>Greetings List Members - > >I was made aware a few days ago of budgetary cuts recommended for FY 2006 >that will directly affect our ability to continue to see further >advancements in digital conversion of all types of records (including >those related to genealogy and history). This will affect the National >Archives & Records Administration, as well as the National Historical >Publications and Records Commission, both of which are mainstays in the >efforts to preserve and make available our national, state and local records. > >Below is the news release on this matter. You can see that some very >influential groups, including the American Society of Archivists, are >reacting to this budget cut proposal. While I rarely suggest that our >subscribers become involved through the petition route or by other means, >this situation is one that must be corrected before it occurs. >The means and sites to express your opinion, if you care to do so, is >included in the message below. > >Regards, > >Vicki >==================================================================== > >The President's budget recommendations for Fiscal Year 2006 slash or >eliminate more than 150 federal programs. In that budget, the National >Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) has been targeted to >receive NO funding. This includes no funds for the grants program and >no funds for staffing to support the NHPRC programs. It effectively >eliminates NHPRC. > >The Council of State Historical Records Coordinators, the Society of >American Archivists, and the National Association for Government >Archivists and Records Administrators are working collaboratively to address >this threat to NHPRC and NARA. Archivists across the U.S. are >rallying to save NHPRC while also ensuring that NARA has sufficient funding >to sustain its current programs and continue to advance in areas >that benefit all archival repositories and every citizen of the United >States > >As part of our efforts to continue to express to Congress interest in >restoration of funding for NHPRC, we have created an online petition. >Please consider signing this petition, and please forward it to any >listservs, e-mail groups, or organizations and people you feel would be >interested in helping with this effort. It is a quick and easy way for many >people to assist. The petition will be forwarded to the House >Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Treasury, Transportation, HUD >and the Judiciary in late May. The petition can be access at: > >www.savearchives.org > >Click on the "petition" button. > >If you have not received a previous action alert on this issue, we encourage >you to also write a letter to your members of Congress. For >information on writing letters of support, see any of the following >websites: > >www.savearchives.org >www.coshrc.org >www.archivists.org > >Thanks for your efforts to save this important program for archives! > >Members of the NHPRC Joint Advocacy Task Force >Council of State Historical Records Coordinators: >David Carmicheal, Sandra Clark, Kathleen Roe > >Society of American Archivists: >Nancy Beaumont, Peter Gottlieb, Rand Jimerson, Joan Krizack, Richard >Pearce-Moses >National Association of Government Archivists and Records >Administrators: >Timothy Slavin