Written By Carol Small, Middlesex Centre Archives
Are historical records being stored safely? Are the records paper or digital? Are copies stored in a separate location? These questions are important to the safe-keeping of records.
Paper is for preservation; digitisation is for accessibility. That being the case, in which format should archival records be maintained? This question always arises when discussing archival record keeping.
Paper records have been the original records. Over centuries, despite conditions, paper records have survived. In its collections, the Middlesex Centre Archives has letters that date from the 1820s. They are fragile but still readable. Minute books from organisations such as the London Township Agricultural Society (1851) are very readable. It is important to maintain these paper records in proper archival conditions. Digital copies may be made, but retention of the paper copies is vital.
One of the greatest arguments for this case is the 1921 Canada Census records. In 1955, the Public Records Committee authorised the Dominion Bureau of Statistics to microfilm the original paper records and destroy the originals. The microfilming was not of a consistent quality and resulted in some unreadable images. The scanned images found on the Library and Archives Canada website are copies from the microfilm with the unreadable images still unreadable. In hindsight, the original paper records should have been maintained for reference.
Yet another argument has come to the forefront. Documents are being changed or destroyed to suit the purposes of some government agencies. Even the American Constitution has come under scrutiny to see how it can be changed to suit the political will of the time. Digital documents are certainly easier to alter for those purposes. Paper documents are more difficult to change without detection. If the original document is preserved, then it is always a reference for the original written intent. The law then interprets the meaning based on the original document.
Some argue only digital copies are required, especially in today’s digital world. They can be backed up to the Cloud or maintained on a computer system. History has taught us that having only one system available is always fallible. As fires, floods and neglect have destroyed paper records in the past, technology is the greatest enemy of today’s digital world. It is not a matter of “if” hardware will crash, but “when”! Digital records need to be constantly backed up, and when the document programme is changed and/or upgraded, all backed-up copies need changing too. Have you tried recovering information from a 5-inch floppy disk? Not even the Cloud or other backup systems guarantee access and security. What happens when a power outage occurs, if the backup system fails or is damaged or destroyed? As we watch world events of cyber-hacking and wars, it is entirely possible, similar to paper, the digitised copies themselves must be maintained in proper archival (climate-controlled) conditions.
Can you imagine digitising the Mona Lisa painting and destroying the original? The 1798 Act of Parliament to create the London District? The answer to how best to maintain records is not either paper nor digital – it is both!
Are the records all stored in one site? Records recount how fires, floods and storms have destroyed homes and businesses. All was lost – legal documents, precious photos. As long as everyone survived, blessings are counted. But those precious documents and photos can never be replaced. Lytton, British Columbia was destroyed in June, 2021, when wildfires consumed the village. All Lytton’s personal, business, organisation and municipal records were destroyed! The Village is attempting to replace its municipal records, but will the new records ever truly replace the lost records in content and intent? Small wording changes can have big consequences! No one wins in a fire or flood situation. With climate change, extreme weather is becoming the norm. Middlesex County has seen fires, floods, a hurricane and tornados. Safe off-site storage of backup copies is becoming more important for non-municipal and municipal records.
What about your personal documents? Are all your records in one location? Are all your records stored in safe conditions? Are there duplicate records made and stored off-site? Are they recorded in both paper and digital? For the sake of your family’s future generations, these are important decisions to consider. Consider donating your records, original or copies, to the Middlesex Centre Archives.
