Vertical files still have value.
A vertical file is a collection of paper items stored flat in file folders, usually stood on edge -- hence the name vertical file. Traditionally, vertical files were a way of supplementing textbooks with current information gleaned from newspapers, magazines and pamphlets. With the development of the Internet, many libraries and schools have done away with their vertical files, relying instead on electronic sources. However, vertical files are still a way to sort small materials.
Signed Original Documents
You could store signed original documents having historical significance or that you may need to prove ownership or history of an item or piece of property as part of a vertical file -- particularly if the file container is fireproof. Although you can transmit copies electronically, some documents must have seals, notary markings or other types of markings that cannot be duplicated. Examples include marriage licenses, divorce decrees, passports, birth certificates and automobile titles.
Historically Significant Events
Although it is difficult to discern ordinary events that become historically significant, some events are clearly important. History has a way of rewriting itself with every author who records an event; maintaining files of data surrounding world-changing events allows future historians to consult original documents rather than generations of interpretation. Keeping a file of newspaper clippings published at the time of a significant event acts as a recorder for emotions, attitudes and information known at the time of such events.
One-of-a-Kind Items
Signed pictures, personal letters, even grocery lists of famous persons become grist for biographers and researchers. Keeping even a few samples of such items on hand helps round out the understanding of an era, and may prove valuable to researchers of genealogy as well as historians. Diaries from various historical periods give researchers vital insight into daily activities. While historians may primarily focus on major events, it is the small details that can make the past come alive in a classroom or in the hands of a novelist.
Personal Documentation
A small, fireproof file of personal documents can prove invaluable to store passports, credit reports and applications to institutes of higher learning. Keeping a copy of your Social Security card, educational transcripts, licenses and other significant documents can save time and postage. You can preserve photographs, letters, cards and other bits of memorabilia in a vertical file -- keeping them safe from children and pets.
Emergencies
You can also use vertical files to store information needed during a power outage or other significant emergency that might prevent access to electronic files. You can protect lists of telephone numbers, personal medical information, power-of-attorney documentation or other legal instruments and information about your will and trust fund.
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