Maarja, thank you for your interesting comments on the operation of federal contracts. My own personal belief is that outsourcing is a viable option when the over-riding public interest is in efficiency, cost reduction, and improved service delivery. In this particular instance, the primary public interest is in striking a balance between national security concerns and the public's right to know. That's a public trust which, in my opinion, should not be outsourced, particularly to a contractor which would have an over-whelming bias towards the national security/non-disclosure outcome. Dwight Wallis, CRM Records Administrator Multnomah County Fleet, Records, Electronics, Distribution & Stores (FREDS) 1620 SE 190th Avenue Portland OR 97233 phone: (503)988-3741 fax: (503)988-3754 [log in to unmask] A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org. For the terms of participation, please refer to http://www.archivists.org/listservs/arch_listserv_terms.asp. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname *or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES To post a message, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>