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Re: Newspaper clippings - with photos; etc.



I am pleased that some people are saving the photographs.
Those really do not photocopy well at all.  Another point:
because of the almost *complete* destruction of primary sources
(in the forms of newspapers and many books over the past 130
years in this country), any newspaper clippings that still exist
*may* be the *only* original copies left in existence!  And it is simply
not true that wood-pulp newspaper always crumbles in a relatively
short time.

I myself have to do research as part of my job, and I have been
very disappointed when I have learned that people in the past
have thrown away important documents.  The information on
those documents is gone forever.

I hope the Society will do what it can to insist on preserving, as
much as possible, original copies of newspapers and books.
I know full well that we live in a world in which preserving
original copies is seen as too costly - a world which routinely
underfunds archives, libraries, and other repositories.  But we
as people who care about historic records have an obligation,
I believe, to fight against this mindless destruction of primary
sources - many of which are in excellent condition.

I appeal to fellow SAA members: please read "Double Fold"
before condemning Mr. Baker.  I think he has done the entire
world a very valuable service by buying all those old newspapers.
Microfilming is around 10 or 20 times as expensive as buying a
storage warehouse, with proper HVAC.  And microfilming does
not give usable copies of photographs.  Also: newspapers
routinely print different editions, and no one ever microfilms every
edition.  And microfilm does not last that long.

We have lost access to many important primary sources
of information because 50 years ago some otherwise intelligent
people were "sold a bill of goods" about microfilming, and they didn't
know any better than to throw away perfectly good copies of newspapers
after the originals were microfilmed.  Many times the microfilms are
virtually unreadable - so what good are they?  The information
contained in those newspapers is gone forever.  I think this is a tragedy.

It further saddens me that many people who post here, in spite of
being professional archivists or librarians, have condemned what
they thought Nicholson Baker was saying - without reading his book ! !
I would have thought that he would be praised effusively by most of
you for what he has done to try to preserve some primary sources
for posterity.  Would that there were more people with the courage and
resources to do what he has done.  Future generations will praise him
for his foresight and sacrifices.


"Any comments or statements made in this transmission
reflect the views of the sender and are not necessarily the
views of the State of California Department of Transportation."
(Of course!)

Margaret Monroe

Caltrans Office Technician (Typing)
(UN-official Record-keeper for all records
in District 4 of all State-owned toll bridges in
Northern California)

State of California
Department of Transportation
District 4
Division of Structure Maintenance & Investigations, Toll Bridges
Room 10-400
P. O. Box  23660
Oakland, CA  94623-0660

Phone: 510-286-6188
Fax:  510-286-0353

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