State wants comment on new plan for preserving records

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 1997 | 4:24 a.m.

The state Historical Records Advisory Board produced the plan after interviewing people who create, manage and preserve records for state, local and tribal museums, historical societies, corporations and private organizations.

After two years of work, board members said they're dismayed because two-thirds of the record-keepers say their record storage facilities are unsatisfactory.

In addition, the advisory board reported that most of the facilities lacked sprinklers or other means of extinguishing fires, and only one in five off the record-keepers had decided what they'd try to salvage in case of disaster.

Many told board members that they lacked the time, the resources and the information or expertise to deal with the problems.

"They are uneasy or uncertain about electronic records, and don't know how to protect paper records or microfilm from the extremes of Nevada's climates or how to salvage them after a flood," said panel member Shayne Del Cohen.

The advisory board's study was conducted by Peter Parker, a consultant based in Portsmouth, N.H., and was funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

State Archivist Guy Rocha, chairman of the advisory board, said funds may be available from the federal commission to help in preserving the records and in training staffers in preservation techniques.

"Records are the infrastructure of responsible decision-making," Rocha said. "As we enter the 21st century, it will become harder to properly maintain these records unless we act now to better preserve them."

Rocha added that records are not just the responsibility of the state.

"The spectrum ranges from the smallest business to the state of Nevada," he said. "Everybody has a stake in this but they don't realize how important it is until something turns up missing. Then they wonder why."