You've pointed some of the many problems and issues we face, issues that are not currently being addressed by the larger community. Why? The problem is, I suspect, that we believe. That is why we are here. We are believers. We believe passionately in what we do. We know that it's right, we know that we are trying to do it, therefore everyone else should simply understand and support us. We believe so deeply in this that we believe it is self-evident, and that no one should disagree with us, they should simply support us. Well, they don't. It's not because it's an evil world, it's not because people wish us ill. It's not because we live in an evil world, it's because we live in an uninformed world.
Our task is to inform that world. They must learn and we must teach. This meeting is not a sunburst, this isn't a single moment. This isn't a time for us to feel good now, then go home and forget. This meeting is part of a plan. The Historical Records Advisory Board is deeply involved in strategic planning. This year Boston, next year someplace west of Worcester. I know to some of you it is a frightening thought. But as we now have evidence, there are good things going on out there beyond Worcester. We need to know about them, and next year we will be meeting, west of Worcester, to hear about those things.
That's fine for next year, 365 days from now. What about now? What can we do, what must we do until we reconvene? There is a plan. In all the preparation for this meeting, a hard working group of volunteers, a working group, has in fact been thinking, meeting, plotting, about what we might do as a community, the kind of community that was mentioned again and again this morning. People coming together with a common interest. (Editor's note: See Appendix B for the full report of this working group.)
I'd like to suggest to you that we organize a coalition of people in the Commonwealth advocating for the preservation of records. What I urge you to do is think about tomorrow, and how we preserve the spirit of today into tomorrow. We can do that by forming this organization, an organization that will collaborate to create a focused message about the needs and uses of historical records, increase public awareness of the value and uses of historical records, and advocate for additional resources to ensure the preservation and accessibility of historical records.
How do we organize to do this? What structure do we use? The
organization could be a formal, non-profit group, open to individuals
or a formal non-profit group open to organizations. We could form
an alliance of groups administered by a professional organization,
board, or institution. Or, we could form an informal, "virtual"
organization linked by the MAhistory listserv, and guided by volunteer
"experts." The choice is yours. If you are interested
in participating in this type of advocacy organization, contact
the Massachusetts Historical Records Advisory Board staff, who
will be convening the initial planning meeting. Thank you for
coming, and we'll see you next year, somewhere west of Worcester.
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This publication is sponsored in part by William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Massachusetts Archives, National Historical Publications and Records Commission, John F. Kennedy Library, University Products, the generous donations of forum co-sponsors, and by a grant from the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. |
Editor's Note: The published proceedings do not represent a verbatim account of the 1998 Advocating Massachusetts History Forum. Following the forum, panelists were allowed to edit their remarks to allow a more fluid presentation of their views. Audience comments are presented in summarized form. The background image used in the banner is a detail of a 17th century map, courtesy Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston. Images from the Massachusetts Historical Society may not be reproduced or reused in any way without written permission from the Massachusetts Historical Society.
