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> Every corporate librarian or archivist keeps a plan to save their archives in their back pocket. We have to. Corporate archives can come under attack at any t

> Every corporate librarian or archivist keeps a plan to save their archives in their back pocket. We have to. Corporate archives can come under attack at any time when someone in power—a new CEO, a legal department, the consulting firm behind an acquisition, even a random IT person cleaning up servers—suddenly doesn’t like the idea of a bunch of old stuff lying around. (If you want to know how the Hewlett-Packard Company Archives was saved after enduring a major spinoff, 6 CEOs in 10 years and a company split, read my 2020 article.) I like the idea that corporate librarians and archivists know they have a professional and ethical responsibility that supersedes what the current corporate leadership believes is their current business interest. (Think about the reasons someone would decide they don't "like the idea of a bunch of old stuff lying around") Engineers could use some of this too. It is striking to me how the library staff is all smiling big on their last day of work -- because they know they saved the archives, without Steve Jobs noticing.

Aloha 4y ago
Do you have a link to that article?
- lifefeed 4y ago
  https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/westernarchives/vol11/iss1/3/ https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/westernarchives/vol11/iss1/3/
- mewse-hn 4y ago
  It's linked from the article under discussion: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/westernarchives/vol11/iss1/3/ https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/westernarchives/vol11/iss1/3/
formerkrogemp 4y ago
Software "engineers" could use a lot of this professional and ethical responsibility too.
- wolpoli 4y ago
  Accountants and engineers have professional license requirements. The license could be taken away as punishments for unethical behavior. Software "engineers" don't.
  - pjmlp 4y ago
    Those of us that have taken the degree in countries with professional orders, do have. No one is allowed to call themselves "engineers" after a six week boot camp. And while few take the professional exam, it is required by law if you are signing legal documents with Eng as part of your name, or where you are taking liability. https://www.ordemengenheiros.pt/pt/a-ordem/colegios-e-especialidades/informatica/ https://www.ordemengenheiros.pt/pt/a-ordem/colegios-e-especi... (sorry only in portuguese)
  - formerkrogemp 4y ago
    > Accountants and engineers have professional license requirements. The license could be taken away as punishments for unethical behavior. Software "engineers" don't. Oddly enough, I am an accountant. I'd say that it's rare for accountants in the US to lose their license but not unheard of.
andrehacker 4y ago
> If you want to know how the Hewlett-Packard Company Archives was saved after enduring a major spinoff, 6 CEOs in 10 years and a company split, read my 2020 article. These Hewlett Packard archives ? https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/hewlett-packard-historical-archives-destroyed-in-santa-rosa-fires/ https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/hewlett-packa...
- neilv 4y ago
  That's sad. HP was a great company, and I'd guess some documents gave insight into things we could learn (or re-learn) from HP leadership.
tannhaeuser 4y ago
> I like the idea that corporate librarians and archivists know they have a professional and ethical responsibility that supersedes what the current corporate leadership believes is their current business interest. [...] Engineers could use some of this too. The history of the Web shows this hope to be futile. HTML started out from SGML - which, as a reminder, was introduced with the expectation that > [computer users] will no longer have to work at every computer task as if it had no need to share data [...]; they will not have to act as if the computer is simply a complicated slightly more lively replacement for paper [...]; not have to appease software programs that seem to be at war with one another [1]. But then the dilettantes and bogeymen of our profession found ways to smuggle tons of unnecessary additional syntax and multiple language runtimes into document languages. [1]: https://books.google.de/books?id=RilvKya0EnwC&pg=PR7&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false https://books.google.de/books?id=RilvKya0EnwC&pg=PR7&source=...

Aloha 4y ago

Do you have a link to that article?

lifefeed 4y ago
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/westernarchives/vol11/iss1/3/ https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/westernarchives/vol11/iss1/3/
mewse-hn 4y ago
It's linked from the article under discussion: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/westernarchives/vol11/iss1/3/ https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/westernarchives/vol11/iss1/3/

formerkrogemp 4y ago

Software "engineers" could use a lot of this professional and ethical responsibility too.

wolpoli 4y ago
Accountants and engineers have professional license requirements. The license could be taken away as punishments for unethical behavior. Software "engineers" don't.
- pjmlp 4y ago
  Those of us that have taken the degree in countries with professional orders, do have. No one is allowed to call themselves "engineers" after a six week boot camp. And while few take the professional exam, it is required by law if you are signing legal documents with Eng as part of your name, or where you are taking liability. https://www.ordemengenheiros.pt/pt/a-ordem/colegios-e-especialidades/informatica/ https://www.ordemengenheiros.pt/pt/a-ordem/colegios-e-especi... (sorry only in portuguese)
- formerkrogemp 4y ago
  > Accountants and engineers have professional license requirements. The license could be taken away as punishments for unethical behavior. Software "engineers" don't. Oddly enough, I am an accountant. I'd say that it's rare for accountants in the US to lose their license but not unheard of.

andrehacker 4y ago

> If you want to know how the Hewlett-Packard Company Archives was saved after enduring a major spinoff, 6 CEOs in 10 years and a company split, read my 2020 article. These Hewlett Packard archives ? https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/hewlett-packard-historical-archives-destroyed-in-santa-rosa-fires/ https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/hewlett-packa...

neilv 4y ago
That's sad. HP was a great company, and I'd guess some documents gave insight into things we could learn (or re-learn) from HP leadership.

tannhaeuser 4y ago

> I like the idea that corporate librarians and archivists know they have a professional and ethical responsibility that supersedes what the current corporate leadership believes is their current business interest. [...] Engineers could use some of this too. The history of the Web shows this hope to be futile. HTML started out from SGML - which, as a reminder, was introduced with the expectation that > [computer users] will no longer have to work at every computer task as if it had no need to share data [...]; they will not have to act as if the computer is simply a complicated slightly more lively replacement for paper [...]; not have to appease software programs that seem to be at war with one another [1]. But then the dilettantes and bogeymen of our profession found ways to smuggle tons of unnecessary additional syntax and multiple language runtimes into document languages. [1]: https://books.google.de/books?id=RilvKya0EnwC&pg=PR7&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false https://books.google.de/books?id=RilvKya0EnwC&pg=PR7&source=...