Research

Administrative History

In 1950 a survey was conducted of inactive records filed with the Department of Audit and Control. As a result, 5 per cent was culled as a sample to be preserved (separated from other records about 200 times as voluminous). From 1951 to 1954 the records were disposed of under provisions of state law. Historical records in the sample were inadvertently taken for disposal as part of one of these dispositions. The president of the Onondaga Historical Association, Richard Wright, notified state historian Albert B. Corey when records from the sample came to his attention in Syracuse. They were traced to Mont Rolland Paper Company in Quebec, Canada. Corey organized a search team, and about one-third of all the records set aside for preservation were recovered. The incident sparked dialogue about creating an official state records office to safeguard historical records.