Archives Month

Join the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board (KSHRAB) and archives across the nation in recognizing October as American Archives Month. KSHRAB sponsors activities and promotions for American Archives Month with funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

What are Archives and What Do They Mean to You?

Kansas families share diverse histories that both make us unique and bring us together. Letters, diaries, photographs, scrapbooks, legal documents, tape recordings, oral histories, business records, census records, and state and local governmental records are available in these kinds of archival collections across the state:

• Museums
• Historical Societies
• Government Offices
• State Archives
• Academic Institutions
• Public Libraries

Together they represent our collective memory.  They foster research; are essential to support society’s increasing demand for accountability and transparency in government and public and private institutions; and protect the rights, privacy, and property of Kansans.     

Kansas archivists work to identify, acquire, and make these historical records available to you, ensuring our documentation and understanding of the past for shaping the future.

No matter what branch of the Kansas family tree you are researching, you can find it at your local archives.

Things to Do for Archives Month

• Visit your local archives
• Add your branch to the tree by donating family records to a local archive
• Tweet your favorite find from kansasmemory.org with #ArchivesMonth
• Ask your child’s teacher how they’ve used archival collections in the classroom
• Ask an archivist what they love about their job
• Invite an archivist to speak to your organization