Dear New York Historians,

I am a graduate student at the School of Library and Information Science in
San Jose California engaged in a research project regarding the space
planning initiative undertaken last year by the National Archives and
Records Administration.  I am particularly interested in ascertaining what
the response has been from the history and archival community to NARA's
efforts in this regards.  I have read the official position paper posted by
the Society of American Archivists but am interested in hearing more on
this topic from individual historians, researchers, and archivists.

If you have a few minutes, will you please send me your thoughts regarding
the NARA space planning initiative, particularly, the impact of NARA's
plans on public access to essential records and public access to assistance
from archivists?  NARA's 1997 Strategic Plan and some of the documents
posted to the NARA web site state that NARA's goal is to increase access
via various electronic/online means as well as improve the amount of NARA's
environmentally adequate archival storage space for its regional materials.
 Although NARA now seems to have backed off from their initial broad
statement that regional centers would be consolidated, that seems to still
be an issue for users (judging by comments from speakers at regional
meetings NARA held last year).  Is there a positive trade-off for NARA to
be gained by removing original records from regional centers in order to
reduce building/maintenance costs and acheive proper archival storage?
Would such a move have a negative impact on local scholarship in those
regions?  If so, could such an impact be balanced by alternative access to
those records (either in alternative formats or via a better ordering system)?

I would appreciate any thoughts you might care to share on this topic.

Thank you,
Anne Dana
Graduate Student
San Jose State University
Department of Library and Information Science