One of the saddest bits of news I’ve seen in a while was an announcement last week from the office of Secretary of State Brian Kemp. To comply with an order from the governor’s Office of Planning and Budget to cut spending by $730,000, Kemp will lay off most employees of the state archives and close the facility to access by the general public on Nov. 1. After that date, anyone who wants to look at the state’s historic records — some of which date back to 1733 — will have to make an appointment.