On Nov 9, 2013, at 12:00 AM, RECMGMT-L automatic digest system wrote:

> From: Glen Sanderson <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Greatest Archive in World History
> 
> And the winner is? We are waiting. 

I am delivering the same prize to each as who am I to judge one versus another.  There were very few actual submissions so apparently this was of little interest here on the records management listserve.  No one from the Archivists Listserve chose to enter.

I saw a certain elegance to the one submission being the beginning of the written word and the other being one of the greatest collections of the written word. I plan to visit the Library of Congress soon. Other suggestions were made but the two below seem to be the Alpha and the Omega.

Thanks to Joseph and David for your thoughts.
_____________

Next week the prizes will go out to the following:

Joseph Settanni of Smith County, Tyler, Texas

He submitted the Archives of Sumer and I enjoyed reading about the significance.  Joseph submitted an explanation of the significance and I thought it was relevant to the records management world.

Civilization, of course, is often said to have started in ancient Sumer, meaning the historical land of Mesopotamia set between those two highly famous rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates.  It is known, for instance, that cuneiform is a system of writing first developed by the ancient Sumerians, in about c. 5000 BC, which contributed to the development of the Archives of Sumer.
 
Cuneiform script is, moreover, one of the earliest known systems of writing distinguished by its "wedge-shaped" marks on clay tablets, which are made by means of a blunt reed for a stylus, as a system of writing once used in the ancient Middle East (which was previously called the Near East). 
 
The name for such writing is a coinage derived from Latin and Middle French roots meaning “wedge-shaped” symbols.   Most sources and authorities, concerning such records and archives, could easily cite as the top five examples of truly major significance: Codex Hammurapi, the Sumerian King List, the Middle Assyrian Laws, Sargon's letter to Ashur, and the Flood Tablet.  These particular groupings of cuneiforms do, thus, possess “enduring cultural, intrinsic, historical, or evidentiary value” due to their age and inherent “origins” importance for Western and world culture in general.
 
The Mesopotamian basin, it has often been contended, was the birthplace of writing, which had created the Sumerian Archives.  The cuneiform writing system developed there was, significantly, the first form of communication beyond the primitive use of mere pictograms. 
 
The art of writing is, therefore, clearly one of the most important intellectual tools that human beings have ever discovered; it has so allowed for the creation of records, meaning archives and much else; it has, moreover, raised our species above the level of mere brutes in requisite terms of facilitating communication, thought, art, science, culture, and overall human creativity above and beyond what would have been then otherwise great limitations without the existence of writing.

and:

David B. Steward’s submission.

The United States Library of Congress
 
Why should the Library of Congress be considered for recognition as the world’s most valuable archive?  Let’s consider the factors that measure an archive’s value.  These are scope, authenticity, accuracy, and relevancy.  Let’s consider each.
 
Scope
While the Library is entitled “of Congress”, it is anything but.  The collection is inclusive of not only United States but of the world.  Much of the content is concerned with the history and culture of the U.S.  a simple search on the Internet demonstrates that the Library collects and informs on history and culture of all continents.
 
Authenticity
How do we know that the content of the Library is real?  It is based on two factors.  One, the sheer volume of material lends itself to presenting a complete picture of events and realities.  There are often two or more sources for any fact.  Two, The majority of the collection consists of original source material.  Originals are almost always authentic.
 
Accuracy
Similar to Authentic, Accuracy is concerned with the integrity of the content.  And in addition to the two points above, access to the collection provides great accuracy to the researcher.  It is possible to touch, read, feel, and listen to source material.  Each person is able to find the truth of a matter on their own and according to their own standards.
 
Relevancy
Why is the Library Relevant?  The scope certainly affects Relevancy.  But it is far more.  The collection grows as history and culture expand.  Old resources are added as these are identified and their value is confirmed.  And the diversity of the collection is itself the hallmark of relevancy.  One can examine original documents regarding the founding of the Republic, journey to distant lands via vast physical and digital albums, or listen to the roots of recorded music such as the earliest forms of American Blues.  And the Library has embraced developing sources as challenging as Twitter.  This ensures that the Library is not relegated to obsolescence through time, technology, and change.
 
These arguments simply present the foundation to consider the worth of the Library.  But what is the value as measured by its return on investment to mankind?  The Library is open to anyone who wishes to be entertained or find a great truth.  And the latter is the greatest value to the world.  Individuals can freely access information.  It is not limited, censored, or restricted.  Many of the pieces of the collection are so valuable that they are beyond the ability of any expert to set a price.  How does one replace an original or one-of-a-kind piece?  Thus, the value is in the outcome.
 
A person can learn the foundations of freedom, from the birth of democracy in ancient Greece to the writings of the U.S. Founding Fathers.  Great discoveries in science are available to help those who will stand on the shoulders of their antecedents.  Art, in its many forms, is there to inspire our next Michelangelo or Warhol.  And the dark side of humanity can be seen, acting as a warning to future generations to learn from the mistakes of our ancestors.
 
What is the value of the Library of Congress?  It can only be measured by the abhorrent thought “What if we lost it?”  The world would be darker and more dangerous place.  Knowing that we have a place to visit, learn, and be inspired is worth everything that has been invested.  There is no limit to the value that the Library can produce through the boundless opportunities that are our future generations.
 


Hugh Smith
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