It&#x27;s easy to forget just how little attention is paid to preservation if there isn&#x27;t a person dedicated to it. This is why libraries, especially the Library of Congress, are incredibly important. Archivists are important. Historians are important. We need to be reminded of that, or we&#x27;ll make the same mistakes over and over.<p>My suspicion is that everyone involved just assumed it was someone else&#x27;s job to take care of that. In fact, I wouldn&#x27;t be surprised if the person who degaussed the tapes did so with the thought, &quot;sure someone has backed this up.&quot;