Florida Memory

The State Archives of Florida is the central repository for the records of Florida state government. The Archives is mandated by law to collect, preserve, and make available for research the records of the State of Florida, as well as private manuscripts, local government records, photographs, and other materials that complement official state records. The Archives is part of the Division of Library and Information Services (DLIS), which in addition to archival and records management services, provides a framework for statewide library initiatives and makes available the published and unpublished history of the state. DLIS is one of seven divisions within the Florida Department of State. In an effort to make its collections accessible to the largest possible audience, the State Library and Archives of Florida applied for grant funding under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) to digitize select collections in 1994. The Florida Memory website was born of this initial from LSTA grant funding.