From themail@DCwatch:
In April, a group of people interested in Washington DC’s government and history formed the Friends of the District of Columbia Archives (FDCA). The group believes that physical and digital records in DC are in a vulnerable position given the poor physical conditions at the DC Archives, and a lack of attention to consistent record-keeping across the District.
The FDCA charged itself with three immediate goals:
1) bring public attention and support for the DC Archives though activism in the District government and with the general public; 2) offer direct support for the forty-four million dollars the District government committed last year for a new Archives, including for more funding if needed to create a world-class facility; and 3) spotlight the Archives’ treasures, the dangers posed by current conditions, and the importance of saving the digital records of the city government. (http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/2014/14-04-30.htm)
Trudy Peterson, Co-Chair, Friends of DC Archives and Cynthia Brock-Smith, Secretary of the District of Columbia discussed the collections at the DC Archives on the Kojo Nnamdi show on May 13th. Listen here.
Members of the FDCA are scheduled to meet with Brock-Smith, on May 14th to discuss the future of the DC Archives. For updates on this and other initiatives, follow the FDCA on Twitter: @FDCArchives
Currently, the FDCA consists of archivists, historians, DC government employees and those interested in “recovering and preserving the stories of the District’s past.” Still in its organizing phase, the FDCA is welcoming new members. Interested persons can send inquiries to friendsofdcarchives@gmail.com