Archives Basics for Churches | Session 2 - Policies and Practices
Supported by the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church
Promote preservation, Publish, Cooperate
hsec.us/da

Archival Work
•	Identify what to keep
•	Preserve what is kept
•	Share what is kept with others

What is an Archives?
1.	An archives is the memory of an organization.
2.	The owner of the archives is the organization.

Ownership of the Archives
•	Ownership = control & authority over archives.
•	Archivist responsible ONLY to owner.
•	Non-owners may assert ownership and right of control.
o	
o	donors
o	bishops
o	rector/vicar
o	warden/vestry
o	religious superior
o	Archivist maintains control by following policies

Policy: Confidentiality
•	Archives may contain confidential material.
o	
o	work evaluations
o	disciplinary actions
o	public complaints
o	criminal matter
o	salaries
o	transcripts
o	candidate evaluations
o	psychological evaluations
o	Social Security numbers
•	
•	Archivist must maintain confidentiality
•	Need trustworthy volunteers
•	Materials subject to subpoenas
•	Items available on “need to know” basis
•	Materials might protect organization
•	May be “sealed” by a donor under conditions
•	Mark conditions on material

Policy: Access
•	Written policy, approved by owning authority
•	Limitations on access
o	Need to access (staff vs. researcher)
o	Confidential (item / folder / box)
o	Non-confidential (item / folder / box)
•	Secured facility
o	FEW persons with keys
o	Confidential – additional security (locked cabinet)
 
Practice: Physical Processing
•	Remove ferrous metal
o	paper clips
o	staples
o	prong holders
•	Remove three-ring binders
•	Remove three-prong report “jackets”
•	Remove rubber bands
•	Newsprint, acidity and aging
•	Photocopy
o	100% rag bond / cotton paper
o	file copy (physical)
o	file copy (digital)
o	discard original
•	NEVER glue
o	Chemicals discolor
o	Ooze, effect other items
o	Long-term effects unknown
•	NEVER tape
o	Removing can damage item
o	Do not remove existing tape, more damage
•	Copy instead of attempting major fix
•	Secure smaller documents on full size sheet (see slides)

Policy: Retention
Records Management for Congregations: An Archives Manual for Episcopal Parishes and Missions
•	Essential legal info (bylaws, incorporation papers, Church Registers)
•	Valuable items for congregational history (past church histories, membership directories, newsletters, bulletins)
•	Statistical data
•	Essential info – major organizations / projects (report to the annual meeting, flyers, brochures, membership lists, publications)
•	Essential data – buildings, grounds, other property (inventories, documents related to construction or alteration, architectural plans, deeds, permits, repair history)
•	Keep
o	earlier drafts of published works
o	important unpublished statements
o	position papers
o	studies
 
Policy: Thinning
•	Substance more important than volume (quantity)
•	Remove (consider case-by-case)
o	When readily available from other sources
o	When not integral to organization (e.g., dictionary, unrelated book)
o	Newspaper/ journals EXCEPT “in house” publication
•	Combine “dead” & “active” files for single, continuous set
•	Keep original / best copy, dispose duplicates
•	Keep copy when unique participant notation
•	When in doubt, keep it (if only temporarily)
•	Discard / consider discarding
o	Administrative use materials - receipts, cancelled checks, invoices paid, acknowledgements (e.g. hotel receipts, travel arrangements, etc.)
o	Superseded materials (e.g., tentative invitations)
o	Unconnected notices, advertisements (e.g. sales catalogues), press releases, unless some unique notation
o	Negotiations/arrangements speaker/special visitors
o	Agendas EXCEPT when no minutes
 
Practice: Disposal (Does Not Mean Throw Away)
•	Offer relevant materials to archival or library institutions (not if already clearly accessible, incomplete, partial)
•	Share items with nostalgia value to members (first-come-first-served)
•	Shred data which could be misused (confidential, SSN, bank account numbers, family information)
•	Recycle non-confidential materials
 
Practice: Material Use
•	Authorized staff provide controlled access
o	Follow written procedures / best practices
o	No off-site removal
•	Remove item only for authorized imaging
o	Identify item (finding aid or index)
o	Locate item (physically)
o	Place locator card, remove item
o	Image item (copy/scan/phone)
o	Return item
o	Remove locator card
 
Practice: Imaging Materials
•	Copy/Scan compared to Phone
o	Fixed location / portable
o	Squaring simple / squaring difficult
o	Quality considerations
o	Flattening / “au natural”
o	Lighting considerations (balanced / fluctuate)
o	Digital storage
o	“Shake” factor
o	Format / OCR

Join an Organization
•	Episcopal Women’s History Projectewhp.org
•	Historical Society of the Episcopal Churchhsec.us
•	National Episcopal Historians and Archivists episcopalhistorians.org
•	Society of American Archivistsarchivists.org
•	Midwest Archives Conferencemidwestarchives.org

Series Presenters
•	John Rawlinson - Past Archivist, Diocese of California, Archivist, Church Divinity School of the Pacific
•	Susan Stonesifer - Archivist, Diocese of Washington, Past President, National Episcopal Historians and Archivists
•	Matthew P. Payne – Director of Operations, Historical Society of the Episcopal Church, Archivist of the Diocese of Fond du Lac