City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of Submission of a Grant Application for a Circuit Court Records Preservation Program, Item Conservation Grant from the Library of Virginia.
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ISSUE: The Library of Virginia (LVA), Circuit Court Records Preservation Program provides grants to Clerks of Court to preserve and restore records of historical value. To participate in the program it would require an application from the Clerk of Court.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Approve a grant application totaling $15,375, to be submitted not later than October 31, 2020, to the Library of Virginia. The exact amount awarded will be determined by the Library of Virginia Grants Review Board which consists of LVA historical and conservation experts along with four Circuit Court Clerks; and
(2) Authorize the City Manager and the Clerk of the Circuit Court to execute all necessary documents that may be required.
BACKGROUND: The Alexandria Circuit Court is the Court of Record for the City of Alexandria. As such, the Clerk's records are the permanent chronicles of many important events in the City. The Clerk of Court is the legal custodian of these records and is charged by the Virginia Code to protect and preserve them, and to provide public access. These records include such things as land transactions, marriage licenses, wills and trusts, military discharge records, and criminal and civil judgements issued by the court. From a historical standpoint, many of these documents are invaluable and show who lived in Alexandria, where people lived, where they did business, and for the antebellum records, even the buying and selling of human beings both in slavery and indentured servitude. Preserving these records enables the Cit...
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