The Story of the Stuff: Issues in Temporary Memorial Preservation

"Saving everything is a burden."

While it may seem impossible to keep every item, consider how you would select which items to keep in the collection and which items to weed out. Who would make those decisions? How would they be perceived by the community?

Most libraries and archives have collection development policies that guide what libraries collect or don't, but many of these policies do not address unthinkable and unforeseeable tragedies, such as mass shootings or acts of terrorism. 
 
Consider if your institution's collection development policy would be adequate if faced with guiding the preservation a spontaneous memorial. What changes could be made to it in order to accommodate for such an event? If you aren't affiliated with an institution, consider how you might approach the early stages of the selection process in the event of tragedy.

In the case studies that follow, we'll see how three different communities developed their own ad-hoc responses to unthinkable tragedies and the "stuff" that arrived in their wake. 

Change Answer
 
Continue