No doubt some will be recovered but many documents are very fragile e.g 
on medieval parchment or old fragile paper and won't survive violent 
compression. They may also have been damaged by water as it will have 
taken awhile to cut off the building's water supply- plus a a major 
problem with dust. I also imagine much clearance will need heavy 
machiney to shift reinforced steel girders etc.I remember using 19th 
century tithe maps in Uk national Archives Kew in the 1980s and needing 
a a pan and bush to clear up the fragments. They are now digitised 
thankfully. Lets just hope much is recoverable and there is no heavy 
rainfall in the next few days. Conservation of what is recovered will 
probably take decades and many millions of euros.

paul


Ron May wrote:
> Paul,
>  
> Although the buiding collapsed and archives materials fell under the  rubble, 
> why would it be destroyed?
>  
> Ron May
> Legacy 106, Inc.
>  
>  
> In a message dated 3/5/2009 12:09:21 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> The  archive office in Kon (Cologne) has collapsed killing at least two 
> persons  and much of German's greatest urban archive (undamaged during 
> WW2) may  have been lost- makes the case for digitisation. I was going to 
> vist the  city this weekend but had to cancel holiday due to sick cat. 
> Masive new  stoneware catalogue of Cologne and Frechen stoneware has also 
> been  published by the city museum service while I remmber- can send 
> details if  anyone  wants.
>
> http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,611311,00.html
>
> paul  courtney
> Leicester
>
>
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