The Division of Archives and Records Management holds in trust the public records of New Jersey: one of the oldest and most vital functions of government. The division has statutory authority to ensure the security, integrity, and efficiency of record-keeping by state and local public agencies, and to preserve the rich documentary heritage of New Jersey and its people.

The division’s institutional precursors span more than three centuries of New Jersey history. During most of the British colonial era, the royal provincial secretary served as keeper of the government’s official records. After independence in 1776, the Secretary of State performed this function. In 1920, growing historical consciousness in anticipation of the sesquicentennial of American independence induced the legislature to create New Jersey’s first agency dedicated exclusively to the preservation and public use of government archives—the Public Record Office. Expanded and renamed the Bureau of Archives and History, the office became part of the State Library in 1945. Finally, in an executive reorganization in 1983, Gov. Thomas H. Kean elevated the bureau to full division status and reunited it with the Secretary of State.