You state, "However our club should not have to purchase information; it should be the receptacle of information purchased by others and donated to it."

The fundamental question is, does preservation of records benefit the hobby? I believe it is an appropriate use the club treasury to engage in activities that benefit the hobby. It is up to the membership, under direction provided by our leadership, to determine if any individual action benefits the hobby, and to wisely choose how to use limited resources.

Some could argue that the convention is just a dealer fest. I think it benefits the entire membership, even those that don't attend, through exposure and publicity. The club uses funds provided by the membership to put it on. Individual members do not have to "donate" the convention to the club. There are those who donate a tremendous amount of their time to make it happen, as there are those who serve in many other ways.

I haven't followed the whole thread on this records issue, but I think the club should not be afraid to step up to the plate and act responsibly to preserve chip records if they are otherwise at risk of being lost or controlled to the benefit of a few. If there are individuals with the power to preserve these records for the benefit of the hobby, that's wonderful.