By Client Executive Marica Spicer
On a recent visit to an organization with more than 100 years of history, the first thing that struck me was the volume of material. Boxes filled the storage area—decades of records gathered over time, set aside, and largely forgotten.
Opening those boxes made the urgency clearer. Inside were newspaper clippings, meeting minutes, logbooks, organizational records, photographs, brochures, and other pieces of everyday history. Some folders referred to particular eras. Other materials had little organization at all. Brittle edges and aging paper showed that time was already taking a toll.
No one could say exactly what stories were in those boxes. That is both the exciting part and the troubling part: the collection may hold important details about the people, decisions, milestones, and daily work that shaped the organization, but those stories cannot be understood or shared while the materials remain fragile, scattered, and inaccessible.
Save Our Stories
That experience has stayed with me as we approach World Digital Preservation Day on November 5. This year’s theme, “Save Our Stories,” is a reminder that preservation is not only about keeping old documents. It is about protecting the evidence that allows a story to be told accurately and making that evidence accessible enough to be used.
For this organization, that need is immediate. A milestone anniversary is approaching, and the collection can help its team tell more than a polished summary drawn from memory. Meeting minutes can show how important decisions were made. Logbooks and records can reveal how the work changed over time. Clippings and photographs can reconnect names, faces, events, and accomplishments to the larger story.
Preserving and digitizing these materials will not answer every question automatically. It will, however, give staff a reliable place to look. Instead of relying only on what someone remembers—or repeating a story that has been handed down—they can return to the historical record, find real examples, and build an anniversary narrative grounded in the organization’s own words and work.
Preservation Makes History Usable
Access also changes the role of a collection after the anniversary has passed. When records are stabilized, organized, digitized, and made searchable where appropriate, they can become part of day-to-day operations. Staff can use them to answer questions, understand past practices, support communications, orient new leaders, and make decisions with a clearer sense of where the organization has been.
That is what makes neglected boxes so consequential. Their contents may look like remnants of ordinary business, but ordinary records often preserve the details that later generations need most. Once the paper becomes too brittle to handle, an unlabeled photograph loses its context, or a folder is separated from the records around it, part of that story may be difficult—or impossible—to recover.
What Stories Are Waiting for You?
On World Digital Preservation Day, consider the boxes that live within your organization, archive, basement, or attic. Do you know what is in them? Who created the materials? Which stories do they hold? What knowledge could they contribute if people could safely find and use it?
You do not need to have all the answers before you begin. In fact, not knowing what is there is often the reason to take the first step. A thoughtful assessment can help identify what you have, what may be at risk, and where preservation and access efforts will have the greatest value.
If your organization has stories waiting in boxes, Anderson Archival can help you bring them into the light. Reach out to start a conversation about preserving the materials, organizing what is there, and making the collection accessible—before more of its story is lost.