FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas (U of A) in Fayetteville is teaming up with Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin to record and digitize the state's constitutional documents, according to a Nov. 19 press release.
Previously, the state's 1874 constitutions were physically available to the public, but only if the researcher was willing to drive to a location and look through the files manually.
“Thousands of legal opinions, law review articles, and legal memos are written every single year without the benefit of the documents that we possess in our archive," asked Attorney General Griffin.
“Not only are these documents difficult to access, but they also aren’t searchable. They aren’t digitized and, as a result, cannot be searched in the course of normal legal research as you would with cases," said Attorney General Griffin. "While completing a recent research project, staff in my office spent several days rummaging through boxes of old documents, many of which are deteriorating."
The U of A and Attorney General Griffin are also receiving assistance from The University of Oxford's Quill Project to record the documents.
"The University of Arkansas is dedicated to serving the people of our state and nation. 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," said U of A Chancellor Dr. Charles Robinson.