Heira: I have some old books. My husband valued them and wanted to bequeath them to the library.
Librarian: But we don’t have space.
Heira: This one is 250 years old.
Librarian: (sighs) Yes, I understand. The mere fact of being old might make it significant, despite it being of not great value in its lifetime. But the covers have fallen off. What does the family say?
Heira: One or two say pitch them on the tip, most of us say the collection should be archived for posterity.
Librarian: What we really need more of is funding before accepting collections.
_________
Voice-over
The beholder’s eyes are closed, the minds of those who come after are closing. Three principles for tidying up: Assess to select, toss to declutter, house to collect. Oh, and one more thing: find an institutional benefactor.
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