Colleagues
I hope that you will support me in using this listserv to offer a public, heartfelt thank you to Sarah Tyacke, Pete Evans and his team at Sheffield Archives and all the other archivists and records managers involved in the release of documents relating to the Hillsborough Disaster. Even as I write that statement it seems inadequate to show the level of appreciation of myself and other fans and families have for the incredible, difficult work that has been undertaken to make over 450,000 documents available for the first time. Amongst the deep sorrow of this day there have been no other occasions in my professional life when I have felt such pride in my profession and their role in this country.
The archives released today vindicate the beliefs of families that lost their loved ones and the experiences of those people that survived. 23 years of misinformation, lies and slurs have been dismissed by the opening up of these records, which have been allowed to speak for themselves through the work of the independent panel. There can be few more powerful examples of the value of archives and records currently in the UK. In our daily lives as archives and records managers it can be easy to get tied up in the day to day hassles of archival life and forget that the archives often relate to real people and their lives and that the work we do is so important and can have such an impact. Perhaps today is a moment to remember this.
With heartfelt thanks to all those involved,
Janice Tullock
Liverpool fan and archivist
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