When You Refuse To Consign People To The Archives

It’s my first day at my new job, and my manager is giving me the grand tour. Then the big boss, the owner of the company, strolls over.

Boss: “Ah, you must be [My Name]! Come on, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

He leads me to a desk in the corner, where an older gentleman is carefully adjusting the monitor on what looks like a computer straight out of the Windows XP era.

Boss: “This is Gary.”

Gary: “Afternoon! Welcome aboard.”

Boss: “Gary’s our archive specialist. If you need anything from the old system, just email him a request.”

The boss then takes me into his office, which I think is a little odd. He’s the owner of the whole company; isn’t he a little busy?

Boss: “Okay, so here’s the deal. Gary is my dad. He retired years ago from the Royal Mail. Then we had the double whammy of my mum dying, and he having memory issues. So I brought him in, set up a desk, and gave him the job. He doesn’t know it’s just something to keep him active and social. His salary comes directly out of my pocket, not the company’s books. With me so far?”

Me: “I think so?”

Boss: “Good. The company has thousands of paper records from the seventies to the nineties. He’s scanning them and making a digital archive. He can go at any pace he wants. You need to consult something from the archive, you go to him, but be prepared to wait a day or two. If it’s urgent, you go to [Supervisor] or me if I’m available. Still with me?”

Me: “I am.”

Boss: “Good. Now, just a personal favour, most people send him an archival request a day, even if they don’t need it. It helps to keep him sharp and feeling useful. Do you get what I’m saying?”

Me: *Smiling.* “I do.”

Boss: “Super! I had a feeling you’d be a good fit!”

So, per office tradition, I send my daily emails:

Me: “Hi Gary, could you check the 1998 expense archive for any mention of supplier invoices?”

Me: “Hi Gary, could you confirm the file name for [Client] in the legacy contacts?”

He always replies with cheerful precision.

Gary: “Found it. Great question. Attached below.”

A few months later, I stop by his desk during lunch.

Me: “So, Gary, how do you like working here?”

Gary: “Oh, I love it! The team’s wonderful, and I get to have lunch with my boy most days. It feels good to have a purpose, you know? I keep the old systems ticking, because I’m an old system! I never want to retire!” *Laughs.*

Me: “Didn’t you retire before? From the post office?”

Gary: “Yup, and that’s how I know I never want to do it again! I’m not stupid, I know my son could hire some intern or get some fancy new program to do what I do, but he keeps me around and keeps me busy anyway.”

Me: “I’ve found that archivists need to be around for a while to know the archives. I doubt an intern or a program could do what you do!”

Gary: “Haha, I suppose that’s true. To be the archivist, one must be the archive!”

He laughs and goes back to his computer to scan an ancient folder. I don’t know if Gary’s keeping the past alive, or if the past is keeping him alive, but either way, it’s working beautifully.