> Every corporate librarian or archivist keeps a plan to save their archives in their back pocket. We have to. Corporate archives can come under attack at any time when someone in power—a new CEO, a legal department, the consulting firm behind an acquisition, even a random IT person cleaning up servers—suddenly doesn’t like the idea of a bunch of old stuff lying around. (If you want to know how the Hewlett-Packard Company Archives was saved after enduring a major spinoff, 6 CEOs in 10 years and a company split, read my 2020 article.)
I like the idea that corporate librarians and archivists know they have a professional and ethical responsibility that supersedes what the current corporate leadership believes is their current business interest. (Think about the reasons someone would decide they don't "like the idea of a bunch of old stuff lying around")
Engineers could use some of this too.
It is striking to me how the library staff is all smiling big on their last day of work -- because they know they saved the archives, without Steve Jobs noticing.
I like the idea that corporate librarians and archivists know they have a professional and ethical responsibility that supersedes what the current corporate leadership believes is their current business interest. (Think about the reasons someone would decide they don't "like the idea of a bunch of old stuff lying around")
Engineers could use some of this too.
It is striking to me how the library staff is all smiling big on their last day of work -- because they know they saved the archives, without Steve Jobs noticing.