A new partnership between the Arkansas Attorney General’s office and the University of Arkansas aims to preserve and modernize access to important historical documents.
Attorney General Tim Griffin announced on Tuesday that he is collaborating with the University of Oxford’s Quill Project to digitize and safeguard documents related to the drafting and ratification of the current Arkansas Constitution. The initiative will also include earlier versions of the state’s constitution, making these valuable historical records more accessible for research and public viewing.
Griffin highlighted the challenges in the current system, where researchers must sift through thousands of physical documents, many of which are not searchable. He emphasized the importance of bringing these historical resources into the digital age.
“It is well past time that we bring these historical resources into the modern age by digitizing them and making them available to everyone,” Griffin said. “To do that, I am committing funding to the University of Arkansas to lead this initiative. The University of Arkansas will work in conjunction with the University of Oxford and its Quill Project that provides a portal for legal research involving all 50 states and the federal government and has established itself as the authority and leader on this type of research.”
University of Arkansas Chancellor Charles F. Robinson expressed enthusiasm for the project, noting its alignment with the university’s mission as a land-grant institution committed to serving the state and nation.
“As a land-grant institution, the University of Arkansas is dedicated to serving the people of our state and nation,” Robinson said. “Joining the Quill Project provides an incredible opportunity to fulfill this commitment by preserving Arkansas’s constitutional history and enriching our collective understanding of the foundations of American democracy.”
The Arkansas Constitution, first ratified in 1874, was originally a handwritten document.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI