The Story of the Stuff: Issues in Temporary Memorial Preservation

No, such collections do not need to be public.

How do we go about determining what is too sensitive to make available or what will stir up unwanted emotions in the community? Cultural sensitivity has long been an important consideration of the selection process, but it is possible to take it too far by restricting access to materials that could aid our understanding of the tragedy.

The feelings of the affected community must be weighed against the potential benefits of making the collection available to the world. Since no two tragedies are the same, context is important. As the two case studies to follow will illustrate, there is no one way to answer this question.

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