Sonoma County’s historical archive relocates out of Valley fire zone

The Sonoma County Library’s historical archive is checking out. 

The process began this week of relocating historical records from Los Guilicos, the Sonoma Valley location threatened by wildfire in recent years, to a safer location in Santa Rosa.

“Rescuing these materials from the path of fire has been a priority for the library and I’m happy to see this milestone in process,” said Sonoma County Library Director Ann Hammond.

The library has managed the collection – most of which are owned by the County of Sonoma – since the 1960s. The records are a mix of decades-old leather-bound, handwritten ledgers, business records and documents dating back to the formation of Sonoma County in the mid-1800s.

Some of these archival materials are priceless resources, that must be preserved, cataloged and accessible, Hammond said.

The relocation is not permanent, but gives the county and the library time to develop a long-term solution to store the records. “We’re grateful to the county for partnering with us to address this issue,” she said. We look forward to a productive conversation moving forward.”

The records will be inaccessible for approximately eight weeks, while they are packaged and moved to an interim storage facility.

“Researchers and local historians will be able to request materials, which will be made available by appointment at our History & Genealogy Library in downtown Santa Rosa,” Hammond explained. “This process is how we’ve managed and protected these records successfully for years, and it will continue.”

The library and the county share the cost of the relocation. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved a $140,000 allocation for lease costs for the first two years, and the Sonoma County Library Commission approved a $137,000 allocation for an inventory of the records, professional packaging and moving and reconfiguring the new space in Santa Rosa.

Photos by Ashley White