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Terms in use - "Archives"



Folks,

As I think the Archives list will have an interest, I'm posting (with permission) a slightly edited version of a comment Peter Brothers made as part of a discussion on the AMIA-L list about the terminology used in standards writing.

Note the quoted slang!

best,

Janet Carleton

------forwarded with permission----------

Recently heard coming from the mouth of one of the younger generation was this interesting piece of slang used upon leaving a group of friends: "See ya later - I'm archives".

Due to the popularization of the terms "archive" and "archival", there is some sentiment in the standards writing community that the terms have lost their meaning and should be avoided.  I am on both the SMPTE and ANSI committees that deal with standards relating to "archiving" of magnetic media and I strongly disagree with this position.

"Archival" does have meaning and impact on the public awareness.  We do ourselves and our industry a disservice to simply discard a term because popular usage has made the term less than specific.  Decades of frustration have been devoted to developing the public awareness of archives as something of value, worthy of protection and support.  To back off and resort to new terminology that the public does not recognize defeats all the hard work and PR that has gone into the recognition that has finally been earned.  Recognition is, in the real world, necessary if we are going to get support in our endeavors.

Peter Brothers
President
SPECS BROS., LLC
peter@specsbros.com
web-site: http://www.specsbros.com
TAPE RESTORATION AND DISASTER RECOVERY
SINCE 1983


___________________________________________________________
Janet Carleton, Reformatting Archivist <carleton@ohio.edu>
Ohio University Archives & Spec. Coll., Athens, Ohio 45701
_______740/597-2527 - <http://www.library.ohiou.edu/>______

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