Historical/Archival Records
Only a small percentage of records created by South Carolina state agencies and local governments are historical or archival (as determined by the Archives’ records retention scheduling program) and require permanent retention. The Department of Archives and History serves as the repository for all archival state agency records and maintains them at the SC Archives and History Center. (The Department also provides storage for inactive non-archival state agency records pending final disposition at the State Records Center). While local governments have responsibility for the proper storage and management of their archival records, the Department of Archives and History does accept transfers of selected local government records for storage at the SC Archives and History Center. (The Department provides guidance and direction to local governments on the identification, preservation, and management of the archival records that they retain.) All archival state and local government records transferred and accessioned at the Archives and History Center become the legal responsibility of the Department of Archives and History and are available for public reference and research (with the exception of those records that are restricted by law or regulation). See the Archives' Collecting Policy. For information on the Archives’ holdings of colonial, state, and local government records, see the Summary Guide.
The Archives also identifies local government historical records for preservation microfilming, and microfilms those archival records as resources are available. These microfilmed records are also available for research at the SC Archives and History Center. For a listing of county government records identified as eligible for preservation microfilming, see the results of the Archives county historical records microfilming survey.