The server has become a high profile method of introducing our holdings and services to a wide range of customers who do not typically use a research institution such as an archives. It may also help bolster our budget requests in this era of decreasing funding to cultural institutions by documenting the utiltization of services by many new 'virtual' patrons.
Archives exist as the corporate written memory of our civilization.
They document the legal rights of citizens, and serve as exclusive repositories of the records of peoples, governments, and educational institutions. Whether they are frequently used or not, does not diminish or negate their purpose. However, in the competition for scarce public funds, the reality is that each agency competes for a shrinking resource. In Oregon, the passage of Ballot Measure 5 in 1990 set most state government budgets on a downward spiral. Agencies were increasingly forced to examine their services and programs, and prove their effectiveness and utility.