Texas Archives in Trouble, Says Article

A recent article in the Austin American-Statesman looked at the deterioration of historical documents in Texas, saying that many of the state's historical records are "crumbling away in county courthouses." According to the article, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission ran out of storage space a decade ago, and deacidification of historical documents ceased two decades ago.

Counties now have the ability to charge a special fee on some records for preservation work. Travis County expects to raise $1 million a year, said the American Statesman which can be used for computerized indexes and scanning. In addition, the archives commission asked for $15 million to renovate its building and add storage.