Historical records are public or private documents. They may have been created
last year or two hundred years ago. Their historical value is not limited to
their availability on paper, or in handwritten or typewritten form. Rivaling
such traditional records as diaries, correspondence, publications, meeting
minutes, and reports, are records in the form of photographs, audio recordings,
and computer tapes and disks. Technological advances in the past several decades
have revolutionized recordkeeping and record use. An historical record today can
be on any medium—paper, tape, microforms, photograph, or electronic/digital—that
has served to record a historically significant function, activity, or event. At
this very moment, records are being created that will yield valuable information
to South Carolina’s citizens and government officials fifty, one hundred, or two
hundred years from now. In most cases, these records have significance beyond
the immediate reason for their creation and use.
Historical records help to convey a society’s culture from one generation to
another. They teach us lessons about how problems similar to ours have been
handled in the past. Such records serve as unique resources for historians and
other specialists. Historical records also serve as the basis for personal
research in areas like genealogy and the study of communities and groups, and
they are often required for the preservation of historic buildings, historic
sites, and museum exhibits.
They also have a practical value for government and business because they hold
information about past policies and decisions. With crises or changes in
leadership or staff, historical records provide an important source of
administrative continuity.
Historical records are especially valuable because they document the rights of
citizens and the obligations of government. Births, deaths, marriages, land
ownership, tax liabilities and payments, citizenship status, court or related
legal actions, and a myriad of other activities vital to government and citizens
are all subject to recordkeeping.
The information contained in historical records is vitally important for
research into public issues concerning the environment, health, and welfare.
Such records also contain unique details relevant to the repair and replacement
of buildings, bridges, streets, utilities, and other elements of our man-made
environment. Valuable conclusions and actions result from the study of
historical records, many of which will affect us today and for generations to
come.
There is no substitute for historical records. They are an important resource.
Where historical records exist in good, complete, and usable form, research of
many kinds flourishes. Where conditions fall short of this, research and
effective action are difficult, restricted, or impossible. The proper selection,
care, and use of historical records should be the concern of every citizen.
Historical records are not just a matter of yesterday’s news; they hold
significant value for today’s—and tomorrow’s as well.