Press/Journalists

Archivist of the United States Visits Philadelphia to Celebrate Constitution Day
Press Release · Friday, September 13, 2002

Philadelphia, PA

Archivist of the United States, John W. Carlin, will visit Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 to celebrate Constitution Day and to attend the Annual Meeting of the Regional Administrators for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The meeting, hosted by NARA's Mid Atlantic Region, will focus, in part, on public program and partnership opportunities within NARA's nationwide regional operations.

At a Constitution Day reception held at Philadelphia's Independence Visitor's Center, Mr. Carlin will announce a National Archives' partnership with the new National Constitution Center. In describing the project, Mr. Carlin said: "I am delighted to have this opportunity to visit Philadelphia and personally introduce our partnership with the NCC and other strategic initiatives to the community. This partnership is wonderful opportunity to expose more citizens to our national milestone documents, and to support an important economic development project in this region. The National Archives values opportunities to show why records matter -- for us, for our future, and for the future of our democracy."

The reception program will also feature remarks by Joseph W. Torsella, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center; Carol Clark Lawrence, Deputy City Representative for Arts and Culture; and an appearance by Benjamin Franklin. Facsimiles of historically significant Constitution-related documents from the National Archives' ten regional facilities will be on display at the Visitor's Center along with the Magna Carta, which is on loan from the Perot Foundation.

The by-invitation-only reception is from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. The working press is invited to attend. The Independence Visitor's Center is located at One North Independence Mall West, 6th and Market Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19106.

The National Archives' alliance with the National Constitution Center enables the two institutions with a shared sense of purpose -- increasing public awareness of the Constitution and the use of our documentary heritage for public education and enrichment -- to strengthen their collaboration on exhibits, programs and Internet resources.

The National Constitution Center was established by Congress through the Constitution Heritage Act of 1988, as an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and is building the Constitution Center, the first-ever museum honoring and explaining the Constitution. The Center will be located in Philadelphia on Independence Mall, joining two of our nation's greatest symbols of freedom -- Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. The Center broke ground on Constitution Day, September 17, 2000 and will open July 4, 2003.

The National Archives and Records Administration, an independent federal agency, is the nation's record keeper. Founded in 1934, its mission is unique -- to ensure for the citizen and the public servant, for the President and the Congress and the Courts, ready access to essential evidence. The National Archives meets a wide range of information needs, ensuring access to records on which the credibility of our government and the accuracy of our history depend. The National Archives carries out its mission through a nationwide network of archives, records centers, and Presidential Libraries and on the Internet at www.archives.gov.

The National Archives Mid Atlantic Region resides in Philadelphia and serves the geographic areas of Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia. They help federal officials manage information by offering technical assistance and training and setting records retention and disposal guidelines. The regional office also provides cost-efficient offsite storage for non-current federal agency records and holds the historically significant federal records from 1790 to the present. The public archives is located in the Robert Nix Federal Building (entrance on Chestnut Street, between 9th and 10th) in Center City, Philadelphia while the federal records center and records management business offices are located in the Byberry East Industrial Park, 14700 Townsend Rd., Philadelphia, PA.

For press information about the National Archives' partnership with the National Constitution Center or about the National Archives regional archives, contact: David Roland, 215-671-8074 or via email at: david.roland@nara.gov.

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