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NYC Municipal Archives



This will probably show up in the RAIN posting, but I thought that a front
page NY Times article about archives and archiving is worth seeing twice.

I am not currently working as an archivist, but maintain an active interest
and this article once more focuses on the scary fact that many major
institutions and other entities have only de facto archives that usually
survive only because nobody is aware of the existence of these piles of old
records and other items. The normal response to the presence of this sort
of material seems to be "clear it out, we need the space" (no, I am not in
any way supporting Nicholson Baker's crusade), so oblivion sometimes is the
collection's biggest asset.

On a slightly oblique tack -  working as a music librarian in recent years,
I have seen presentations of both the Carnegie Hall and NY Philharmonic
Archives and have been stunned to learn that neither of these organizations
ever gave any thought to their history or to the accumulation of archives
until the last couple of decades. On the other hand, I have seen or worked
with impressively large and painstakingly organized collections of musical
figures as varied as Henry Cowell and Louis Armstrong and I wonder why it
is that these individuals (or others associated with them) cared to take
care of their legacies while Carnegie, the Philharmonic and NY City, for
that matter seemed so totally unconcerned.

Just my 2 cents worth. I have no answer, but would be interested in any
response to the issue.

Peter Hirsch
Cataloger - Dance Division
phirsch@nypl.org
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
40 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, New York  10023
(212) 870-1728

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