For the Record: newsletter of the Illinois State Archives, & the Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board, Secretary of State & State Archivist

              For the
Winter 2005
Newsletter
of the
Illinois
State
Archives
&
The Illinois
State Historical
Records
Advisory Board
Jesse White
Secretary of State
&
State Archivist
Volume 19
Number 1
www.cyberdriveillinois.com
Secretary White appoints new State Archives director
Secretary of State and State Archivist Jesse White
has appointed David Joens as the new director of
the Illinois State Archives. Joens succeeds John
Daly who retired in July 2004 following 30 years of
service as director.
For the past four and a half years, Joens
has served as a liaison between the
State Archives and Secretary White as a
member of White's Programs and Policies
staff. He has participated in meetings of
the Illinois State Historical Records
Advisory Board, the Local and State
Records Commissions and budget
meetings for the Archives.
“Dave has been involved in almost every
major aspect of the State Archives over the past
several years,” said Secretary White. “His education,
experience and understanding of the archival system
in Illinois make him a perfect fit for this position.”
Joens holds a bachelor's degree in history and
political science from Northern Illinois University in
DeKalb and master's degrees in both political
science and history from the University of Illinois at
Springfield. He currently is a doctoral student in
Illinois history at Southern Illinois University.
The author of several articles on Illinois government
and history, Joens is a member of the
Abraham Lincoln Association, the Illinois
State Historical Society, the Illinois State
Genealogical Society, the Chicago Area
Archivists and the Midwest Archives
Conference.
Along with his extensive background in
history, Joens has broad knowledge and
experience in Illinois government. Before
coming to the Secretary of State's office,
he worked three years for the Illinois
Legislative Studies Center at the
University of Illinois at Springfield where he
authored two books on Illinois government. He also
worked seven years on the Illinois Senate
Democratic staff and two years as a newspaper
reporter covering local government in DuPage
County.
A U.S. Army veteran, Joens lives in Springfield with
his wife, Mona, and son, Benjamin.
Dave Joens
State Archives Director
State Genealogical Society purchases microfilm for IRAD
The Illinois State Genealogical Society has established a new gift fund to purchase microfilm of Illinois county records
for the Illinois Regional Archives Depository System (IRAD). IRAD preserves local governmental records of legal,
historical and research value at seven universities across Illinois. The Genealogical Society recently purchased microfilm
from the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU), a non-profit educational institution funded by The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-Day Saints. The GSU has produced thousands of rolls of microfilm of county records located in Illinois
courthouses.
Although IRAD has obtained many rolls of GSU microfilm by purchase and trade, there are numerous additional
microfilms on the State Archives’ wish list. Records currently being targeted for purchase include vital records of births,
deaths and marriages. Thus far, 135 rolls of microfilm containing records from 20 counties have been purchased.
The Illinois State Archives staff extends a huge thank you to the Illinois State Genealogical Society for its generous
contributions to the IRAD program. The records obtained through these gifts greatly enhance the Archives’ ability to
serve the genealogical needs of local communities.