slcoarchives Archives building, Archives staff, Records Management

2023 in Review

Now that 2023 has come to a close, we look back on all of the changes and accomplishments from the past year. Records Management and Archives went through huge changes in our small staff throughout 2023. 

Retirement: Hugh Johnson, Records Clerk

Hugh Johnson worked as a Records Clerk for Salt Lake County Records Management and Archives for 23 years, assisting county agencies with retention schedules, record requests, and many other tasks. Prior to working with us, Hugh worked for the Utah State Archives in their microfilm department. Having reached his 30 years service for government, he retired in May of 2023. We were devastated to hear that shortly after his retirement, Hugh passed away. We miss his generosity and steadfastness every day at the Archives. 

Moving On: Daniel Cureton, Digital and Reference Archivist

Daniel Cureton, Digital and Reference Archivist, left the Salt Lake County Archives for a new position in September of 2023. Daniel worked with us for a little over four years, and was invaluable in setting up our new digitization lab along with providing excellent reference services to the public and county agencies. Many of our patrons will miss his insight and dedication to the research process. Daniel’s skills and knowledge will now benefit the Los Alamos National Laboratory as their Scientific and Technical Information Librarian. 

New Employees 

As detailed in an earlier entry, we also welcomed two new employees in 2023. Trey Coleman, Records Management and Archives Specialist, started in August and Kelsie Flack, Digital and Reference Archivist, joined us in September. Both have already seamlessly fit in at Salt Lake County, and readers will hear much more from them in the future. 

More Records Online

We continued to digitize and upload county records to our online digital archives, including:

  • Tax Appraisal Cards (1970s) and Land Title Certificates to their online, searchable applications. 
  • Land Claim Record Books
  • Water Records Collection
  • Tax Assessment Rolls (1853-1881)
  • Additional Planning and Development records, including Board of Adjustment and Conditional Use Applications.

Additional records series will be digitized and uploaded to the online digital archives throughout 2024! 

slcoarchives Archives staff

Welcome To Our New Staff!

Salt Lake County Records Management and Archives recently hired two new employees, filling positions vacated by outgoing staff. The Records Management and Archives Specialist works with agencies to help manage county records, provides public reference desk support, and conducts special projects supporting the archives program.  Our Digital/Reference Archivist is responsible for Archives duties including reference, instruction, research, and collection management of a variety of physical records formats in the Archives.

Trey Coleman, Records Management and Archives Specialist

Trey Coleman is a 2023 graduate from Brigham Young University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history. Being part of the county has quickly displayed the various career paths available to him for his future as he develops his records management and archival skills all while doing so in a work environment that is friendly and goal oriented. Prior to his employment with Records Management and Archives, he worked as an Archival Digitization Specialist with the genealogical organization Ancestry and as a computer technician for his university.  

During his studies, Trey chose the field of history because of his hobbyist nature and the freedom it offered at choosing topics from various time periods and the next day being able to learn something different. So, when outside of work, he enjoys pushing his talents and developing new hobbies from painting, reading, and writing to other things like skateboarding, website development, and woodworking. 

Kelsie Flack, Digital/Reference Archivist

Kelsie Flack has a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of Utah and a Master of Library and Information Science with a specialization in Archival Studies from Louisiana State University. Kelsie first started working in archives at the J. Willard Marriott Library in Special Collections when she was an undergraduate at the University of Utah. She immediately became fascinated with archives and developed a passion for the ways in which archives directly connect us to various histories. She used that interest to pursue a Master of Library and Information Science, which she completed in December of 2022. Kelsie began working as an official archivist as the Curating Indigenous Digital Collections Fellow at WiLS, which is a Wisconsin based library organization. She worked in collaboration with the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians to promote Tribal sovereignty, ethical control and access, and proper organization of digital community archives. Kelsie has an immense passion for implementing change in how Indigenous communities have historically been treated by libraries, archives, and museums. She then went on to work at Densho, which is a non-profit organization based in Seattle that focuses on archiving materials from Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II. This continued a passion for promoting ethical archival practices for marginalized communities who have been mistreated by traditional libraries, archives, and museums throughout history.

Kelsie is excited to take the next step in her career at Salt Lake County Archives as the Digital/Reference Archivist. She is looking forward to physically interacting with archival material and providing reference and access to a wide range of patrons.

In her free time, Kelsie enjoys reading, traveling, and doing yoga.

A big welcome to our new employees!

slcoarchives Archives staff

Happy Holidays!

Thank you to our patrons for their patience throughout this difficult year. We have had to either completely close or restrict access to the Archives at various times, and we appreciate your understanding while waiting for records requests to be filled. We are currently filling requests digitally Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

We hope that you have a safe and happy holiday season!

Please note: The Salt Lake County Archives will be closed the following dates for the holidays:

December 21 – 25 and December 31 – 1

slcoarchives Archives staff

New Look, Same Mission

You may have noticed our new blog header! Refreshing the overall look of this blog also involved adding a theme that expresses the basic mission of the Salt Lake County Archives.

We are the County’s official repository for its records of long-term value, dating from 1852 to the present.  This includes records in various formats as they were created and used, such as paper and photographs, and those that have reached obsolescence (think floppy disks and videocassette tapes, to name a few). The herculean task of migrating data from one format to another to ensure preservation of data also involves a large amount of staff time and resources. We are also responsible for the management of born-digital records.

Analog or electronic. Paper or PDF. The digital age has created many challenges, but our mission remains the same: preserve and provide access to the content of the records, “regardless of format.”

slcoarchives Archives staff

Archives Closures for November

Due to the Governor’s recent state of emergency proclamation, the Archives will be closed through November 20.  Staff will return to answer reference requests digitally on November 24 and 25.

We will be closed on November 26 and 27 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

However you celebrate the holidays, we hope you stay healthy and safe.