Official government records - often of historic value - have appeared for sale on eBay and other commercial web sites. These occurrences have become more frequent.

Governments are charged with the public's interest. Government records document government actions. Transferring such records to private hands greatly restricts access to them. This in turn hampers government accountability.

The Council of State Historical Records Coordinators has released a statement on the issue. Among other matters, the Council requests eBay's assistance in alerting its customers to the problem.

The Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries supports the Council's initiative. We encourage everyone to read the Council's statement. Please click here to read the Council's statement..

If you learn of Michigan state government documents being sold on eBay or any other site, then please alert the Archives of Michigan. You can do this by calling (517) 373-1408 or sending an e-mail message to archives@michigan.gov.

Click Archives of Michigan to visit the Archives of Michigan home page.

Archives of Michigan
Michigan Library and Historical Center
702 W. Kalamazoo Street
Lansing, MI 48913
Phone: (517) 373-1408
E-mail: archives@michigan.gov

Updated 06/02/2006