Why Was FAzA Created?

Friends of Arizona Archives (FAzA) was founded in January 1997 to promote the construction of a new storage and research facility for the Arizona State Archives.

After a long and arduous campaign by a grassroots coalition of archives users and supporters, in which FAzA played a major role, a new archives building was authorized by the Arizona legislature in 2004.

Construction of the Polly Rosenbaum Archives and History Building began in January 2007. In late 2008 staff members began moving records into the building, which is a state-of-the-art facility with modern storage equipment, full environmental controls, and robust security.

What Does FAzA Do?

Friends of Arizona Archives is a nonprofit educational and advocacy organization. It serves as an advocate for Arizona historical archives and their users, provides training to archivists and archive volunteers, and promotes the use of Arizona’s historical archives.

Advocacy

As an advocate for the state’s archives and their users, FAzA:

brings attention to the poor condition of many of the state’s historical records, and to the risks such neglect poses to the study and preservation of Arizona’s history;
ensures that the public has full access to historical records, not only at the State Archives but also at local government agencies;
promotes and facilitates the designation of historically significant court cases, a mechanism by which landmark Arizona legal case files are preserved for researchers; and
supports adequate funding and staffing for the Arizona State Archives and other institutions with archival holdings.

Training

As a professional organization, FAzA is devoted to improving the working conditions, training, career opportunities, and professional development of staff members and volunteers at Arizona’s historical archives.

FAzA conducts workshops and sessions at the annual Arizona History Convention and elsewhere around the state. It also provides travel stipends to young archivists and to graduate students preparing for careers as archivists, enabling them to attend professional meetings.

Promotion

As a promoter of research activities at Arizona’s historical archives, FAzA:

conducts workshops for researchers;
awards stipends to high school students to help them do research for National History Day projects;
receives private donations for History Day projects and disburses the funds to high school teachers to help defray students’ research costs; and
sponsors the FAzA Award for Excellence in Archival Research at the Arizona History Convention.

Who Can Join FAzA?

Membership in the Friends of Arizona Archives is open to anyone who works at, does research at, or supports Arizona’s historical archives.

In its advocacy work and training activities, FAzA strives to serve the needs and promote the interests not only of archivists and researchers, but also of the general public.