Evening star., 1932-08-28
METHOD Of PICKING
ARCHIVES FOR NEW
BUILDING STUDIED
Officials Will Plan for Storing
of Documents Not in
Current Use.
PUBLIC DISPLAY SPACE
FOR RARE ONES PLANNED
Return of Senator Smoot Next
Month Expected to Give
Impetus to Task.

The Public Buildings Commission and
other officials connected with Uncle
Sans housing program will turn at
tention this Fall to the question Of
procedure to be followed in selecting
the Government records and documents
to be placed in the proposed Archives
Building from time to time after it Is
completed
Legislation proposing to designate
certain Government officials as mem
bers of an archives council, which
would pass on classes of documents to
be kept in the Archives Building, was
introduced at the last session by Sen
ator Smoot Republican, of Utah, and is
still pending for further consideration
when Congress reconvenes.
Smoot to Return Soon.
Senator Smoot, chairman of the
Buildings Commission, is expected in
Washington from the West near the
end of September, at which time it is
among public building officials as to
mapping out of a program to be fol-
lowed in handling Government archives
in the new building.
One proposal that has been suggested
Is that when the Archives Building is
completed there be placed in it imme-
diately the records for the period from
the beginning of the Nation down to
1860, and five years after the initial
transfer. the records for another five
year period-namely from 1861 to 1865
be transferred. Under this plan SINH
lar transfers would be made at the end
of each five-year period.
This method of procedure was ad-
vanced in one of the bills introduced
in Congress, but not yet acted on. 1t
was explained yesterday that this pro-
cedure is based on the theory that an
archives building is essentially for pres
ervation of records that are not in
current use. Senator Smoot introduced
another bill for consideration which did
not refer to any particular initial period
of the country's history, but provided for
an archives council to be composed OF
certain designated Government Off
cials.
Lists to Be Submitted.
Descriptive lists would be submitted
by each executive department and in
dependent establishment and the coun-
Gil would define the classes of material
to be accepted for transfer to the Ar
chiyes Building when completed. Un-
der this bill the head of each depart
ment would submit to the council an
nually list Of records proposed for
transfer.
Many Of the more important his
torical documents connected with the
life of the Nation are under the Library
Of Congress, the State Department and
the War Department. AS pointed out
in the last annual report of the Public
Buildings Commission, the plan Of the
Archives Building recognizes three
major functional divisions, namely:
% Stock space for the preservation
of documents; 90 Office space for ad-
ministrative uses; 90 exhibition space,
where important historical documents
of the Federal Government will be on
display"
1t is not known at this time which
of the outstanding historical documents
are likely to be placed on display in the
Archives Building.
The Archives Building Is to occupy
the site of the old Center Market,
bounded by Seventh and Ninth streets,
Pennsylvania and Constitution avenues.
Work is in progress on the foundation,
to be followed soon by contract for
the construction of the super structure.