A major part of the archival enterprise is conveying meaningful information between contexts over time. 1 This process is never free. It requires resources (human, technical, financial). Ensuring a steady flow of resources over time is difficult.
At any given time, dedicated individuals and informal groups play vital roles in the provision of resources that perpetuate our documentary legacy (collecting, organizing, storing, and sharing information in which they have an interest). Commercial providers of information systems also play a major role, by furnishing the platforms upon which consumers create, manage, and share information.
It is risky to rely solely