Archives Basics for Churches | Session 3 - Organizing the Organization’s Records
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

Making an Inventory 
•	Known materials
o	May have labels
o	May be organized
o	May have written inventory/survey and/or finding aid
•	Unknown materials
o	random materials (boxes, piled papers, stuffed envelopes)
o	donated from private hands
o	deposited from church offices / vestry members / clergy
o	appeared from “who knows where”

Inventory stuff (sometimes called a survey)
•	Broad (not detailed) , general list of stuff (you are not processing the items)
•	Goal: document generally what is there

Method (not needing perfection)
•	Work way through stuff (piles, boxes, folders, etc…)
•	Use existing labels
•	If unlabeled, make a judgement, move on
•	Record carefully
•	Repeat

Inventory Card Samples (see handout)

Inventory complete = time to organize!

Goal: integrate “stuff” into holding arrangement
•	Generic Arrangements
o	Record group
o	Sub-group / Series
o	File Unit
o	Item
•	Example
o	Episcopal Diocese of Washington
o	Bishop Budde Records
o	Consecration
o	Consecration Program
•	Physical
o	Section on Shelf
o	Box
o	Folder
o	Contents in Folder

Sample Records Group (see handout)

Organizing “Stuff”
1.	Follow / create pattern to organize based on:
o	Known organizational pattern/structure
o	Contents from inventory
o	Personal knowledge
o	Church organization

Best practice: map out on paper

2.	Physically sort the “stuff”
o	Like boxes with like boxes
o	Like folders with like folders
o	Loose items with like boxes/folders
o	Unrelated material, put aside for later

3.	Organize the “stuff” as warranted (folder level)
o	Date (e.g. Vestry minutes 2014, 2015, 2016)
o	Topic (e.g. sermons by rector, or membership records)
o	Area (e.g. committees, events)
o	When there is a clear “hole” in the “stuff,” make a folder for future materials that may be found

4.	Integrate the “stuff” into current holdings
o	No longer the “stuff” but items in archives holdings

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