Diebold, Incorporated is now safeguarding the foundation of America’s history, the Charters of Freedom: the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, in three customized high-tech vaults installed at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. The recently renovated rotunda and re-encasement of the Charter documents is being unveiled to the public on Thursday, September 18, 2003 at 10 a.m.

The archive renovation includes an overhaul of the security system safeguarding the charters, eliminating the steps in the Rotunda so these important documents of American history are accessible to all visitors.  The transformation also includes a redesign of the permanent exhibit cases so all four pages of the U.S. Constitution are prominently displayed.

Diebold protects everything from countless amounts of currency, to securing the world’s most precious gem, the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian Institution.

To complement the installation of the vaults, Diebold also installed a state-of-the-art physical security system that allows these priceless documents to be displayed during the day and housed in the safety of secure vaults overnight. Diebold was recently named the country’s second largest security systems integrator by Security Distributing and Marketing magazine.

Founded in 1859 as a security equipment company, Diebold is a world leader in providing physical and electronic security systems and facility transaction products and automatic teller machines (ATMs) that integrate security, software and self-service transactions, providing total systems solutions to financial and commercial markets.  Specialized applications include card systems, which can boost productivity, convenience and security in the corporate and college campus environments.  Over the past decade, Diebold has also been the primary supplier for all of the country’s federal reserve banks, which includes seven bank sites and more than 20 vault doors.

The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent federal government agency that helps preserve America’s history by overseeing the management of all federal records to ensure ready access to the essential evidence that documents the rights of American citizens, the actions of federal officials and the national experience.  The National Archives is currently expanding efforts to build a national, integrated online information delivery system to educate citizens about the archives and its facilities, services and holdings.  To learn more about the agency or inquire about potential individual or corporate donation opportunities for the restoration of the Rotunda, visit the Web site at www.archives.gov.

Read the full news release here.