Records Preservation and Access Committee and Your Genealogy Society

October is National Family History Month and National Archives Month. In the spirit of giving both equal attention, let's talk about the Records Preservation and Access Committee (RPAC).

RPAC's mission is to advise the genealogical community on ways to support "strong records preservation policies and practices" [archives] and ensure "proper access to historical records of genealogical value" [family history].

Teri Flack, Chair of FGS member society Texas State Genealogical Society's RPAC and the state liaison to the national RPAC, discusses the work that RPAC does, and how you and your society can help RPAC's mission on local, regional, and national levels.

If you're interested in getting involved individually or as a society, check out the downloadable publications for more information on ways to help. There are still many states that do not have liaisons, and it's a safe bet that existing state liaisons could use an extra hand or two.

Listen to the archived broadcast of "Records Preservation and Access Committee" on the blogtalkradio My Society channel by FGS, or you can listen below:

Check Out History Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with mysociety on BlogTalkRadio

Societies: Collaboration Starts in October!

Not only is this month Family History Month (in the U.S.), it’s American Archives Month as well. I hope that throughout the month, your Society has an event planned that will embrace the heart of Senate Resolution 160 from September, 2001, which proclaimed this month as Family History Month. Please take a moment to read the Resolution, keeping in mind the important date it was passed: September 12, 2001.

It is equally important that we celebrate American Archives Month. The reality is that, without Archives, many of us would not have source material with which to research our ancestors. Think about that. And, without patrons to go to the Archives, the Archives cease to be relevant. We depend on one another, just like a family.

Photo courtesy Laura Cosgrove Lorenzana (c) 2014

What makes this year so extraordinary is that the current President of the Society of American Archivists, Kathleen Roe, has committed to getting Archivists out of their comfort zone and into outreach mode. You can read about her “Year of Living Dangerously for Archives” on the Off The Record blog. The most exciting part is many Genealogy Societies are attempting to do the same thing. The changes in research resources and techniques opens up so many challenges to those running societies, and yet, there are even more opportunities as greater numbers of people want to leverage the information available to them digitally, but don’t know how. That’s where Genealogy Societies can step up to fill a large need.

I look at this as one of the most energizing possibilities in a long time: for Archives and Genealogy Societies to work together to support each other’s goals. Strong, viable repositories of our most precious documents, photographs and ephemera being used by strong, viable genealogy societies, all of whom support the family historians, genealogists, and researchers who are anxious to build the stories of our ancestors lives in a collaborative way.

So, how are you making the most of Family History Month/American Archives month? We'd love to hear what you're doing, or even what you'd like to do, to make this month really special.

Federation of Genealogical Societies Joins Coalition Urging Changes to Technology and Privacy Laws for Records Access

March 18, 2013 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) has joined the American Library Association, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Center for Democracy and Technology, as well as other organizations, in an effort to ensure continued access to records for the genealogy and family history communities.

The coalition, in a letter dated March 19, 2013, is urging Senator Orrin Hatch (Utah) to take a leadership role on important issues involving technology, privacy and genealogy records access. These include:

• updating the laws and regulations governing the use of the "Death Master File" of the Social Security Administration and its commercially available Social Security Death Index (SSDI); and

• updating the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA).

FGS and other coalition members have called upon Hatch to take action due to his “contributions to facilitating genealogical research . . . commitment to both law enforcement and privacy, and . . . interest in promoting development of the technology sector.”

The coalition seeks changes to recent laws and policies which threaten access to records vital to the field of genealogy as well as “genealogists who work to identify military remains, who work with coroners’ offices and medical examiners, who are forensic genealogists, heir researchers, and those researching individual genetically inherited diseases.”

The list of coalition members includes:

• American Library Association
• Center for Democracy and Technology
• Center for Financial Privacy and Human Rights
• The Distributed Computing Industry Association (DCIA)
• Dick Eastman, Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter
• Electronic Frontier Foundation
• Liberty Coalition
• Records Preservation and Access Committee
• Thomas A. Schatz, President, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
• SpiderOak

FGS President D. Joshua Taylor, notes “As a leader among the genealogical community, FGS is excited to engage in an important conversation to develop constructive solutions that protect individual privacy, while maintaining suitable access for millions interested in researching their family tree.”

To follow the latest developments involving these issues important to all genealogists, follow the Records Access and Preservation Committee blog at http://www.fgs.org/rpac/.

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and represents the members of hundreds of genealogical societies. FGS links the genealogical community by helping genealogical societies strengthen and grow through resources available online, FGS Forum magazine (filled with articles pertaining to society management and genealogical news), and Society Strategy Series papers, covering topics about effectively operating a genealogical society. FGS also links the genealogical community through its annual conference -- four days of excellent lectures, including one full day devoted to society management topics. To learn more visit http://www.fgs.org.

A Threat to New York Records - Your Help Needed

[Editor's note: Once again, your access to records as a genealogist and family historian is being threatened. Please read the following information below - your help is needed!]

The following letter is of utmost importance for anyone who wants to access archives in New York City. Please read this and then go to http://www.nycarchivists.org/doris_petition and digitally "sign" the petition.

* * *

At the behest of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the New York City Council has proposed legislation that would eliminate the autonomy of New York City's Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS), the agency that is responsible for the records and archival documents produced by past and present City governments. The proposed legislation (Int. 486-2011) would place the currently independent agency within the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS).

If passed, this legislation would significantly downgrade the authority of DORIS within City government and potentially put at risk its ability to preserve, protect and make accessible the intellectual legacy of one of the world's greatest cities. A full position statement on the proposed legislation is available on the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York's website at http://www.nycarchivists.org.

Please add your name to the sign-on letter to oppose the proposed legislation, and advocate for the preservation of DORIS as an autonomous records agency, with the financial support and professional respect it deserves. The sign-on letter is located at http://www.nycarchivists.org/doris_petition. Every signature matters. Help New York City, as an international cultural and financial leader, and the place with the greatest variety and highest density of archives in the world, set the standard for how a democratic government preserves and makes accessible its documentary heritage.

Sincerely,

The Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc.

SSDI Call to Action Kit Now Available

The Records Preservation and Access Committee has created a Call to Action Kit to support the Stop ID Theft NOW initiative.

Access the kit at http://www.fgs.org/rpac/sddi-call-to-action-kit/.

If you have questions concerning the Social Security Death Index and its possible loss as a resource for the genealogical community, please check all the resources available in the kit including:

• Educational videos and FAQ sheets.

• Information on the Stop Identity Theft NOW! petition via the We The People website.

• Form letters that you can use to contact Congress and let them know you do not support removal of the Social Security Death Index.

• And ways to spread the word to other members of the genealogical community.

RPAC Announces Stop ID Theft NOW! Campaign with White House Petition

Instructions for signing up at WhiteHouse.gov and signing the petition can be found at http://fgs.org/pdf/rpac_petition.pdf.

For Immediate Release

February 7, 2012

RPAC ANNOUNCES STOP ID THEFT NOW! CAMPAIGN WITH WHITE HOUSE PETITION

Genealogy Community Responds To Efforts To Remove Access to Social Security Death Index and Other Records

February 7, 2012– Austin, TX: The Records Preservation & Access Committee (RPAC) – a joint coalition of international genealogical societies representing millions of genealogists and family historians – announces the launch of its Stop ID Theft NOW! campaign with its We The People petition posted at WhiteHouse.gov.

Call To Action For IRS To Do Its Job

Each year, fraudulent tax refund claims based upon identity theft from recently deceased infants and adults are filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The current target is the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) or Death Master File since this file, as found on numerous genealogy-oriented websites, could possibly be the source of identity thieves acquiring a deceased person’s Social Security number.

The IRS could close the door to this form of identity theft if, in fact, it were to use the Death Master File for the purpose for which it was created: to reduce fraud. If returns claiming a tax refund were screened against the Master Death File and matching cases identified for special processing, the thief should receive a rejection notice for the filing.

Tax Fraud and Identity Theft: Genealogists Are Not To Blame

The House Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Social Security is proposing to completely shut down use of the SSDI by genealogists as well as other industries such as banking and insurance that rely upon its information. Such an attempt is short-sighted and runs counter to the original purpose of the SSDI: to actually combat fraud.

Loss of Access to SSDI Affects More Than Genealogists

The SSDI is accessed by many different companies, non-profits and other entities besides individuals researching their family history. Forensic specialists utilize the SSDI when reuniting remains of military veterans with their next-of-kin and descendants. Law offices, banks and insurance companies utilize the SSDI to resolve probate cases and to locate heirs.

All of these entities would be required to spend more money and more time leveraging other resources of information when the SSDI has served this purpose, uninterrupted, for over a decade.

RPAC Petitions Obama Administration

The We the People petition, now posted at http://wh.gov/khE and accepting signatures, has a simple yet effective mission:

Take immediate steps that would curtail the filing of fraudulent tax refund claims based upon identity theft from recently deceased infants and adults.

[Note: Visitors to the WhiteHouse.gov website must log in to sign the petition, or click Create an Account to register. Once registered, return tohttp://wh.gov/khE to sign the petition.]

No need for lengthy hearings in front of a Congressional committee. No need for filing statements for or against any House action. No need to waste time and effort which could be directed to more pressing national issues. In fact, the National Taxpayer Advocate in 2011 issued suggestions which do not require additional legislation but can be implemented collaboratively between the IRS and Social Security Administration (SSA) almost immediately in time to impact the current tax filing season.

About Records Preservation & Access Committee (RPAC)

The Records Preservation & Access Committee (RPAC) was formed to advise the genealogical community on ensuring proper access to historical records of genealogical value in whatever media they are recorded, on means to affect legislation, and on supporting strong records preservation policies and practices.

The genealogical community works together through The Records Preservation and Access Committee (RPAC), which today includes The National Genealogical Society (NGS), the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) as voting members. The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG), the American Society of Genealogists (ASG), ProQuest and Ancestry.com serve as participating members.

To learn more visit http://www.fgs.org/rpac/.