We, the Board of the Council of State Historical Records Coordinators
(COSHRC), read with interest the posting by Rick Barry regarding the
nomination of Allen Weinstein to be the next Archivist of the United States.


COSHRC is on record supporting Dr. Weinstein's nomination . We urge
archivists to consider several points before contacting their legislators:

1. Contrary to Mr. Barry's assertion, there has been a great deal of
professional discussion about this. SAA, NAGARA, and COSHRC have followed
the nomination closely, provided avenues of discussion for their members,
and expressed professional concerns at every step of the process.

2. After lengthy discussions with Dr. Weinstein, and a dispassionate review
of the facts, charges, and countercharges, the COSHRC membership
(representing every state and territorial archives) unanimously endorsed the
nomination.

3. Despite problems with the process of the nomination, archivists cannot
afford to be sidetracked at this critical moment. The President's budget
eliminates NHPRC and effectively reduces NARA's budget, and NARA needs
strong leadership now. The process of selecting an Archivist of the United
States is something the profession must address carefully and at great
length, but to do so at this moment would be to rearrange deck chairs on the
Titanic.

The Board of COSHRC urges every archivist to contact his/her Senator, but we
urge you to ask the Senator to see that this nomination clears the Senate as
soon as possible.

Kathleen Roe, COSHRC President
New York State Archives

Karl J. Niederer, COSHRC Vice President
New Jersey Division of Archives and Records Management

Gordon O. Hendrickson, COSHRC Secretary
State Historical Society of Iowa

David W. Carmicheal, COSHRC Treasurer
The Georgia Archives

(complete list of Board members:
<http://www.coshrc.org/admin/directors.htm>
http://www.coshrc.org/admin/directors.htm

List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
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