6 ms·

Could someone explain how it is that someone discovers something that is already in a University archive? It seems people are discovering these kinds of things

Could someone explain how it is that someone discovers something that is already in a University archive? It seems people are discovering these kinds of things every few years.

astine 11y ago
Fun fact about archives: a lot of the time, people have no idea what's actually stored in them. Obviously the University didn't know they had the bible or didn't know what it was because of a lack of bookkeeping. Now they know.
- cbd1984 11y ago
  I feel compelled to mention here that archives and libraries aren't the same thing. Libraries do (or should do) collections management, whereby the librarians go through the records and find out which resources aren't being used and weed them. Ideally, if it isn't used, it's taking up space, and it's gone. This is balanced by acquisition, such that the net effect is a constant churn of what's there, so there shouldn't be much chance for anything to sit and molder where nobody knows where, let alone what, it is. Archives don't do collections management of that sort. They do preservation, and ideally they never get rid of anything. Moldering (in a metaphorical, but hopefully not physical!) sense is very possible in an archive.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
edmccard 11y ago
In this case, the notebook was long known to be there, but the relevant section had been cataloged as a "verse-by-verse bible commentary". What was discovered was that the verses are part of a draft for a new bible, instead of just being verses copied from an existing bible.
- rancur 11y ago
  I love skipping straight to comments.
packetslave 11y ago
well, the University of Cambridge was founded in 1209 and presumably their libraries have been collecting moldy old books ever since (it is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, after Oxford). It's not exactly surprising that they might have forgotten or misplaced a few things.
- yitchelle 11y ago
  slightly off-topic - do you know if the catalogue in any of the Oxbridge's libraries are online searchable?
  - mnw21cam 11y ago
    lmgtfy: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/newton/ http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/newton/ http://www.ox.ac.uk/research/libraries http://www.ox.ac.uk/research/libraries
baldfat 11y ago
Good example: End of the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Could someone explain how it is that someone discovers something that is already in a University archive? It seems people are discovering these kinds of things every few years.

astine 11y ago

Fun fact about archives: a lot of the time, people have no idea what's actually stored in them. Obviously the University didn't know they had the bible or didn't know what it was because of a lack of bookkeeping. Now they know.

cbd1984 11y ago
I feel compelled to mention here that archives and libraries aren't the same thing. Libraries do (or should do) collections management, whereby the librarians go through the records and find out which resources aren't being used and weed them. Ideally, if it isn't used, it's taking up space, and it's gone. This is balanced by acquisition, such that the net effect is a constant churn of what's there, so there shouldn't be much chance for anything to sit and molder where nobody knows where, let alone what, it is. Archives don't do collections management of that sort. They do preservation, and ideally they never get rid of anything. Moldering (in a metaphorical, but hopefully not physical!) sense is very possible in an archive.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]

edmccard 11y ago

In this case, the notebook was long known to be there, but the relevant section had been cataloged as a "verse-by-verse bible commentary". What was discovered was that the verses are part of a draft for a new bible, instead of just being verses copied from an existing bible.

rancur 11y ago
I love skipping straight to comments.

packetslave 11y ago

well, the University of Cambridge was founded in 1209 and presumably their libraries have been collecting moldy old books ever since (it is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, after Oxford). It's not exactly surprising that they might have forgotten or misplaced a few things.

yitchelle 11y ago
slightly off-topic - do you know if the catalogue in any of the Oxbridge's libraries are online searchable?
- mnw21cam 11y ago
  lmgtfy: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/newton/ http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/newton/ http://www.ox.ac.uk/research/libraries http://www.ox.ac.uk/research/libraries

baldfat 11y ago

Good example: End of the Raiders of the Lost Ark.