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| April Goff, administrative specialist |
Q: What’s your
job title, and how long have you worked at the Arkansas State Archives?
A: I’ve been with
the Arkansas State Archives 16-and-a-half years and am currently the
administrative specialist III.
Q: What do you do
on a typical day at Archives?
A: I handle
business paperwork, including purchasing, accounts receivable, time entry and
other records. I help make sure operations run smoothly and efficiently. Part
of my job, too, is to make sure the Black History Commission of Arkansas and
the Arkansas History Commission have all the budget information they need.
Also, I am part of the Special Projects Team, which meets to talk about ideas
for and execution of new projects, events or initiatives at the State Archives.
I also help out with assorted archival projects that the director assigns me. For
example, I am currently helping make the U.S. Western District Court of
Arkansas records, which we acquired this year, easily accessible and searchable
for the public. These records are related to “Hanging Judge” Isaac Parker’s
court in Fort Smith.
Q: How did you
become interested in Arkansas history or working at the Arkansas State
Archives?
A: I started out
23 years ago as a researcher here, and I stuck around long enough that they
decided to give me a job. I’m joking, but I know my work here before I was
hired made the rest of the staff understand how much I love this place.
Q: What’s the
most important or interesting thing you’ve discovered while working at
Archives? Why?
A: As a veteran
military, military records interest me. I was looking at something called
“company orders” but realized the orders were just the first couple of pages of
the material. The rest was the journal of a Missouri man who was a captain in
the Confederate Army and who spent most of the Civil War at locations here in
Arkansas. After the Civil War, Capt. Henry Brockman and his family settled in
Arkansas. The State Archives ended up publishing his journal, which had been in
our collection since we opened in 1905. The publication is now online at the Arkansas
State Archives.
Q: Why do you
think the Arkansas State Archives is important for Arkansans?
A: The Arkansas
State Archives is a valuable resource. It has the important job of preserving
documents and making them accessible to the public. The State Archives maintain
records on the history of our state and its people.
Q: What is the
most rewarding part of your job?
A: The most
rewarding part of my job is when I come across one of our treasures –
information that fills in a gap in someone’s research. I love helping people
find what they’ve been searching for.
Q: How do you see
archiving evolving in the future?
A: I think there
will be a fine line between giving people instant access to records versus
preservation of historical records. Everyone wants things at the click of a
mouse, but we have to balance that with the best long-term plan for the
preservation of items. We want records to be accessible, but we also want to
make sure records are maintained for future generations.
Q: What do you
wish people knew about Archives?
A: I wish people
understood more about what we do and where we are located. We are here to
preserve historical material, not just documents, but also a wide variety of
artifacts, including World War I items collected from battlefields. Also, we
are located on State Capitol grounds. When I travel the state, I constantly
meet people who have no idea that we are here and what we can offer. I want the
public to know they are welcome to come to our research room, which has
recently installed new equipment, and start researching the fascinating history
of Arkansas.
