Informally
defined, an archives is a collection of unpublished documents and other
materials preserved for research use. An
archives is a place where one-of-a-kind materials are kept. It’s the place where
you can find out right from the “horse’s mouth” what really happened and how
the people who experienced it felt about it.
It is the place where a researcher can go back to the original, unmodified
materials, getting the primary story. These
types of materials range from photographs and personal letters to oral
histories and organizational records.
But
an archives does not only keep the physical evidence of the past, but the
non-tangible that comes with the materials. The sorrow of families who lost
loved ones to war, the joy of announcing the birth of a new member of the
community or the warning to heed our past to create a better future. Archives
keep all these objects and thoughts prepared and preserved, available and ready
for researchers to uncover and disclose. Unfortunately, because archives do not suture
wounds, pave roads or grow corn, its importance is not immediately apparent.
Many only see hoarded papers and wasted funding. So I challenge all history
lovers and erudite people to speak up for the preservation of our history. To
remind those who have influence in our local, state and federal policies and
funding that archives hold the proof of our past, that helps us understand our
present and create a better future. As
many have heard,
Those
who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.
