Utah's 1895 constitution available online

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's original 1895 constitution is now available to the public on the Web.

It has been preserved, digitized and made accessible by preservationists and digital technology staff at the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah.

The document, which permanently resides with the Utah State Archives and Records Service, underwent an in-depth archival assessment that determined the document was in stable condition, aside from its binding, which needed some restorative treatment.

Ken Williams, an archivist with State Archives, said that since State Archives does not have a preservation or conservation archivist on staff, it relied on the expertise of professionals at the Marriott Library. "Their work is amazing and a valuable resource that we will continue to utilize," he said.

With the physical preservation complete, the library's digital technologies staff proceeded in digitizing the constitution, now accessible through the Marriott Library website, along with the state's historical statutes that were digitized several years ago.

Joyce Ogburn, dean of the Marriott Library and university librarian, said, "The role of libraries has changed considerably over the past several years. No longer are we simply repositories for books; we are now digitizing, creating scholarship, and collaborating with other organizations to preserve some of our most treasured items."

To view the Constitution of the State of Utah, visit the Marriott Library's digital collections page at tinyurl.com/Utah-State-Constitution.

— Lynn Arave