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Re: Archives Fires (& Floods)



We had a big flood back in '85 and we've used that excuse for many years
--Gee, that must have been lost in THE FLOOD.  At some point, however,
we'll have to come up with something else.  Since we moved into a new
building last year, maybe we can use that as our next excuse!!

I've always held that every archives needs an occasional fire now and then
to provide some plausible deniability for records someone doesn't wish to
release to the public or that the records center just plain can't find.
Something like:  "Oh, those records were probably destroyed in "the great
fire of 2000"".  Anyone who has investigated the GI A-Bomb veterans, for
example, knows what I'm talking about.  It isn't necessary that a lot of
records are destroyed, just enough so that anything missing or troublesome
that arises after that date can be said to have "probably been destroyed in
the fire".



****************************************************************************
Beth S. Harris          Special Collections Management Librarian
Wyndham Robertson Library       POB 9000, 7950 E. Campus Drive
Hollins University                      Roanoke, VA  24020
Fax: (540) 362-6756             Ph.: (540) 362-6237
Website:  http://www.hollins.edu

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