About Us
Why Preserve Records?
“It is not deeds or acts that last: it is the written record of those deeds and acts” Elbert Hubbard, 1856-1915
In explaining why it is important to preserve records, no one says it better than Elbert Hubbard. It is the written record that survives to tell future generations our stories as individuals and communities. Moreover, public records allow us to time-travel to our past as well as ensure the transparency and accountability of our government today.
Our History:
The Licking County Records & Archives Center was established in 2008 in response to the need for records management among the various county agencies. The Center has grown from a staff of one with an attic full of boxes to a five-person team working to accommodate greater numbers of government records. In July 2018, after years of planning, the Record & Archives Center moved into a larger facility at 61 East Main Street, Newark, Ohio, 43055.
Our Mission:
The Licking County Records & Archives Department consults with county offices in establishing strong foundations for the efficient management of records by assisting with their creation, maintenance, retention, protection and preservation, or destruction. The department also strives to promote government accountability, and protect the rights of county residents by providing access to public records of historical value.
What We Collect:
We collect Licking County Government records of enduring historical value in a wide range of formats including, but not limited to: paper, microform, and electronic media. Additionally we maintain confidential records and some historical materials related to Licking County. All of our publicly accessible materials are available to view at our Center.
Our Staff:
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Corinne Johnson |
Corinne has been employed by the County since 2005 and transferred to the Records & Archives Department in June of 2012. She previously served as an Imaging Technician within the department, where her primary duties included digitizing images, scanning oversized bound volumes, auditing the County’s microfilm archive, and serving as an OnBase System Administrator. She took on the position of Records Center and Archives Manager in 2019, and is working to promote records management best practices throughout local government. |
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Angela Spray |
Angela has been employed by the County since 1998 and transferred to the Records & Archives Department in May of 2009. Angela’s job duties include creating digital images of county records, and preparing and organizing records to be digitized and/or microfilmed. Angela also does consultations and reviews of digital imaging and microfilm jobs with other County departments. Angela has been a certified OnBase System Administrator since 2011, and in 2013 became certified as an Advanced OnBase System Administrator. |
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Abigail Torre |
Abby joined the Records & Archives Department in 2018 as an intern while obtaining her Master's Degree in Library and Information Science with a focus in the archives. She was hired full-time in 2019 as the department's Imaging Technician, and was promoted to the position of Reference Archivist/Librarian in November of 2021. Abby's current duties include overseeing the operations of reference services, including records requests, retrieval, and delivery; maintaining departmental records databases; creating finding aids and research guides; cleaning and re-boxing archived records; and coordinating the department's volunteer program.
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Kelsi Rakestraw |
Kelsi joined the Records & Archives department in 2021 as an Imaging Technician. She received her Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science with a concentration in Museum Studies in 2017 while working in several local history organizations. Kelsi’s main duties include the digitization of Building Code records, including building permits and building plans.
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Monica Crist |
Monica joined the Records & Archives Department in 2018 after gaining three years of records experience in the Clerk of Courts' Office. Monica helped bring organization to historic and permanently valuable records that were transferred to the archives in 2018. Monica's primary focus is to process court records within the archives' holdings, and to assist County staff and public patrons in using these records. |
| Anna McLaughlin Imaging Technician (740) 670-5121 Email |
Anna has been employed by the County since 2022, and has an Associates Degree in Secretarial Science. In the past, she worked in the medical field, organizing and scanning medical records. Her responsibilities include scanning both historical and current records for multiple County departments, digitizing oversized volumes on the department's book scanner, and cataloging various record series in the archive's holdings. |