If there is any one place where we can find things of political and historical value where collection of 
records and documents are preserved, stored and deposited that place would be the CNMI Archives.
Established in 1982, the CNMI Archives is dedicated to promoting the archival mission of preserving historical, political and cultural records, texts, audio/visual materials and artifacts of enduring value for the people of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Micronesia region.
The purpose of the CNMI Archives, as it is mandated through Public Law Nos. 8-18, Postsecondary Education Act and 8-41, Open Government Act, is to “maintain publications funded by the CNMI Government, or by regional association or agency receiving local or federal funds for the region, minutes of all meetings held by Commonwealth boards, commissions or agencies, official actions of the legislature, any other official record of the Commonwealth deemed by the archivist to have permanent historical, legal or political significance, any other materials relating to the CNMI or region that have research or historical value.”
Today, there are over 500 reels of microfilm pertaining to the CNMI Constitution, the Covenant Negotiations, and Public Laws from the CNMI Legislature from 1963-2009.
The Archives contains some of the CNMI’s most important and most treasured documents. These historical documents and materials have played an important role in the NMI’s history and are therefore priceless.
Among the priceless document stored and deposited at the Archives are the original CNMI Covenant and the pen that former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford used to sign it in 1975.
“The materials stored in the Archives represent some of the most important and culturally relevant documents in the CNMI,” said NMC President Dr. Carmen Fernandez.
“We are taking every step to protect and preserve these materials for the use and enjoyment of many generations to come,” Fernandez said.
The archival collection also includes 3,000 reels of microfilm from the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Government, records of the Spanish Colonial Government of the Mariana Islands from 1678 – 1899 and over 139 reels of microfilm courtesy of the Australian Archives on the Military Administration of the German New Guinea Possessions from 1899-1914.
Some examples of Archive Records include documents with legal values such as Municipal Charters (1947-1958), Municipal Ordinances(1947-1958), Laws & Resolutions of the Legislature, Executive Orders, Judicial Decisions, Attorney General’s Decisions, Journals of the CNMI Legislature, Journals of the CNMI Constitution, Deeds to Real Propertym, Covenant Negotiation Paper.
Those with historical values are Minutes of Boards, Commissions & Cabinet Meetings, Annual Reports of all CNMI Government Departments & Agencies, Reports of Historical events in the NMI, History of the Spanish, German, and Japanese Administration in the Marianas, WWII in the Marianas 1944, Annual Reports of the Trust Territory Government, Spanish Colonial Government Records (1678-1899), German Records (1899-1914), while those with political and administrative values are the Election Results, including lists of Candidates, Actions of our Government, Political Development in our Islands, Covenant Negotiations and Constitutional Convention, Land (Japanese) Records (1914-1944), Medical War Claims, Payment and Contracts.
According to Fernandez, the College staff meticulously collects, organizes, preserves and provides access in a central location to materials that are of high value to community members.
The CNMI Archive encourages the use of its materials by faculty, students, alumni and others to stimulate their learning and to supplement their teaching, she said.
But for Deanne Siemer she used the CNMI Archives as an author and historian rather than as a lawyer.
“Howard and I spent a long time in the archives when we wrote our two books about the Marianas and the staffs there were very helpful. However, I know that other lawyers use the archives when questions come up about the Covenant or the Constitution. The Archives has a complete set of those materials,” Siemer said.
Siemer considered the old photos and the oral history videos as very important and need special attention in preservation.
Herbert Del Rosario is the current director of the CNMI Archives. He was assisted by his archives technician Tonny Goobaad.
“Land owners also come here to research,” Goobaad said.
It is certain now that CNMI has priceless treasures anybody can think about it. But how secure are these documents?
Fernandez said that a full time security guard is stationed adjacent to the Archives office 24-hours a day, while two dedicated staff are situated within the archives, separate from the main library facilities, to help secure and maintain the integrity of the Archives.
The Northern Marianas College, she added, has embarked on a facilities master plan project with significant funding from the Department of the Interior and this will include appropriate building specifications for the Archives to ensure that it is safe from water and fire damage.
