When I first joined ARMA  25 years ago, Corporate Archives for icon companies always had vaults to protect their historical records, corporate minutes books, documents with the corporate seal on them. AT&T would have their original patents for the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell's diary, researchers note books on the first Transatlantic Cable, the first resistor and so on. Large railroads would protect their land deeds for right-of-ways and stations. It would be the Records Manager that was in charge.

Entertainment companies would protect very rare advertising art work.

Anything a great inventor/founder wrote was worth protecting. It is ironic that with media being so fragile that many corporations no longer see a need to protect their corporate culture.

When we sell vaults today, there is often a Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious just prior to contacting us, that: "If we have a fire this material will be lost forever." It seems that Records Managers and Archivists are no longer viewed as the protector. The emphasis is on management not on retention and survival. Typically we are brought in by a Board Member or Legal as they realize the need to protect this information at some point.

I just finished a vault in Houston for a very prestigious law firm and it was the records manager that led the charge. By making the Partners aware of the effect of the loss on the firm she created backers for the program. This self evaluation of what the loss of archival or vital records would do to the organization woke people up.

I think the records manager/ archivist need to occasionally wake some people up. Corporate perception is that all vital records are now digital. It is this misconception that removes the records manager from the process.


Hugh Smith
FIRELOCK Fireproof Modular Vaults
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(610)  756-4440    Fax (610)  756-4134
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