New Jersey State Archives (NJSA), a.k.a. the Division of Archives and Records Management (DARM), has statutory responsibility for the management and preservation of public records of enduring historical value. This applies to records in all formats, either designated as permanent by law/regulation or deemed historically significant through appraisal (“archival review”). Our holdings include paper records, microfilm and other physical media, and electronic files.

Our mission is tied, historically, to the records-filing functions of the Secretary of State’s Office. Organizationally, the State Archives is successor to the former New Jersey Public Records Office and the State Library’s Bureau of Archives and History. The services and holdings of these agencies were vested in the Division of Archives and Records Management (DARM), created in the Department of State by an executive reorganization plan in 1983. Under a 2012 agreement between the departments of State and Treasury, DARM’s records management, records storage and micrographics functions are currently overseen by the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES) in the Department of the Treasury.

Authority for NJSA’s operations derives generally from N.J.S. Title 47 (Public Records), Title 18A:73 (Executive Reorganization Plan) and Title 22A:4-21 (Fees). Under Title 47, the director of DARM holds a seat on the State Records Committee, which is charged with records retention policy, scheduling, and regulation under N.J.S. Title 47:3-20.

Page Last Updated: 07/21/26