THE OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STATES ARCHIVES - A TALE OF ANGST AND APATHY

The author traces the evolution and development of Ohio's state archiv es from the early 1900s to 1959, the year legislation passed naming th e Ohio Historical Society as the archives administration. The failure to establish a clear archival authority and the absence of sustained f inancial support forms part of the story. That the Ohio Historical Soc iety, beset by multiple demands on limited resources, a quasi-public r elationship to the state, and an uncertainty about its role and missio n, became a captive of its involvement in the effort to preserve the s tate's archives is also part of this tale of angst and apathy.