Who cares?

Archives are of importance to different groups of people at different times.

These include:

• administrators who use records and historical material for future reference
  
  
• historians of leprosy who are interested in the medical history and social, economic and other aspects
  
  
• biographers who wish to learn more about people or institutions involved in leprosy
  
  
• individuals who have been involved with the communities or who may be searching for information about members of their own families
  
  
• media researchers, both radio and television who may have an interest in the survival of communities or of the disease

Keeping selected archives will

• save money for organisations in the future by reducing storage space as well as fostering better day to day administration systems

• ensure the survival of important material to document the history of leprosy

• concentrate effort on essential issues

• help with health education and training by providing sources of background materials