. ALIC was formally introduced at the March 1988 meeting of the Archives and Records Information Coalition, and Robert Bohanan, the new National Archives librarian, made an ALIC presentation on September 30 at the Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting in Atlanta. ALIC can be reached by telephone on (202) 523-8652, or by mail at the following address: ALIC (NNRS), National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC 20408. Maryellen Trautman is the contact person for ALIC, but inquiries can be handled by all reference staff. Reagan Library Underway The National Archives is now empowered to accept the Reagan Library building, grounds, and equipment from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation under the terms of the Presidential Libraries Act. The law requires that a report on the proposed facility must lay before the Congress for 60 days of continuous session before the National Archives may accept the proposed Library. Following disscussions with the architectural firm on the detailed design of the building and its systems, a Federal environmental assessment will be undertaken. A ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled for November 21, 1988. NHPRC Announces Annual Editing Institute The 18th annual Institute for the Editing of Historical Documents is scheduled for June 19-30, 1989, in Madison, Wisconsin. Jointly sponsored by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and the University of Wisconsin, the institute will provide detailed theoretical and practical instruction in documentary editing. Major funding for the institute is provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Further information and application forms are available from the NHPRC, Room 300, National Archives Building, Washington, DC 20408. Telephone (202) 523-3092. Application deadline is March 15, 1989. NHPRC 1987 Annual Report Now Available The 1987 Annual Report for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) is now available. The Report includes a listing of all Publications and Records Grants awarded during the fiscal year. It also profiles selected projects, including the Papers of James Madison and the Southern Records Projects. Educational activities and scholarly services provided by the NHPRC are also detailed in the Report. The free 58-page Report is available by writing: Archives, Washington, D.C. 20408. NHPRC, National Warner Portrait Commissioned In keeping with the National Archives tradition of commissioning portraits of former Archivists of the United States, a committee was formed in March 1988 to raise funds to paint Dr. Robert M. Warner's portrait. Dr. Warner was Archivist of the United States from 1980 to 1985. The Committee has met its fundraising goal and has commissioned Michigan artist Joseph Maniscalco to produce the portrait. Completion of the portrait is scheduled for early 1989 and an unveiling ceremony will take place in the Spring. Final Report of Field Branches Task Force Published In The final report of the Task Force on the National Archives Field Branches has been issued. Entitled "National Archives Field Branches: Mission, Tasks, Responsibilities, and Priorities," the 72-page report includes 42 recommendations. accepting these recommendations, the Archivist commended the work of the eight-member team, chaired by Ray Mosley. He said "the plan should produce improved communications and mutual support among central office and field units and thereby help fulfill my goal of expanded outreach to -Federal agencies and the public, especially at our field locations." Among the 42 recommendations to be implemented are the establishment of a Committee on Field Programs, development of a "core outreach program" for the field branches, further study of their current holdings, boundaries, and locations, development of joint projects with the Presidential libraries, and establishment of working groups to study both sales operations and the results of the 20-year preservation plan in the field. |