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What's New > May 2006

May 2006
Volume 2 No. 1

In This Issue:

Historic Utah birth certificates now available

Utah birth certificates filed more than 100 years ago are now available to family historians and researchers through the Utah History Research Center.

The Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics transferred birth certificates filed in 1905 (over 3 cubic feet) to the Utah State Archives and Records Service on March 17. There were 5,578 births recorded in 1905, almost exactly divided between boys and girls, according to the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Statistics published in 1906. The original records have been placed into acid free folders and boxes and await microfilming and digitizing. Archives staff has also compiled a series inventory showing the contents of the folders by county and date which will enable researchers to more easily find specific certificates. The inventory and a description of the records is available on the Utah History Research Center web site.

Vital Records staff will create an electronic index after the records are digitized, further facilitating public access.

In March 1905, the Utah Board of Health assumed responsibility for creating birth and death certificates for all individuals who were born or died in Utah. In 1998, HB84 permitted Utah birth certificates to become available to the public "if 100 years or more have passed since the date of birth." Death certificates become public after 50 years. The Utah History Research Center also offers public access to Utah death certificates filed between 1905-1955.

Message from the Utah State Archivist

Retirements mark end of an era at State Archives

By Patricia Smith-Mansfield, Director

In December 2005, employees of the Utah State Archives were sad to see two of their long-standing colleagues retire after many years of faithful service.

Patricia Lyn Scott was the manager of the Archives' records management program. She had been with the Archives for over 21 years. Pat began at the Archives in October 1984 as a local government records analyst-just as the local governments program was being created. Over the years Pat's assistance to local governments has been invaluable. She helped facilitate records management programs throughout the state-in local communities, counties, school districts, and higher education.

" Pat Scott reached out in friendship to me when I was a newbie at the Mormon History Association Convention in St. George," stated Janet Seegmilller, Special Collections Librarian and Associate Professor of Instructional Media at the Gerald R. Sherratt Library, Southern Utah University, in Cedar City. "She has been my mentor in the world of academic and Mormon archives ever since, during which time she has come to the campus to help establish the Southern Utah University Archives and to train our campus personnel. I believe it was her foresight that saw the need for microfilming community, court, and school district records in the rural counties which resulted in the successful Millennial Records project."

Val Wilson was a patron service archivist who started with the Archives in April 1969 as a micrographics technician. In being with the Archives so many years, Val saw a lot of change-from being housed in the basement of Utah's State Capitol to a new home and a new building constructed especially for the Archives.

Val began his 36-year-career with the Archives in the micrographics lab. Eventually he moved to patron services to assist patrons in the Archives' Research Center. He became one of the Archives' most knowledgeable patron services archivists and was the "go to" person for all the difficult questions about information in the Archives' holdings.
Staff members who worked with Val still comment on how nice it would be to still have his years of accumulated knowledge around. He has an unassuming, modest way about him, but made a point to go out of his way to help patrons find what they needed. Val has a way of thinking of others and has the thoughtful habit of sending items he thinks may be of interest to patrons or fellow staff members. Some of Utah's most prominent historians would ask for Val by name and other patrons returning to the research room after some time would request Val's assistance, remembering how helpful he had been to them years earlier.
The Utah State Archives will truly miss these two individuals, both for their contributions to the Archives and for the enrichment they brought to the lives of co-workers at and visitors to the Archives.
Au revoir, Pat and Val!

2006 Records management training sessions scheduled

Utah State Archives records analysts are the liaisons between the Archives and records officers in state and local government offices throughout the state. Their job is to provide training and assistance to agencies on records issues. Training focuses on two main topics: records management and records access.

Records management is about the process of determining how long records should be maintained, where they are maintained, and in what format. The Utah State Archives works with records officers in agencies to establish "retention schedules" for all records created by government. The Archives is offering records management training at the Utah State Archives (346 S Rio Grande Street) from 9 a.m.-12 noon on May 16, July 11, and September 12.

GRAMA training is about records access issues. Fundamental to the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) is the balance between every citizen's right to know the public's business, rights of privacy, and the need to protect certain information. The law provides guidelines for making these decisions. The Archives is offering GRAMA training at the Utah State Archives from 9 a.m.-12 noon on June 13, August 15, October 17, and November 15. Register on our website.
Comprehensive training for local governments includes both GRAMA and records management. Times and places are posted on our website. 

Records analysts are available for one-on-one consultation at any time and are also willing to set up additional training as needed. Archives records analysts have recently posted a new and revised Classification Worksheet to assist records officers in understanding classification issues (see form).

2006 Legislature makes significant changes to GRAMA

by Justin McFadden, Records Analyst

The 2006 legislative session was a busy one for the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). Six bills - HB 12, HB 28, HB 117, HB 188, HB 258 and SB 190 - that amended GRAMA were passed and have been signed by Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr. Most changes to GRAMA became effective May 1, 2006, though HB 258 went into effect on February 6. Following is a brief overview of some of the changes that have broad impact on government agencies. For a more in-depth look at the changes, we suggest that you review the summary report prepared by Legislative Research and General Counsel, available at www.le.utah.gov/Session/2006/pdfdoc/2006GRAMAChanges.pdf. Your agency records analyst is available and happy to answer your questions about these changes.

One of the biggest changes concerns the use of information that can be classified as private or controlled. Governmental entities that request potentially private or protected information must provide notice of how that information will be used and with whom the agency routinely shares information. According to the new law, this notice shall either be posted "at all locations where the government collects the information" or "included as part of the documents or forms that are used.to collect the information." Previously, GRAMA required a governmental entity to provide this information upon request. (See HB 12 and UCA 63-2-601(2).)

Those who handle GRAMA requests are required to receive training. The law now states that it is the responsibility of the "chief administrative officer of each governmental entity" to make sure that "officers and employees. that receive or process records requests receive required training on the procedures and requirements" of GRAMA. (See HB 188 and UCA 63-2-903(3).) The Archives can assist in providing this training. You can register for our training session on our web site, or contact your analyst for more information.

A new category of protected records was created that covers the use of an individual's home address and home or mobile telephone number. This information is considered protected if it was provided in order to comply with a law and if "the subject of the record has a reasonable expectation that this information will be kept confidential." (See HB 28 and UCA 63-2-304(51).)

Governmental entities are not required to "compile, format, manipulate, package, summarize or tailor information" or to fulfill a records request if the request "unreasonably duplicates" requests from the same person, or if the same information is duplicated in a "publication or product produced by the agency." The governmental entity is required to specify where the record can be found in the publication or product. (See HB 28 and UCA 63-2-201(8)(a).)

Agencies are allowed to provide records in a particular format if it does not interfere with their duties. Previously, agencies were required to provide records in specific formats, if the request did not interfere with their duties. (See HB 28 and UCA 63-2-201(8)(b).)

Agencies may provide private, controlled or protected records to contractors or private providers. Certain criteria and restrictions must be met, including the requirements that the use of the record must outweigh individual privacy, the record will not be disclosed, and will not be used for advertising or solicitation. The contractor must provide written assurance that it will adhere to the restrictions. (See HB 28 and UCA 63-2-206(2)(b) and 63-2-206(6)(b).)

We hope that this information will be helpful to you. We invite you to review the bills and the summary document in order to get a more complete picture of the changes that were made to GRAMA this year. Your Records Analyst will send you more information, including a revised copy of GRAMA when it is compiled. Please consult your analyst and the Archives website if you have questions about these changes.

State General Retention Schedule changes

by Staci Bates, Records Analyst

The State Records Committee recently approved changes to many Human Resource Management items found in schedule 11 of the State General Retention Schedule. In recent years, legislative and administrative changes have affected the types of Human Resource records that are required to be created and maintained by state agencies. Agencies can now use this updated schedule to identify their Human Resource records and how to properly retain them. You can view these changes on our website at http://archives.utah.gov/recmanag/grs/stgrs11.htm.

Archives begins digitizing microfilm records

The Archives has received and set up our new "MEKEL Mach IV" microfilm roll scanner. Brian Carpenter, manager of the preservation section, reports that scanning of microfilm rolls linked to records series with a permanent retention has started.

 

Utah State Archives staff news

Two Archives employees observed five-year anniversaries with the division earlier this year. Brian D. Carpenter, preservation (micrographics) manager noted his fifth anniversary with the State Archives January 22 while Staci Bates Milillo, records analyst, observed five years with the division on February 26.

Staci Bates Milillo has been named manager of the records analysis section. The announcement was made by Patricia Smith-Mansfield, director of the Utah State Archives, on April 13. Milillo replaces Patricia Lyn Scott, who retired last December. Janell B. Tuttle served as acting coordinator for records analysis and records center during the interim.

Michael J. Smith, a temporary processing archivist, completed a one-year stint with the State Archives in December. Smith, who handled the day-to-day operations of the Governor's office during the administrations of both Governor Olene S. Walker and Governor Michael O. Leavitt, arranged and described Governor Walker's records and the records from the Governor's Olympic Office.

Brett Dowdle was hired as a temporary camera operator on March 13. Dowdle will be microfilming Governors Papers. Dowdle replaces Cassandra Huidobro.

Richard McClure was hired as an archival technician on April 24. He has previous records management experience with both the Department of Transportation and the Health Department. He replaces Jared Summers.

The Archives participated in the second Genealogy & Family Heritage Jamboree at the Dixie Center in St. George, February 10-11. Glen Fairclough made a presentation on using Utah government records for research and distributed research guide handouts at a vendor table in the exhibit hall. The two-day conference was organized by My Ancestors, Inc., and the Washington County Personal Ancestral File (PAF) User's Group. Organizers report that attendance was estimated at over 2,000. The same presentation was repeated to nearly 100 members and guests of 17 camps of the International Society Daughters of the Utah Pioneers (DUP) at the monthly DUP Salt Lake South Company meeting at the Heritage Center in Murray on February 27.

Jim Kichas of the Utah State Archives and Melissa Ferguson of the Utah State Historical Society teamed up for a presentation entitled "Wake the Dead: Family History Resources at the Utah History Research Center" presented during a regular meeting of the Taylorsville/Bennion chapter of The National Society of The Sons of Utah Pioneers on March 14. 45 people attended. The presentation was repeated at the Ogden Regional Family History Center on March 18. An estimated 25-30 people attended.

This page was last updated August 1, 2008.