The Circuit Court Records Preservation Program (CCRP) Grant Review Board met on 13 February 2024 at the Library of Virginia to evaluate 124 records preservation grant requests from 102 circuit courts across the commonwealth. Five voting members comprise the board: three circuit court clerks, appointed by the president of the Virginia Court Clerks’ Association; and two staff members from the Library of Virginia. Board members meet once a year to evaluate grant applications. Clerks of the circuit courts are eligible to apply for funds to conserve, secure, and increase access to circuit court records.
The board approved 122 grant projects totaling $3,204,869.62. Most of the approved applications covered professional conservation treatment for over 600 records that date from the 1690s to the mid-twentieth century. They include deed books, will books, land tax books, marriage licenses, order books, and plat books, housed in circuit court clerks’ offices, which suffered damage from use, age, pests, water, cellulose acetate lamination, or previous non-professional repairs. The remaining grants funded records reformatting, indexing, shelving, and climate control equipment.
The Library of Virginia’s Government Records Division administers the CCRP. A $3.50 recordation fee on land instruments recorded in the circuit court clerks’ offices funds the program. The CCRP provides resources to preserve and make accessible Virginia’s permanent circuit court records. Since 1992, the CCRP has awarded over 2,000 preservation grants totaling over $36 million dollars. The grants ensure the preservation of Virginia’s past for future generations.
