Deeds and wills determine our right to inherit and own property. Birth and employment records determine our eligibility for social benefits and qualification for employment. Historical records can help to increase profits. Historical materials serve the general public, allowing everyone to trace his or her family history, to benefit from the restoration of historic buildings, or to learn from a documentary film. Historical materials help students better understand the history of their communities , to better understand history and how it is written.
Historical records are the materials necessary to sustain historical research.
Historical records provide administrative continuity. Those of us here today recognize this. It is now our job to get this word out. We are faced with an enormous set of challenges. But we should not see this as too daunting a task.