FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University Libraries Special Collections department is celebrating Archives Week with an Open House on Monday, Oct. 23. The purpose of Archives Week in Arkansas is to celebrate the documentary history of the state, to raise awareness of the value of archival materials and archival repositories, and to encourage people and organizations to preserve records of enduring historical value.

Archives Week was established by a proclamation of the governor and will be celebrated throughout the state during Oct. 22-28, 2006.

Tom W. Dillard, head of Special Collections, noted that Archives Week “gives Arkansans the opportunity to reflect on our collective heritage.” Dillard said Arkansas history is a “fascinating story of how generations of Arkansans struggled to build the state from a small frontier region to the vibrant place it is today.”

Special Collections is the largest academic archives in the state, housing more than 1,600 manuscript collections, more than 200,000 photographic images, and more than 1,000 historic maps of Arkansas. The department houses the only complete set of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Arkansas, a collection containing more than 4,000 maps depicting structures in Arkansas towns and cities between the 1880s and the 1930s.

Dillard said, “The purpose of Archives Week is to remind Arkansans that we need to work to preserve the history of our state.” A common misperception, Dillard added, is that archival repositories such as Special Collections are only interested in collecting items that document the lives of the “rich and famous.” Not so, said Dillard. “We believe every Arkansan has a history to tell - and the U of A Special Collections department was established to help individuals, families, businesses and organizations to preserve their legacies for posterity.”

Dillard concluded, “We want people a hundred years from now to know who Arkansans were, what we did, how we did it. And the primary materials that we collect provide future researchers with an irreplaceable research trove. ”

The Open House will be held in Special Collections Room 130, Mullins Library, lower level, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with remarks at 5 p.m. The event will include refreshments, a short program, a tour, an exhibit and audiovisual highlights from Special Collections materials. For more information, call (479) 575-8444.