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known at the time of the writing of the history. A history is local to the
time that the history is written. Contrary to popular belief, there is no
single, accurate history. History is a reflection of the present in the past.
History is created in the moment, and become inaccurate in the next

moment.
Creation of a Library, Records Center, and Archives
A library, records center, and archives are intellectual concepts,

and are created in an instant. As soon as someone in authority says we
must have a library, records center, or archives, one comes into being.
As soon as someone in authority says we do not need a library, records
center, or archives, it goes out of existence. Books cease to be books,

records cease to be records, archival materials cease to be archival
materials. They are managed as waste paper, at best. Portions of the
New Mexico archives were once sold as kindling at a penny per pound.

A record series that has been microfilmed ceases to be the official copy
as soon as a policy is adopted making the microfilm the official copy, no
matter how good or bad the microfilming process was. Similarly, the

digital copy can become the copy of record, even if the digitizing was
only done at a very low web-page-resolution.
Management and Professional Responsibility

Documents are ultimately the memory of a society. Not all
documents, but some documents. At least some members of society have
a professional responsibility to identify, manage, and preserve the
documents that a society depends on for its existence. It is also a

professional responsibility to know how any managed documents relate
to a society, and to ensure that all of the members of the society know
about the importance of documents to society and the importance of

preserving documents that are important to society. Even if one’s job is
just the management of documents for some specific corporate purpose,
it is a professional responsibility to know the relationship of those
documents to the greater society. In a very small number of instances,

one’s actions may be directed mainly by this professional responsibility.
Metadata, Documents About Documents
The first think in document management is to document the

document management operation. These documents are the meta-
documents about document management. Ideally, the document
management operation is related to the organization in which the

document management operation exists by a policies and procedures
document. This policies and procedures document is a meta-document