Monday, 10 September 2007 23:38

The Future Of The County Archive: A Policy Decision Is Called For

slide4How do we want the story of Amador County preserved? What historical documents are important?  Those and many other questions are being posed regarding the county facility that houses the jewels of history for the county. Retired archivist Larry Cenotto (sin-auto) appeared before a committee of two supervisors as a first step. Cenotto had requested the item for discussion in this format because of his concerns over several pressing issues. First, he addressed the issues surrounding documents currently held in the former Amador County Superior Court building. The ownership of these documents was discussed. Currently the courts are a state run organization so does these mean that all of the documents are now owned by the state?
Or just the documents that apply to the timeframe after the state takeover? Perhaps most alarming was a report from Supervising Recording Clerk Tico that she and Recorder Sheldon Johnson witnessed a shredder machine located in the document room at the former courthouse. Although, according to, they have no idea what was being shredded, as the court house is in possession of sensitive documents that need shredded as a matter of privacy rights. According to General Services Administration Director Jon Hopkins the Superior Court has hired a specialized company that is reviewing and, in some cases, reformatting documents for storage both here and in Calaveras County. Amador County Superior Court Executive Officer Hugh Swift says no records that existed prior to 1995 have been destroyed. Cenotto stated that no matter what the details are- the important issue is that the Board of Supervisors must make a policy decision regarding what will be housed in the County archives. Most agree, it is necessary for the Board of Supervisors to develop a policy and a plan for the future of the Amador County archives, that include the designation of funds for future facility needs.