Archiving an archivist

Just browsing around the 'net, I found this video interview of my good friend's father, Dr. Ed Bridges, the director of the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Growing up, I always enjoyed hearing Dr. Bridges talk about his work. He was interviewed last year for Alabama Public Television, and I especially enjoyed hearing his insights about his career: the ways documents and objects tell stories, the ways in which selective retention of items may shape a view of history, and how his archives conceal countless hidden treasures of significant historical value.

http://www.aptv.org/VideoRoom/viewprogram.asp?FileID=871

The more I learn about archives, the more intrigued I become by this particular career option.

Another link -- this one relating to archives

I found this article last week for my archives class, and it's interesting enough that I'll include a link to it here, as well.

Kafka's Papers Snarled in Bidding War, Cat Litter, Israeli Pride

As I said in my discussion posting for the class, although it's heartbreaking to think of Kafka's unseen works moldering away in a damp flat, the fact that he wanted all of his writings to be burned after his death just makes me glad that anything at all remains of his works.
Image via Wikipedia

Open source textbooks?

Just posting a quick link tonight:

Open Source Textbooks Challenge a Paradigm

I'll be curious to see where this leads.