Filing cabinets kept things off the floor, making the occasional burst water pipe less of a threat to vital records. But filing cabinets are far from perfect. Inevitably, there are too many files for the cabinet, and instead of reorganizing, we just stack them on top, hoping that someone else will take the time to buy new cabinets and move the files. Worst of all, there was always someone who forgot that P came after O. This is why no one will ever see the 1976 Purchase Orders again. This is the level of technology where most municipalities are today.
Filing cabinets are in countless municipal vaults, holding vital records and legislation.
Anything that doesn't fit in the filing cabinets can be found in storerooms full of shelving units and packed with boxes. Despite the inconvenience, the shelving unit and the filing cabinet remain the organizational choice of many local governments. However, as new document management programs become easier to use and increasingly more affordable, the old ways are gradually being phased out. Computers have revolutionized many areas of our lives, making things easier, simpler and more efficient than most people ever thought possible. The computer runs the word processing program that is replacing the typewriter.