The File Clerk

“Mr. Roth is the caretaker of The Times’s “morgue,” a vast and eclectic archive that houses the paper’s historical news clippings and photographic prints . . . “

From The NYTimes

Once upon a time the mighty file clerk ruled supreme

In his dusty archives where the light could hardly gleam.

With visor and green lampshade, a stepladder by his side,

He labored alphabetically his arcana to divide.

Noble yet ridiculous, ignored except when needed,

He lurked among steel cabinets -- his chalky voice unheeded.

No company or newspaper could do without his skill;

Without his guidance, research work would come to a standstill.

But like the horse and buggy he is now quite obsolete --

His vast array of data in the Cloud will now accrete.

A relic and a vagabond, the file clerk joins the ranks

Of circus clowns and pinsetters who now are merely blanks.