XENIA — Greene County Records & Archives is hosting events throughout October for Archives Month.
“It’s a time to focus on the importance of historical records and enhance awareness of what we do to maintain and preserve these vital records,” Archivist Robin Heise said at a Sept. 26 Greene County Board of Commissioners meeting.
Commissioners passed a resolution supporting the month.
“Through these archives, future generations can more accurately study the past, learn from the accomplishments of their predecessors, trace their ancestors, understand their community’s pride and place, confirm property rights, and maintain laws, while celebrating the history of their Country,” the resolution states.
The month opens with Ask an Archivist Day, Wednesday, Oct. 2, where residents will have the opportunity to ask archivists questions through social media using the hashtag #AskAnArchivistDay. Greene County Archives is on Twitter: @GreeneCoArchive and Facebook: Greene County Archives.
The second week of October, Monday, Oct. 7 through Sunday, Oct. 13, is Ohio Covered Bridge Week. This will highlight the county engineer’s covered bridge photographic collection on social media.
“Out of 100 covered bridges that once spanned Greene County waterways, only five still remain standing,” Heise said.
The third annual Records Management Training Fair for county employees will be held 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9 in the Media Room at 541 Ledbetter Road. The fair will offer educational games and food and provide information on data security, public record law, obsolete technology, appropriate records storage, records management tips and more. The purpose of the fair is to provide employees with the understanding of proper management and disposal of records once they’ve met their designated retention period.
Electronic Records Day, Thursday, Oct. 10, also serves as a reminder of the importance of managing electronic records.
A final program — “Spooky Tales from the Greene County Archives” — will be held 1-3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31 at Greene County Archives, 535 Ledbetter Road. Staff members will share four Harold Igo ghost stories and discuss the truths and myths using county records and newspaper articles. According to Heise, the stories, which made national headlines, are based on real events that took place somewhere in Greene County, including Frogtown, Osborn, Yellow Springs, and Bath Township.
Heise said so far this year, the Archives staff has assisted over 1,000 people, uploaded and labeled 132,000 building plans and 100,000 digital images of permanent records from family research projects, and is caring for more than 19,000 books, boxes, maps and rolls of microfilm in its inventory. Part of its efforts included gathering 1,400 photos and videos from the community documenting the Memorial Day tornadoes.
“The work that we do at the Archives is vital in ensuring that the county records that are entrusted to us are well organized, maintained and available as mandated by the Ohio Revised Code,” she said. “Regardless of format, whether paper or electronic, there will always be work that must be done to ensure that these records will be around in 50 or 100-plus years. You can’t just put them in a box, on a shelf, or out on a server and expect that they’re going to last forever.“
