Collecting, surveying, and preserving documents, sites, buildings, and objects of historical importance to Mississippi were found to be the general responsibilities of the Department of Archives and History. Overall, the department was fulfilling its major objectives. In the areas of budget preparation, planning and control, and employee and agency evaluations, the department also was functioning adequately. However, fragmentation did exist among state, county, and municipal agencies and private organizations who performed services similar to those of the department. The PEER Committee recommended a formal draft between Archives and History and these groups to delineate specific services and responsibilities.
Other problems concerned the enforcement of the State Antiquities Act, inadequate salaries for acting supervisors in the Division of Archives and Library, and inability of the Highway Department to provide roadside pulloffs for historical markers. Feasible recommendations to ease these problems were discussed in the report.
For a paper copy of this report, contact PEER by telephone at 601-359-1226 or by e-mail at reports@peer.ms.gov.