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Re: Rubber cement--worse and worse



Just this morning on the FOX news there was a big thing about
scrapbooking, which is the latest "family-friendly" craze in "family-
friendly" Utah.  They have nights set aside where everyone (mostly
ladies) shows up, they have all the little stickers and special
cutters and paper and everything all there; for a small fee you can
ravage and destroy your family archives, excuse me, I mean create
cute scrapbooks, to your heart's content.  (Interestingly, when
asked by the reporter why they were there the ladies invariably said
"to get away from my kids and husband.")  Even my wife--whom I
accuse of being an archivist's nightmare for her habit of tearing
every personal letter in half and throwing it in the trash, while
keeping all financial documents--has gotten into this.

But as Homer Simpson says, "ehh, watt'r'ya'gonna'do?"  The
papers and photos et al do belong to the people and it's their
decision.  At least they claim to use archival supplies, not the
rubber cement-sticky-tape of the past.

The experience cited below in the bookstore:

Recently, I visited a major book chain. ...
> I consulted the manager and explained my concerns as an
information
> professional--his store was condoning incorrect preservation
management.
> He responded that corporate dictated these displays and he
performed as
> ordered.

reminds me of one time I was in the local video store with my
eldest, who's at that easily-embarassed-by-her-uncool-parents
stage.  The girl behind the counter said something about not
rewinding the video we were returning so I said Aha!  I am an
archivist and was just at a seminar on the preservation of audio-
visual materials, whereat the fully-trained and professional
instructors said NOT to rewind tapes...  At that point I got an elbow
in the ribs and that imploring "oh Daddy!" look, so I stopped.


Roy Webb, C.A.
Multimedia Archivist
Special Collections
J. Willard Marriott Library
295 South 1500 East
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah   84112
(801) 585-3073  //  fax (801) 585-3976
rwebb@library.utah.edu

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