The Society of California Archivists (SCA) joins regional and national organizations including the Society of American Archivists, Densho, 

Chicago Area Archivistsand the Midwest Archives Conference in expressing shared concern over the proposed closure of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) regional facilities in San Bruno, California, Chicago, Illinois, and Seattle, Washington. These regional archives have served as vital resources for historians, genealogists, filmmakers, and the general public for decades. We stand in solidarity with our colleagues at NARA during a period of instability and forced downsizing.

We are particularly concerned about the imminent closure of the National Archives at San Francisco and its effect on local communities that rely on these historical records. First opened in 1973, the National Archives at San Francisco holds over 100,000 cubic feet of irreplaceable primary source materials dating back to before California statehood in 1850. Its unique collections include Alcatraz inmate files, comprehensive documentation of Native American residential schools and censuses, and vital records concerning maritime history. Critically, the facility houses immigration case files and records of those who arrived through the Angel Island Immigration Station, capturing the histories of generations of Asian American families and the impacts of discriminatory immigration laws. It also preserves the records of landmark legal decisions, such as the 1898 United States v. Wong Kim Ark Supreme Court case, which established birthright citizenship.

Closing these archives and displacing these materials creates geographic and financial barriers for local researchers, descendants, and community members seeking access to their own history, families, and heritage.  At the same time, archivists at the receiving facilities will be forced to deal with an overwhelming influx of unfamiliar records, inevitably creating backlogs for reference requests and public access.

NARA’s mission is to preserve public records to promote inquiry and strengthen democratic participation. At a time when informed engagement with history is critical to a healthy democracy, quietly closing regional facilities narrows the historical record itself. Furthermore, decision-makers have shown a lack of transparency with the public and the dedicated staff who preserve these records. Dedicated archivists who have spent years arranging, describing, and caring for these collections now face job loss. Downsizing permanently strips the institution of decades of deep institutional knowledge and specialized expertise that cannot simply be replaced or transferred.

Central to SCA’s core values is a commitment to free, equal, and transparent access to public information. Quietly closing facilities and stripping local communities of their physical history undermines public transparency, accountability, and equal access.

We urge SCA members, cultural heritage workers, and allies to take immediate action by contacting their Congressional representatives and federal leadership to push for accountability, transparency, and increased funding support for NARA’s vital mission.  You can look up your local representative directly through the U.S. House Representative Directory.

Together, we must support our colleagues, preserve irreplaceable institutional knowledge, and defend the principle that historical records belong to the communities whose stories they tell.

In solidarity,

Board of Directors of the Society of California Archivists