EAP026 Rescuing Liberian history: a pilot study to preserve and enable access to Liberia’s Presidential and National Archives

This pilot project was completed in March 2006 and successfully surveyed the National and the Presidential Archives, creating a database of 1,442 sampled items, identifying their content, date, creator, format and preservation status. This database is based on a 2005 survey of the Republic of Liberia's Presidential and National Archives, a project funded by the British Library’s Endangered Archives Programme. The Presidential Archives is located in Liberia’s Executive Mansion. Originally known as the "Central File Room," it stored the active and archived records for the Executive Branch of the Liberian government. The bulk of the records (over 4,100 linear feet) span from the second half of the W.V.S. Tubman presidency through the Charles Taylor administration. Approximately 50% of the records are from the Ministry of State, Executive Mansion, and Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs. Most of the remaining records are from other Liberian government ministries and agencies.