Here is a puzzle for all of us.
Imagine a public organisation funded by tax-payers’ money.
Part of the duties of this organisation, is to maintain records of photos and drawings of public buildings and objects. Some of these buildings and objects do not exist anymore; some which still exist are difficult or even impossible to visit or access in entirety.
Now imagine that you wish to see these records for research or teaching, or just out of interest and curiosity. You expect — quite naturally — that your interest and research would be welcomed by the organisation and its staff.
The organisation lets you see the photos and drawings after tortuous processes and weeks of written and verbal requests. But when you identify the particular drawings or photos that you need, they refuse to share any copies of these.
They say they have a rule that they cannot share anything that is not previously published by them.
But — and here’s the catch — they have published practically nothing of what they have in their keeping; nor do they plan to do so in the present or in the foreseeable future.
This is where the puzzle comes in.
What is the purpose of making and keeping these records? And what is the purpose of the organisation?
