KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (September 4, 2019) – On August 29 the Kennebunkport Historical Society (KHS) welcomed David S. Ferriero, archivist for the National Archives and Records Administration, to discuss a four-phase project it has undertaken with the Maine Historical Society (MHS) to digitize the KHS’s extensive collections. Ferriero, who is also a member of the Society, met with Executive Administrator Kirsten Camp, KHS Board member John Zimmermann, and Henry Caiazzo, an archivist with the MHS.

“It was an honor to spend the afternoon with Mr. Ferriero,” said Camp. “It’s natural to think of the Society’s collections as having a mostly local audience. But he encouraged us to think globally. With so much information available through the internet, people around the world are only a click away from discovering and enjoying Kennebunkport’s rich maritime history. I am so grateful for his insight and encouragement as we prepare for the Society’s future.”

The digitization project will help protect and preserve the KHS collections for future generations and improve remote access to them through the Society’s website. Mr. Ferriero discussed the importance of the project and the digitation process that the National Archives has undertaken.

“I’m pleased that I finally got a chance to visit,” noted Ferriero. “The Kennebunkport Historical Society has great collections that need to be made discoverable. I’m happy to see their commitment to making that happen.”

Mr. Ferriero was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed as 10th archivist of the United States on November 6, 2009. He is the first librarian to serve in this position. Prior to joining the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Mr. Ferriero served as the Andrew W. Mellon director of the New York Public Libraries (NYPL). He has also held top positions at two of the nation’s major academic libraries, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Ferriero earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature from Northeastern University in Boston and a master’s degree from the Simmons College of Library and Information Science, also in Boston. He served as a Navy hospital corpsman during the Vietnam War.

During his visit, Mr. Ferriero invited Ms. Camp and Mr. Caiazzo to Washington, D.C. to tour the NARA, meet with other archivists there, and learn more about the NARA’s effort to preserve and protect our national archives.

About the National Archives and Records Administration

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation’s record keeper. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only one to three percent are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by the NARA forever. For more information about the NARA visit https://www.archives.gov/about.