When an aggregation of records has been selected 
for permanent preservation, that means 
that at the time of selection there is 
no foreseeable expiration date for the need of retaining them. 

The period of 300 years seems to have been set 
just in order to define a span of time within 
which all of our current technological 
and organizational frameworks and solutions 
will be predictably superseded, 
so that to declare that an aggregation of records 
has to last longer than 300 years would amount 
to say that they must be able to continue to exist regardless 
of our current tools, programs and utilities.
 
It is obvious that nobody could dare state 
that an aggregation of records has to be preserved for the eternity, 
inasmuch as such an assertion does not make sense at all: 
even the Universe is not expected to be everlasting. 

Besides, new events and needs 
can modify subsequent evaluation criteria 
and drive all those who are in charge of appraising 
to review their standards: just to give a trivial example, 
if the mankind should face the consequences 
of a thermonuclear war or of the impact 
of a gigantic asteroid, 
certainly problems concerning 
appraisal and preservation 
would be viewed from a different perspective!      


MASSIMILIANO GRANDI
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