Lifetimes and Legacies: Mortality, Immortality, and the Needs of Aging and Dying Donors

Archivists frequently collect papers from people who have had long and productive careers, but are challenged by aging, infirmity, and the end of life. Closely related is the archivist's work with caregivers, survivors, and heirs. Geoff Wexler explores the often complex legal, ethical, and interpersonal implications involved when confronting issues of aging, death, and the documentary legacies of the departed. Linda Long provides a case study that examines an archivist's relationship to a terminally ill artist, Tee Corinne. An annotated bibliography concludes the article.