#Archive30 day 21. A thread about some classic #misconceptions about archives (aka an excuse to wallow in a few of my personal hobby horses):
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Misconception 1: Archives are dusty. This is the lazy journalist& #39;s stereotype or the dream of the odd scholar who perceives romance in a sprinkle of fairy dust.
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Few archives are literally dusty. Fewer still are metaphorically dusty. Those who have charge of archives follow a philosophy of care, not neglect.
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Misconception 2: Archives are all boring old files. A cursory glance at #Archive30 shows that this is untrue. Here are some examples of the variety of what can be found in government archives:
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Chemistry lesson https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📂" title="Open file folder" aria-label="Emoji: Open file folder"> INF 10/41/13
Mince pies https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📂" title="Open file folder" aria-label="Emoji: Open file folder"> SP 14/189, f 7
Treasure Island https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📂" title="Open file folder" aria-label="Emoji: Open file folder"> NSC 5/215
Tally sticks https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📂" title="Open file folder" aria-label="Emoji: Open file folder"> E 402/2
@UKNatArchives
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Blackpool rock https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📂" title="Open file folder" aria-label="Emoji: Open file folder"> MAF 100/53
King George IV & Queen Caroline https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📂" title="Open file folder" aria-label="Emoji: Open file folder"> TS 11/115/326/19
Lost colony of Roanoke https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📂" title="Open file folder" aria-label="Emoji: Open file folder"> MPG 1/584
Swans & reeds https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📂" title="Open file folder" aria-label="Emoji: Open file folder"> BT 43/101/313051
@UKNatArchives
#Archive30 #Misconceptions 6/n

& finally, a penguin using a bow & arrows.
@UkNatArchives https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📂" title="Open file folder" aria-label="Emoji: Open file folder"> MR 1/1007/12
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Misconception 3: Archives are only for historians. Archives are not just about history. They are evidence of rights & responsibilities. But most people who use archives are, unsurprisingly, interested in the past.
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I believe that archives should be for everyone: partly because archives are interesting, surprising, heartbreaking & cool, & partly because the right of access is not limited to the few, the & #39;deserving& #39; or the intellectual elite.
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Archives are for everyone because everyone deserves to have a past.
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