A HISTORY OF THE ASG ARCHIVES AND RECORDS CENTER

Prior to 1978, the U.S. Navy and Dept. of Interior had not established a local archives dept. or records building in American Samoa. In 1969, the majority of local government archives were sent to the U.S. National Archives in San Francisco by DOI Governor Owen Aspinal. With the start of a local Am. Samoa Government electorate in 1978, remaining government archives were recognized and stored at several intermediate locations. These included the Fagatogo and Utulei administrative buildings, a Samoana High School WWII era quonset hut, an old Naval Station warehouse in Fagatogo, and a prior Tafuna Air Force Housing cafeteria. The need for local Archives and Records Management laws and regulations was then acknowledged and created by the Am. Samoa Legislature in 1984 and placed under the Executive Branch. An initial Records Management Office was subsequently transferred to the Dept. of Administrative Services by Executive Order in 1985 after a permanent staff and location were established. The first ASG Archives Office occupied a renovated 1908 Naval Station Jail with the Territorial Registrar Office. In 1991 the Territorial Registrar was transferred to the Office of the Attorney General and became a separate facility. A new Records Center named after Governor Peter Tali Coleman was then built and dedicated at Tafuna in 1991. The National Historical Registry Naval Station Jail Archives was afterwards consolidated and moved into the new Tafuna Records Center in 1998. The current Office of Archives and Records Management (OARM) is therefore staffed by a Territorial Archivist, Division Head, Senior Adm. Asst and two Adm. Assistants to serve your information needs. OARM functions under ASCA Title 4 Ch 12 and ASAC Title 2 Ch 3 regulations.