2nd posting Olympia is one of five regional archives in this state and operates under the Office of the Secretary of State. The archives operate under the general records act, RCW 40:14. The other four regional archives are located in Ellensburg, Bellingham, Cheney and Bellevue. Basically the system, which started in the early 1970s, was established to collect, preserve and make available local public records, of lasting historical value, in the region in which they were created. SW (Southwest) has the oldest documentation, reaching back to 1847 (a Lewis County Commissioners record). The archives are also charged with providing records management consultations to public government entities; it is through the records scheduling process that future archival/historical records will largely come into our holdings. The archives are available for post-disaster and disaster prevention consultation. All regional archives offer tours and research services. In addition to the usual requirements of the job, there are other services that are unique to the operation, these include: Opening the doors on selective Saturdays for genealogical groups to undertake intensive research; oral interviewing of individuals who have had a significant impact on local community life; and, the three regional archivists now carry video and 35mm cameras on the road and between official visits record the evolution of Southwest Washington. The SW Regional Archives serves all public entities (including county and city governmental offices, ports, p.u.d.s, fire districts, educational school districts and school districts, health districts as well as diking and water districts). Records stored in the archives which are especially useful for genealogists include: marriage, birth and death records, wills, probate and civil documentation, property records, census data, extensive educational documentation, deeds and mortgages and naturalizations. The Archives are open for research 8:30 to 4:30 daily (and periodically for group research on Saturdays). The Archive staff consists of Lanny Weaver (assistant), Terri Juillerat (customer services specialist) and myself, Wayne Lawson (Regional Archivist). It is best if potential researchers call in advance to schedule their time here; sometimes all three of us are out of the office. My phone number is 360-753-1684. Research is generally handled by either Lanny or Terri at 360-586-4898. Our Fax number is 360-664-8814. These are our basic charges: (1) If we do the research --- $10 minimum or $25 an hour, $0.15 per page copied, $3 mailing and, if needs be, $5 for certification; or (2) if the researcher comes into our archives the only costs would be --- $0.15 per page copied and $5 if certification is needed. The address of the Archives is: Archives & Records Management Division Office of the Secretary of State 1120 Washington Street SE * P.O. Box 40238 Olympia, WA. 98504-0238