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The Future Of The County Archive: A Policy Decision Is Called For |
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Tuesday, 11 September 2007 |
 How do we want the story of Amador County
preserved? What historical documents are important? Those and many other questions are being
posed regarding the county facility that houses the jewels of history for the
county. Retired archivist Larry Cenotto (sin-auto) appeared before a committee
of two supervisors as a first step. Cenotto had requested the item for
discussion in this format because of his concerns over several pressing issues.
First, he addressed the issues
surrounding documents currently held in the former Amador County Superior Court
building. The ownership of these documents was discussed. Currently the courts
are a state run organization so does these mean that all of the documents are
now owned by the state?
Or just the documents that apply to the
timeframe after the state takeover? Perhaps most alarming was a report from
Supervising Recording Clerk Tico that she and Recorder Sheldon Johnson
witnessed a shredder machine located in the document room at the former
courthouse. Although, according to, they have no idea what was being shredded,
as the court house is in possession of sensitive documents that need shredded
as a matter of privacy rights. According to General Services Administration
Director Jon Hopkins the Superior Court has hired a specialized company that is
reviewing and, in some cases, reformatting documents for storage both here and
in Calaveras County. Amador County Superior Court Executive
Officer Hugh Swift says no records that existed prior to 1995 have been
destroyed. Cenotto stated that no matter what the details are- the important
issue is that the Board of Supervisors must make a policy decision regarding
what will be housed in the County archives. Most agree, it is necessary for the
Board of Supervisors to develop a policy and a plan for the future of the Amador County
archives, that include the designation of funds for future facility needs.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 September 2007 )
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