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Re: New York tragedy (Long)



Please, forgive me, for another message about this "political discussion"
....

Imagine for a moment we are common people, also, apart from being
archivists!

What a lack of communication and information in this days!

It's a sorrow moment, a right or wrong way to deal with, but whatever we
think this is real life, very real and frightening. I just think about what
happen with information services, intelligence included. In such matter, why
a thing with this enormity could happen? Where is the records about persons
who could place a country, and the world, in state of shock? Information is
power? In Portugal, and for all Europe, newspapers have headlines like "the
day that the world changed", but is only words of circumstance. Probably
tomorrow, or next day, we can see that nothing have changed. The problem is
universal and we need answers. Quick ones.

I only have questions, perhaps. So, I'm trying now recall what I've learn in
school and what I teach to new archivists. Such things like this:

What is the role of an archivist in this times of free access to
information?
Those who have sensible information act well and quickly?
Does past records solve future problems?
How can we deal with the amount of information, needed or not, to make
decisions?
And so on, so on, so on ...

I think, every time that any similar event to this happen, about my
profession. We have to know perfectly what to do in this moments, but
necessarly before not after. Simply, this is a failure in a whole
information system. And this matter to me, as a professional. I've
responsabilities to all and each citizen. The security of the world depends,
also, from the work of archivists and records managers. It's difficult
forget, in this moments, that I'm only an archivist.


So, as some day John Lennon wrote:

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one



Best regards, and please forgive me again for the time you all take to read
this message.

Jorge Afonso
Archivist
Loures Municipal Archive
Portugal

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