This thread has led me to this thought. I understand that archives are being
recorded digitally, with the originals being discarded. Because of the swiftness of
change in the computer technology, it may not be possible to access these records in
the future. I think that would be even more frustrating, to know that the records
were there but in an unrecognisable/unusable format.
Our particular interest is in British postal history, and we have a collection of
letters from 1668 up to about the 1850s, and we find that the 30+ and younger do not
know how to read handwriting. Some children, our great-nephews included, are not
even being taught to write with pen and pencil, as it is considered unnecessary -
everything is printed now, and keyboards and computers are all-powerful, so they have
no need to read handwriting. It looks as though learning to read old documents is
going to be a necessary part of any history degree course in the future. (Perhaps it
is already?)
It is an odd thought that something that was commonplace to our generation may become
an esoteric skill, needing special teaching. Life changes all the time, and we have
to go along with it.
Eunice Shanahan
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