The Friends of the Yolo County Archives is a local all voluntary nonprofit organization whose members share the Grand Jury and The Davis Enterprise’s passion for our local history. Our primary mission is to support the Yolo County Archives and promote the preservation and access to local history. As the President of FYCA, I would like to provide some clarification to the recent article entitled “Grand Jury: Decaying archives jeopardize Yolo County history.”
For orientation, Yolo County is one of the few California counties that maintains and funds a county archives. Most counties either do not have an archives or may maintain historic documents within their records division or within a special collections unit of a library. We are fortunate that Yolo County, through the work of concerned citizens in the 1980s and beyond, was able to create a formal archives in the combined Library and Archives division.
The Archives, at 226 Buckeye St. in Woodland, is co-located with the County Library system’s central services. The article title of “Decaying archives jeopardize Yolo County history” is sensational and misleading, in that the archives is climate-controlled and the collection is stored in proper, archival quality boxes. While improvements to the facilities and equipment (including investment in a new digital content management system) are most welcome we think it important to stress that the collection is well managed and cared for by the archives staff.
The Yolo County Board of Supervisors has demonstrated their commitment to the archives by allocating funds of over $1.5 million dollars for renovations. According to the county’s Capital Improvement Program for 2018-2019, “The purpose of the project is to upgrade systems at the Central Library and enable appropriate storage and security of the County Archives and Records Center. Approximately 6,300 linear feet of space is needed for storage with projections for growth. This project will renovate the existing built space to meet the archival standards needed to preserve the collection. This would include use of compact shelving, and allowances for growth and retrieval as well as a reception and research/reading area, and digitization program.”
Specific upgrades include:
* Replace old shelving with compact shelving that will increase our storage capacity by 20-30 percent
* New epoxy seal on the cement storage area flooring
* New HVAC system to improve temperature and humidity levels throughout the year
* New LED lighting
* Improvements to the vapor barrier and building eaves to improve building insulation
* Lowering the ceiling in the Reading Room and Work Room
* Upgrades to the bathrooms for ADA
* New furniture for the Work Room and Reading Room.
* New epoxy seal on the cement storage area flooring
* New HVAC system to improve temperature and humidity levels throughout the year
* New LED lighting
* Improvements to the vapor barrier and building eaves to improve building insulation
* Lowering the ceiling in the Reading Room and Work Room
* Upgrades to the bathrooms for ADA
* New furniture for the Work Room and Reading Room.
Preservation and access go hand-in-hand. The article notes that access to the archives is limited to a few hours a week, and although additional staff would undoubtedly help the archives with collections processing, access and public hours, researchers can make appointments in advance and are accommodated at far greater hours than the open hours suggest.
FYCA and the archives also share the desire to make content searchable and available digitally. In fact, FYCA has supported the digitization of historic photographs, maps and documents through the Discover It Yourself grant to the archives. Anyone can now go online to www.yolocountyhistory.com and access over 1,000 items from around Yolo County. Additional investment in a digital asset management system and large format scanning equipment would serve to strengthen and enhance the good work that the staff is already performing.
It is unfortunate that The Enterprise did not reach out to the archives staff for comment regarding the renovations in process prior to publishing the Grand Jury’s report. It is our understanding that County Librarian and Chief Archivist Mark Fink is coordinating a response with the County Administrator’s Office that will address the Grand Jury’s concerns within the next 60 to 90 days.
In the meantime, the Friends of the Yolo County Archives wants to reaffirm its dedication to supporting the archives and our shared local history for generations to come. The Grand Jury’s report rightfully identifies areas for improvement and long-range planning goals but the current efforts of the County Board of Supervisors and the Library and Archives system should also be recognized. For further information on supporting the Yolo County Archives please visit our website at www.friendsyca.org or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FriendsoftheYoloCountyArchives.
June 19, 2018
Davis Enterprise
By Anastasia Panagakos, 2017-18 board president of the friends of the Yolo County Archives
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