Georgia Archives in Morrow to close to public on Nov. 1, staff to be ‘reduced’

Secretary of State: ‘decision... was not arrived at without great consternation’

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  • Morrow Tourism
  • Georgia Archives in Morrow

Blame budget cuts ordered by Gov. Nathan Deal. Members of the public who want to sift through rare photographs and manuscripts dating back to Georgia’s founding will have to make an appointment. In addition, the staff that “currently works to catalog, restore, and provide reference to the state of Georgia’s permanent historical records will be reduced.’ From Secretary of State Brian Kemp:

To meet the required cuts, it is with great remorse that I have to announce, effective November 1, 2012, the Georgia State Archives located in Morrow, GA will be closed to the public. The decision to reduce public access to the historical records of this state was not arrived at without great consternation. To my knowledge, Georgia will be the only state in the country that will not have a central location in which the public can visit to research and review the historical records of their government and state. The staff that currently works to catalog, restore, and provide reference to the state of Georgia’s permanent historical records will be reduced. The employees that will be let go through this process are assets to the state of Georgia and will be missed. After November 1st, the public will only be allowed to access the building by appointment; however, the number of appointments could be limited based on the schedule of the remaining employees.

Since FY08, the Office of the Secretary of State has been required to absorb many budget reductions, often above the minimum, while being responsible for more work. I believe that transparency and open access to records are necessary for the public to educate themselves on the issues of our government. I will fight during this legislative session to have this cut restored so the people will have a place to meet, research, and review the historical records of Georgia.