The Navy is making plans to close its archives to all visitors and research requests if the upcoming sequestration proceeds, Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) officials announced Feb. 27.
NHHC, which manages the archives, is balancing available resources to manage information needs with ongoing preservation and conservation efforts.
“Clearly we’re working hard to stretch the available remaining resources and manpower to sustain our operations, and closing the archives over the period is going to have to be a ‘bill payer’ until the sequestration is lifted,” said Capt. Jerry Hendrix, the director of NHHC. “I’m very focused on making Navy history relevant by continuing to move this organization forward, and that means focusing on and investing in the future.”
In 2012, NHHC and Washington Navy Yard Public Works collaborated on a major archival storage facility renovation project for buildings 108 and 44 which is targeted for completion as early as 2014. The project will result in accommodating 12,000 cubic feet paper, microform and digital media storage space with new environmental controls. Additionally, refurbishment of the archives spaces and mold decontamination is scheduled to start in the Spring 2013, and work should be completed during the following year.
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Press Release, March 1, 2013