LANSING - Some of Michigan's most important records and documents may be in danger due to a lack of funding for storage and preservation, a new study warns . One archivist called the situation a "crisis."

Documents include deeds, criminal records, election results and court files as well as birth, death and marriage certificates, according to the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL) report.

A survey of local government officials included in the report found that a shortage of suitable storage space is the top concern. Some officials acknowledged they have to keep documents in jail cells, bathrooms, parking ramps and other places where they could be exposed to water damage, rodents or mold.

Caryn Wojcik, a government records archivist for HAL, said many local agencies don't dispose of records that are no longer needed and, therefore, are wasting valuable office space to store them.

"The foundation of good records management" is to maintain up-to-date retention and disposal schedules, which specify how long certain documents should be kept before being destroyed, she said.

 Many local agencies don't have the resources to create new schedules, so they continue to use the outdated ones, she said.

"It's really a time issue, sometimes it's a labor issue and it's a priority issue," she said.

Wojcik said the Legislature could appropriate money for a local government records management program, and that half a million dollars per year would be "a good start."

She added that local governments could also collect filing fees to finance the program.

"We are facing a serious cultural crisis," said Marcus Robyns, archivist at the Northern Michigan University and Central Upper Peninsula Archives. "There's no money being placed for maintenance of government records."

Robyns said that his archives could benefit from a program to train employees how to preserve important documents since he works with a staff of student assistants.

He said that some of the records are also in need of restoration because they're beginning to deteriorate.

"They're tremendously valuable records," he said. "They add to the scope of our collections and they allow us to maintain scholarly research."

He added that he is working to establish a procedure for saving the most important records in case of a natural disaster such as a fire or flood.

Wexford County Clerk Elaine Richardson said storage space and employee training are always issues, but her office currently has enough room.

She said the county's records are stored in a vault, where they are safe from damage.