The Changing Face of the Holy Blossom Archives

The Changing Face of the Holy Blossom Archives

By Sheila Smolkin

At the end of September, I watched a segment on 60 Minutes on the workings of the U.S. National Archives. This mammoth institution was established in 1934 and is now home to 13.5 billion pieces of paper and over 33 billion electronic records, housed in 43 facilities. The Archives at Holy Blossom where I spend much of my volunteer time, cannot begin to compare. However, during the course of this segment, I was nodding in agreement as we were told of a number of challenges the National Archives is facing.

Foremost for the National Archives is the enormous challenge of adjusting to a world that is increasingly digital. We at Holy Blossom are in the process of trying to do that too. The challenge is three-fold. First, it involves converting important items which we have, some of which date back to the mid-1850s, into digital form. This may be done for preservation, to make items more widely accessible, and to make textual records machine-searchable.

Second, we need to make sure that newer records which are born digital, and which have no physical form, come to us. The National Archives is trying to track down important records of some past U.S. presidents. We are trying to track down Temple documents which have been produced digitally but have not been sent to us. The reality is that it was easier to obtain these documents and to file them in the past when they were produced in paper form.

Third, we need to create a digital index which will allow users to search within our mixed collection of physical and virtual items.

The new technology is constantly evolving. What was best for us yesterday may not be best for us today and certainly will not be best for the users of tomorrow. And nobody can tell us just how long the new technology will last. We have paper items in our collection which are almost 175 years old. While these items have to be handled carefully, we can still access them. We have to ensure that newer items that are produced digitally are archived in a way that will last and be accessible in years to come. We believe future congregants will be interested in how Holy Blossom managed during the pandemic years. We want to be able to tell them that.

Our Archives Committee is tasked with preserving our history for future generations. We are committed to doing this important work and will keep you informed as it unfolds.

If you have any items of archival interest that you wish to donate, please email us at [email protected].

You may wish to visit the Archives Committee displays at the far end of our atrium as well as the Living Museum display by the elevator.