This work is relevant for several reasons. Someday, these contemporary documents will be historical documents. That is, if they exist at all. If they are not saved, our history goes with them. That’s just a simple fact. But the value of this work goes far deeper. I mean, we preserve the physical (read: paper) copy of the Declaration of Independence to ensure that we do not forget our ideals of democratic government; we preserve Abraham Lincoln’s letters not only as a testament to his strength, influence, and unconquerable spirit, but also for the historical importance of their content in documenting the activities of a sitting president. It is no less important to preserve the intellectual output of our public servants today because they create it with computers and not quill pens. In 2008, we elected the first female governor in North Carolina’s history. Shouldn’t her tenure be documented and saved?

On another level, this work is important for those who cannot (or can no longer) afford to travel to pursue their research. Because of budget cuts, many of us cannot travel right now, no matter how important it is to the work we do. This will continue to worsen before it gets better. For researchers, limiting funds for travel can be devastating. Content offered through digital repositories can play a huge part in aiding these patrons. And, as more researchers opt for online over in-person visits, many of us have begun tracking their needs and digitizing in response to them.

The problem is that many libraries around the country are facing significant budget and staffing cuts. Our own Library is, as well. The funny thing is that many indicators* point to library usage increasing during economic downturns. In this era of online everything, will our web stats increase as much, or more, than our turnstile counts? And if so, are we ready to respond to that usage? How do we offer the services that patrons need with a smaller budget and fewer staff? I’m betting on our online services to help us weather this storm. And, we’ll continue to do our part in preserving democracy by providing free access to government information.

* See, for instance, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008630228_libraries15.html, http://www.wickedlocal.com/braintree/archive/x511410985/Library-use-booms-during-economic-downturn, http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/article/20081215/SPJ0101/812150372/1657, and http://blog.njla.org/archives/2009/01/

Ms. [Victoria] McCargar [a digital preservation consultant] estimates that 20,000 people work in the field today — plus others in related areas — and she expects that to triple over the next decade, assuming that economic conditions stabilize before long.

I suppose that amidst budget cuts and hiring freezes all over the place, we should consider this good news. I would definitely say there’s a big difference, though, between the jobs of digital collections managers in libraries/archives and those in the private sector, for instance, for “experts on digital copyright and other issues tied to the migration of legal documents from filing cabinets to databases.” The following quote from Jacob Nadal at UCLA struck me:

“We belong to the people of California and hold our collections in trust for them and for future generations of students, scholars and members of the public,” he said. “Public-sector institutions just strike me as far, far cooler. They have better collections, obviously, and they are innovative, connected and challenging in ways that seem more substantial to me.”