However, even more records have probably been lost due to a lack of proper storage and maintenance. Since volunteers run most of the organizations contacted, it is common for the records to be passed from president to president. If one organization merges with another (as in the case of the Minutemen) records are likely to be located in another Town, or lost to the "cleaning out" process that accompanies many moves.
On a much brighter note, several organizations in Town are aware of and actively involved in taking care of their records. The Parkerville School House is a model both of historic restoration, and of documentation. Both St. Catherine's and St. Mark's churches are planning additions that will include records storage rooms. Recommendations:
1. |
As with the Town, the greatest need for the records of organizations is for permanent, safe storage space. If a Committee is formed to discuss a town archives, one option to consider would be a shared facility--a community archives. This would ensure the physical safety of the collections and allow for processing space. The Historical Society would have the space needed to begin actively collecting records of some of the organizations identified in this survey. All Town records in both the Historical Society and the J.V. Fletcher library would be returned to the Towns collection. |
2. |
The J.V. Fletcher Library and the Historical Society should update their collection policies to ensure they do not overlap. Although the library's Mary Atwood Hall is, because of its climate control, the best place to store records, this hall is used for many meetings and is not usually staffed. The Library should consider concentrating on microfilm and database collections that would improve public access. |
3. |
The Library and the Historical Society should investigate hiring an archivist (perhaps they could share one with the Town), so collections could be processed and arranged and finding aids to the collections created. |
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