Policy Statement on what to Retain in our Archives

This material is out of date, for more recent perspective, see: Priorities for What we will Collect.

USMS History & Archives Committee:
Policy Statement on what to Retain in our Archives.
draft

It is not our policy to seek for archival purposes meet results, records or Top Ten other than national. Similarly, it is not our policy to seek for our archives Zone or LMSC newsletters.

We are putting emphasis on the ability of each LMSC to write its history. They have the right to include in their history whatever they think is important and we are committed to giving importance to Zone/LMSC history when it is given to us in that form. The value of this as our policy is that it puts the editorial burden on the Zone or LMSC, not on us, to decide whether something is valid or important or not. Joanne Tingley wrote me a couple of days ago saying we would be receiving KY History soon. I really am comfortable with that being the right way to do things.

If an LMSC wanted to give us a catalogued collection of their newsletters I'd say that belongs in USMS archives, because, once again, they've done the editorial job.

I also believe any prominent swimmer or family of a deceased prominent swimmer should be encouraged to give us material for a file on them. The families/friends of Anne McGuire and Jayne Lambke will do that and I'll ask Elfriede if she or someone else would like to do it for Jean Durston. Again, some responsible person does the editorial work, sorting out what is important or valid. Not us. We will catalogue it as a USMS Archival item whereby assurance of its validity comes from the donor.