SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 46

47th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2006

INTRODUCED BY

Mary Jane M. Garcia

A JOINT MEMORIAL

DECLARING THE WEB SITE OF THE STATE HISTORIAN AS THE OFFICIAL NEW MEXICO STATE HISTORY WEB SITE.

     WHEREAS, the role of an official historian has figured prominently in the historiography of New Mexico, and its historians have included many distinguished men and women over the centuries; and

     WHEREAS this distinctively unique position in state government is charged with serving as New Mexico's leading advocate and authority on matters relating to the interpretation of New Mexico history; and

     WHEREAS, the mission of the office of the state historian is to foster and facilitate an understanding and appreciation of New Mexico's history and culture through education, research, preservation and community outreach; and

     WHEREAS, the state historian's commitment to heritage preservation defines the office's efforts to preserve the histories, experiences, memories and in accord with the state records center mission, the written record of New Mexicans; and

     WHEREAS, the state historian's commitment to education defines the office's efforts to recognize the critical value of raising historical consciousness and appreciation by the general public and students of every age; and

     WHEREAS, given the central role of history in our state's educational system, the office of the state historian is poised to make a critical contribution to students' critical thinking and historical consciousness; and

     WHEREAS, the state historian's commitment to making historical information accessible, all-inclusive and meaningful is of paramount importance; and

     WHEREAS, in 2003 the state historian conceived of an imaginative means of creating a virtual engagement with New Mexico's living history for residents across the state and globe, with a goal of bringing visitors face to face with letters, maps and the myriad documents that have changed the face of New Mexico over the centuries as well as the oral histories, photographs and video footage that give voice to the unwritten record; and

     WHEREAS, through the efforts of the state commission of public records, the financial support from the New Mexico legislature and the governor of the state of New Mexico, preliminary funding has allowed the initiation of the project; and

     WHEREAS, the office of the state historian has also taken an active lead in creating and fostering collaborations that have resulted in the project's forward momentum with partnerships created with the media arts department at New Mexico highlands university, the American studies department at the university of New Mexico, the university of New Mexico press, the state library, the palace of the governors and the state monuments division; and

     WHEREAS, the visionary navigation invites participants of the web site to experience the past through themes that explore the wisdom of places, the significance of events, the complexity of the human condition and the transformative power of storytelling, all complemented with an online forum and interactive calendar;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the office of the state historian be recognized for the critical role in fostering and facilitating an understanding and appreciation of New Mexico's history and culture through education, research, preservation and community outreach; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New Mexico state history web site project created and supported by the office of the state historian be declared the official history web site of the state of New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the state historian.

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