This year marks the 110th
anniversary of the Arkansas History Commission and State Archives. The Arkansas History Commission was created
during the 1905 session of the Arkansas General Assembly for the purpose of
collecting and preserving Arkansas’s significant wealth of historic
material. Throughout the month of April,
the History Commission will hold several events to mark this milestone for the
agency and for the state.
Each Friday in April, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the
History Commission will host a digitization clinic in its conference room. The general public is invited to bring in
family memorabilia appropriate for scanning, like letters, photographs, and
other documents. AHC archivists will
scan and save to CD copies of scanned material for the public. Members of the general public who choose to
take advantage of this free scanning service will be asked to share the digital
copies with the History Commission for research, exhibits and publication.
“The digitization clinic is a modern twist on the way the
History Commission built its collections from the beginning,” said Commission Director
Dr. Lisa Speer. “Through the years, our
collections have grown thanks to the foresight of historically minded citizens
across Arkansas and US. We still like
receiving donations of historical manuscripts and records, but we recognize
that not everyone is ready to donate their family papers and memorabilia. This digitization clinic provides them with
an option to share the content, while maintaining the originals during their
lifetime.” No appointments are needed for the digitization clinic, and
registration is not required to participate.
On April 27, the History Commission also will host an open
house and anniversary commemoration.
Members of the general public are invited to visit the research room at
1 Capitol Mall, view some of the state’s most significant historical documents,
including Arkansas’s original state constitutions, preview an exhibit on the
agency’s history, meet the staff and learn more about how the History Commission
has been a vital part of preserving Arkansas history for well over a
century.
For additional information on the Arkansas History
Commission and these events, please phone 501-682-6900 or email state.archives@arkansas.gov
