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Franklin County archives director outlines digitization, genealogy services and seven miles of records
Summary
Stephanie Basilick, director of Franklin County Archives and Records Management, presented the department's work to the commissioners, describing holdings, digitization efforts, public research services and technology investments to preserve and provide access to county records.
Stephanie Basilick, director of Franklin County’s Archives and Records Management Department, briefed the commissioners on the department’s public services, digitization work and holdings during a presentation on the county’s archives facility and operations.
Basilick, who identified herself as the department director and said she joined the county in November 2024, told the board the archives is located at 340 North Second Street and that the department has processed roughly 38,000 boxes of departmental records since a 2020–2021 consolidation. "We house records for 35 of our 52 county departments," Basilick said, and described an active program of scanning records into a digital repository and secure shredding of paper once quality control checks are complete.
Why it matters: the archives preserves official records, supports county administration, and provides genealogy and public research services used by researchers across the United States; county staff said digitization also supports goals to reduce paper storage and improve access to records for departments and residents.
Selected details from the presentation
- Public access and usage: The archives building is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the department received 34 researchers from other states since January and year‑to‑date had assisted 190 public research requests and 155 county department requests.
- Holdings and digitization: Basilick described the facility’s "seven miles worth of shelving," noting roughly 3 miles are fully filled with records maintained on county retention schedules. The archives staff averages about 4,000 record scans per month and has produced searchable online catalogs and a public repository; year‑to‑date the public website saw 5,619 unique searches.
- Technology and services: Basilick demonstrated the archives’ book scanner and other equipment used to digitize fragile bound materials, maps and blueprints and said the department works with the register and recorder’s office and PennDOT contractors to scan plat maps and boundary maps that assist GIS, voter registration, school districts, taxation and 9‑1‑1 boundary alignment projects.
- Records management standards: The director said the archives follows Pennsylvania state guidelines and the county records manual, and works with courts on AOPC (Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts) retention guidance to ensure legal compliance for court records.
- Outreach: The archives maintains a blog, posts fact sheets and QR codes for genealogy resources, and the team partners internally with the communications coordinator to increase public awareness of available resources.
Commissioners thanked Basilick and other staff for organizing records, improving digitization and public access. Commissioners and staff noted the archives’ role in preserving local history and assisting county operations.
Ending: The board posed several operational questions about retention and the breadth of collections and commended the department for its technology investments and public outreach; no formal vote was required for the presentation.
