The AHA suggests to our members that they consider signing the following online petition: Start A National Effort To Digitize All Public Government Info.

This is a petition drive to the White House urging the President to appoint a commission to explore the scope, costs, and benefits of digitizing all federal records holdings. The commission would establish a blueprint and do a cost/benefit analysis of such an effort. It is not clear what funds might be available for actual digitization, but this is a necessary foundation and practical first step towards a larger initiative.

This petition is sponsored by the Center for American Progress and Public.Resource.Org. See Yes We Scan for more information.

David Ferreiro, Archivist of the United States, supports this effort.

Further information is also available in the online newsletter of the National Coalition for History.

The petition must have 25,000 signatures by January 20, 2012.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.