On March 6, 1860 the first town board meeting was held in the Town of Montezuma in the home of the town clerk, Isaac W. Trufant. The minutes consisted of one paragraph pasted on the inside of a record book. We eventually found these minutes locked in an old safe. They were so safe no one knew the combination for several years. Today's board meeting minutes consist of several pages of discussion, resolutions and information pertinent to conducting town business.
By the end of July, I will be completing a year-long records management project in Montezuma. Records are essential to the administration of local government, and in New York state, the State Archives through the State Education Department has the legal responsibility for overseeing the retention and disposition of local government records. Records give our government officials a basis for making decisions, administering programs and providing continuity with past operations. They show the legal responsibilities of the government, and they protect the legal rights of citizens. They contain information on taxation and on the management and expenditure of public funds. They increase the accountability of the government and its officers. Records also document the historical development of the government itself, of the community and of its people. Local government records, therefore, are an essential informational resource and an important cultural asset.
The town board has committed to a long-range management plan for our local government records, and through the assistance of Trish Riter at the Cayuga County Planning Department, Montezuma successfully applied for and received two grants through New York State Archives last year. This will provide for the future management of town records to be done in an efficient and economical manner. As in most small town communities, limitations of staff, space and financial resources in the past have prevented setting up sound archival and records management practices, as well as taking advantage of creative and valuable uses of our archival records.
Records management is based on the premise that records require managing, in the same sense that other local government resources need managing. It needs to be regarded as fully important as other administrative functions. Simply stated the goals of a record management program are, “fewer and better records.” A systematic approach to records retention and disposition is a key element of any records management program. Records are essentially informational resources.
They should be kept as long as the information they contain is needed for public business or significant research. Once they have outlived their usefulness, however they become a needless storage problem, and should be disposed of according to the laws and procedures of the state.
The 21st century has changed the way the town handles the storage of records. Offices of town officials and their records used to be kept in their homes, often times without adequate space and conditions for their storage. New technology brings up new issues of how to retain records to ensure the equipment to retrieve them will still be available. Without a records management policy, records were accumulating and many needed to be destroyed. It's useful to think of local government records as passing through a “life cycle” from origin to ultimate “disposition.” Once a record reaches an inactive state, it needs to be stored in a safe, efficient record center. Presently the town records are stored in a room at the town hall.
Funds from the grant have enabled us to update this room for fireproof safety, temperature and humidity control, adequate storage and protection. Last fall we moved the records out and stored them while the room was being reconstructed. After its completion, 18-steel gauge shelving units were added to support new storage boxes labeled with their location containing the systematically arranged records. I've inventoried and analyzed the town records with information about the records documented into a database on a new computer. This gives information about the type of record, permanent or disposition date and keeps the system running efficiently. Over the last few months, I've met with a consultant who has helped guide me in this process and put together a needs assessment for further attention with regard to our record collection. As historian for the town, I have found gaps in our history because records were destroyed by fire or lost by other means. I'm committed to ensuring that our history is being preserved.
Future plans are for indexing, microfilming, disaster planning and adopting policies and procedures to ensure the we create sound, clearly marked record trails.
Speaking of trails, Don Postle from Freeville will share his experience exploring the Lewis and Clark Trail at the Historic Mentz Church on Sunday, Aug. 20. While my adventure this summer has involved traveling a never-ending paper trail, Don is a free-spirited adventurer sure to entertain with stories and breathtaking photos from his trip. Sponsored by the Montezuma Historical Society, there will also be an ongoing bake sale from 1 to 4 p.m. at the church on McDonald and Mentz Church roads in Montezuma.
Cheryl Longyear is historian for the town of Montezuma. She can be reached at 776-8632 or e-mail cml115@tds.com
The town board has committed to a long-range management plan for our local government records, and through the assistance of Trish Riter at the Cayuga County Planning Department, Montezuma successfully applied for and received two grants through New York State Archives last year. This will provide for the future management of town records to be done in an efficient and economical manner. As in most small town communities, limitations of staff, space and financial resources in the past have prevented setting up sound archival and records management practices, as well as taking advantage of creative and valuable uses of our archival records.
Records management is based on the premise that records require managing, in the same sense that other local government resources need managing. It needs to be regarded as fully important as other administrative functions. Simply stated the goals of a record management program are, “fewer and better records.” A systematic approach to records retention and disposition is a key element of any records management program. Records are essentially informational resources.
They should be kept as long as the information they contain is needed for public business or significant research. Once they have outlived their usefulness, however they become a needless storage problem, and should be disposed of according to the laws and procedures of the state.
The 21st century has changed the way the town handles the storage of records. Offices of town officials and their records used to be kept in their homes, often times without adequate space and conditions for their storage. New technology brings up new issues of how to retain records to ensure the equipment to retrieve them will still be available. Without a records management policy, records were accumulating and many needed to be destroyed. It's useful to think of local government records as passing through a “life cycle” from origin to ultimate “disposition.” Once a record reaches an inactive state, it needs to be stored in a safe, efficient record center. Presently the town records are stored in a room at the town hall.
Funds from the grant have enabled us to update this room for fireproof safety, temperature and humidity control, adequate storage and protection. Last fall we moved the records out and stored them while the room was being reconstructed. After its completion, 18-steel gauge shelving units were added to support new storage boxes labeled with their location containing the systematically arranged records. I've inventoried and analyzed the town records with information about the records documented into a database on a new computer. This gives information about the type of record, permanent or disposition date and keeps the system running efficiently. Over the last few months, I've met with a consultant who has helped guide me in this process and put together a needs assessment for further attention with regard to our record collection. As historian for the town, I have found gaps in our history because records were destroyed by fire or lost by other means. I'm committed to ensuring that our history is being preserved.
Future plans are for indexing, microfilming, disaster planning and adopting policies and procedures to ensure the we create sound, clearly marked record trails.
Speaking of trails, Don Postle from Freeville will share his experience exploring the Lewis and Clark Trail at the Historic Mentz Church on Sunday, Aug. 20. While my adventure this summer has involved traveling a never-ending paper trail, Don is a free-spirited adventurer sure to entertain with stories and breathtaking photos from his trip. Sponsored by the Montezuma Historical Society, there will also be an ongoing bake sale from 1 to 4 p.m. at the church on McDonald and Mentz Church roads in Montezuma.
Cheryl Longyear is historian for the town of Montezuma. She can be reached at 776-8632 or e-mail cml115@tds.com
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