State Historical Society Director Janet Gallimore told legislative budget writers today that 35 states have combined their state archives and their state and local government records management, and she and state Department of Administration Director Teresa Luna are proposing that Idaho do that, too. The merger, Gallimore said, would mean better service for the public and government agencies, centralized online access, and streamlined costs. At issue are official records from 1863 to the present, everything from court records to historical photos to maps to marriage licenses.

The state archives, operated by the Historical Society, currently gets about 17,000 records requests a year, Gallimore said. The state records center gets about 4,650 requests. The documents involved are required by law to be preserved. The Idaho associations of cities and counties, the State Historical Records Advisory Board, and the Foundation for Idaho History all are working on the merger plan. Gallimore is proposing the first of three phases for the coming year, to amend legislation to merge the two functions and begin streamlining the state's records management. The second phase would include a consultant's study on ways to enhance access to the  records, including an online catalogue. The third phase would recommend alternatives for a "fiscally sustainable model for a long-term archival program for state, city and county records of enduring value," she said.