I have been reading books by Preston & Child that use the NYC Museums as a backdrop for their mysteries. One question was: If people come to world museums where artifacts of many cultures are safely exhibited in a secure atmosphere and demand those items be returned to the country of origin, what should the course of action?

The New York Museums draw many items because their security is amazing, their police force is a small army and we are a society that respects its laws. 

Even the Occupy movements exist until they begin to break our laws and then they are dispersed. 

Should the survival of the historical artifacts be a prime consideration in allowing one sector to maintain collections?  Is the fact that a records manager is tasked with protecting records then dictate that all records stored in the Cloud be supervised by RM not IT?  The RM is clearly tasked with the preservation and protection of Vital Records so no Cloud should exist without RM in the Chain of Command.

The NFPA 232 -2012 Protection of Records Standard places enormous responsibility on the Records Manager as the "Responsible Party" and you can cite this as proof of your role in provenance.  [A quick meeting with your legal department about what happens in Electronic Discovery will lend gravitas to this argument. In lawsuits, legal seldom calls out "Quick bring me IT!"  It is you they need!]

Time has proven that the care given records and archive is the primary driver to their survival. In fact, many of the vaults we build are a a requirement of the Owner of the artifact as they demand the museum, library or Town Hall provide protection before they will bequeath documents from Jefferson or Washington to an entity.

As we move towards Kindles and iPads, we diminish the role of books and this will in turn hurt Libraries.  The New York Public Library is a perfect example.  They not only house books, but artifacts. Winnie the Pooh is on display, George Washington's farewell address to his troops in his own handwriting, Jefferson's hand written copy of the Declaration of Independence.  And many Town Libraries have our history on display. Many Towns in Massachusetts have amazing items on display because they are the birthplace of our culture in America. Also, the Secretary of State has a well defined platform for protecting their history with Grants for preservation and protection.  This in turn, encourages early American families to pass down to their Town Halls and State Archives their most precious collections.

Records Managers and Archivists should not just read about these issues but translate the topic into functions that invoke the need for records management as part of the team.

And if we have any Librarians tuned in, "How would one go about being classified in such a way that the New York Public Library would accept me as a bona fide researcher?" I have some research I would like to do and it is beyond Wikipaedia and the Internet.  Does a lifetime of vaulting the rarest of collections count?  The NY Public Library has 7 floors below ground and none are open to the public except as a researcher. 


Hugh Smith
FIRELOCK Fireproof Modular Vaults
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