I wrote a book once. About the history of a Georgia county. It took me almost five years to research and write.
Much of that research time was spent at the Georgia Archives. I’d be waiting when they unlocked the door in the morning. They had to shoo me out at the end of the day. I even told the archivist that I would be fine if they would lock me in overnight. And I meant it.
I figure I spent about 2,000 hours over the course of two-plus years conducting research at the Georgia Archives.
Using the system of appointments set up by Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp. my research would take me 83.3 years to complete.
I didn’t go to the Georgia Archives every day, but when I did, I stayed from open to close. It never even occurred to me to go for two hours a day. If the appointment system had been in place back then, I would not have attempted a book.
Like every other small business person who uses the Archives, I pay taxes on the income I earn.
The appointment system inhibits the ability of hard-working Georgians to earn a living.
Small business people who use the Archives are scrambling to figure out if they can honor contracts and how they will stay afloat. The Secretary Kemp, Gov. Nathan Deal and state legislators need to know that this is not acceptable.
Vivian Price Saffold
GeorgiaArchivesMatters 
As part of a research team of four, I worked sixteen hours a week at the Georgia Archives from January through May of this year. Sixteen hours was all of the open hours. Under the new appt plan, it would take 13 years to accomplish the same work. Mr. Kemp states that he is a small business man and that he supports small businesses. I wonder how he would react if the state of Georgia limited his ability to work to two hours each month?!?
Even though the Governor has now allocated money to keep the Archives open at its current schedule and retain two more employees through the end of the year, the future of the Archives and the ability to access its holdings is still very much in question. What knowledge will be lost with the departure of the other five full-time employees come November 1? That knowledge cannot be passed on to employees provided by the University System of Georgia next year? How will loss of knowledge of the records affect the ability of authors, students, and genealogists to conduct research? It may still become impossible to earn money through research or conduct research for dissertations when the planned cuts/changes take place.