But I don’t think people are going to go delete or throw away shit they already have.

The Trump loyalists and cronies might just stop giving researchers access to the records. Which is also concerning.

Usually when agencies get dissolved, there is time and planning. They work with NARA to transfer the records.

NARA doesn’t receive records until years or decades AFTER an agency is done using them. What happened to the USAID records when Elon closed that over a weekend? Thats more concerning.

We should be worried about the records that are being deleted or lost because of the abrupt closing of agencies and the loss of staff. That’s more concerning than the records already in possession at NARA

We should be concerned about the presidential records and agency records that have NOT been transferred to NARA

there are companies who have taken most of the digital shit from our catalog and they resell for a profit. Alamy does this.

Additionally, many researchers have already backed up copies from the local research room.

In terms of NARA, there should be 3 digital copies of every record that is born digital or digitized. There is the access copy in the catalog, local copies available in the research room, and preservation copies in an electronic records database (called ERA).

I’m not trying to be blase about it I apologize it’s coming across that way but fear mongering isn’t helping. The records at NARA are spread across 43 facilities and are separated by region AND media type.

And I believe in the archivists working there. Even if it comes to them sneaking records or digitally backing it up on their own devices. They will protect them.

It will be hard to get rid of a majority of them. The very top will get replaced, but how many layers of workers you have to move down to replace everyone. Either this messed up administration is out by then with some damage, or we have already split as a country. We just have to hope for the best.

It’s crucial to remember, many archivist and staff members that work there this is their passion. They spent years in school just to work there. They won’t let anything happen to the documents. NARA will survive one way or another.