Here at the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service, our Local Government Team looks a little different these days, as we have welcomed a few new members. We wanted to take a moment to reintroduce ourselves and the unique work we do here at the State Archives. Over the last several years, we’ve been busy listening and learning from our friends working in Utah’s local governments and building up a team dedicated to understanding the unique record-keeping needs of Utah’s municipalities, counties, schools, courts, and special districts. The Archives’ Local Government team is made up of trained records management and archives professionals who specialize in helping Utah’s local governments learn more about best practices in handling government records access, management, and preservation.
Alan Barnett, the Local Government Archivist and manager of the team has years of experience with the Utah State Archives, having started in 2003. Before his service at the Archives, Alan worked for Utah State History and has extensive experience in reference services, preservation, and the care and handling of archival records. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Brigham Young University and a Master’s Degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Utah.
Alan enjoys the grass-roots view that local records provide. Alan noted that “working with local governments to preserve their historic records has given me tremendous insight into Utah’s past. Local records tell the story of community and touch on the issues of daily life in a unique way”.
Heidi Steed started with the division in 2017 as Local Government Records Management Specialist. Before working with us, Heidi worked for fifteen years at the Salt Lake City Public Library and spent some time as a judicial assistant at the Second District Court in Davis County. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Utah in Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, also from the University of Utah, where she studied Local Government Administration.
Heidi’s favorite thing about working with local governments is seeing the evolution of Utah’s communities. Heidi says, “the records of Utah’s local governments offer so many amazing insights into how Utah has grown and changed throughout the years. And local governments are so connected to citizens and the community, the records created by local governments depict the most important issues facing people daily.”
Maren Peterson started to work with the local government team in 2022 after having spent time working part-time with the State Archives processing historic records. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in history, where she focused her studies on Colonial America.
Maren enjoys learning more about Utah’s history every day. Maren stated, “It is a privilege to work with school districts across the state; I love finding old records from the early 20th century that detail the start of the education system in each community”.
Genesie Miller is the team’s newest member and started working with the division in December 2022 as the Executive Secretary for the Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board (USHRAB). Prior to working on the Local Government Team, she worked at the History of Cartography Project at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a Reference Editor and Illustrations Assistant. She has a Ph.D. in Japanese Literature with a minor in Visual Culture Studies from UW–Madison.
Gen is looking forward to working with local cultural heritage institutions to help them preserve and provide access to their unique historical records. Gen says, “I’m excited to work with Utah’s underserved communities and help them share their histories and perspectives with the world.”
We look forward to continuing our work in the months and years to come. Give us a shout!
- Alan Barnett: Local Government Archivist, abarnett@utah.gov, (801) 531-3864
- Heidi Steed: Local Government Records Management Specialist (courts, counties, municipalities, special districts, and courts), hsteed@utah.gov, (801) 531-3860
- Maren Peterson: Local Government Records Management Specialist (schools) marenpeterson@utah.gov, (801) 531-3866
- Genesie Miller: Archivist and USHRAB Executive Secretary, genesiemiller@utah.gov, (801) 531-3845