The Friends of the Arkansas State Archives is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2015 to support, promote, and strengthen the collections, services, and programs of the Arkansas State Archives.
The Friends support the State Archives in fulfilling its mission through a number of ways, including:
- Volunteering with and encouraging volunteerism at the Archives and at events hosted by the Archives. One such project involves indexing early county records to make them more accessible to the public.
- Raising funds to support activities of the State Archives such as acquisition of materials, conservation and processing work and public programming. Since its founding, the Friends group has purchased books and other materials for the Archives. Additionally, the Friends group has provided financial support for Archives events when needed.
- Advocating for the State Archives to ensure its fair treatment by Arkansas lawmakers and public officials. In 2017, the Friends of the Arkansas State Archives sponsored the Legislative Breakfast, which provided a venue for Arkansas legislators to learn more about the Archives. The Friends group has spoken up for the Archives concerning adequate staffing at the regional archives and have approached legislators and the Governor concerning fair treatment of the Archives.
- Encouraging the continuing education and professional development efforts of Archives staff.
Friends of the Arkansas State Archives 