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An early Friday Sort-of Funny



Title: An early Friday Sort-of Funny

I will be doing an archival preservation presentation to a genealogy group next week.    I have designed a two-part program which will include a PowerPoint presentation as well as handouts.   I've created a handout entitled "The Twelve Commandments of Genealogical Archiving" which I now share with you for your Friday humor.   I'm sure you can think of more to be added, but this ought to at least get them thinking  ........

THE 12 COMMANDMENTS OF GENEALOGICAL ARCHIVING

1. Thou shalt not keep thy Treasurers in the basement nor attic of thy dwelling if thou canst help it;

2. Thou shalt not keep thy records in a room without UV protection lest the words on thy documents and faces on thy photographs fade away to obscurity;

3. Thou shalt provide adequate air circulation for thy treasurers that they may not break out with  mold nor mildew;

4. Thou shalt not leave rubber bands around thy 3x5 cards, nor thy documents nor anything else that is in thy collection, lest they stiffen and bake themselves onto the paper, obscuring the information forever;

5. Thou shalt remove all metal fasteners lest thy documents become marked with rust and hasten disintegration;

6. Thou shalt not laminate ... Thou shalt consider encapsulation instead;

7. Thou shalt not keep thy photographs nor any other items in albums with sticky backings and polyvinylchloride sleeves .... Thou shalt reformat into acid-free albums instead;

8. Thou shalt not leave thy newspaper clippings next to documents in thy files lest they leave a yellow acidic mark; Thou shalt reformat on acid-free paper and/or wrap in acid-free buffered tissue instead;

9. Thou shalt  have no food, nor beverages, nor pens around thy collections ....  Thou shalt remember to vacuum thy treasurers to prevent untold problems.

10. Thou shalt not do thy research with unclean hands;

11. Thou shalt organize thy collection always by the rule of Provenance, and by Original Order when possible, or by artificial order when not possible;

12. Remember thy collections to keep them dry, cool and safe that their contents may enrich the lives of thy coming generations forever.

Lynne F. Wohleber
Archivist
Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh
325 Oliver Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-281-4928 x138
FAX 412-471-5591
wohleber@pgh.anglican.org