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Re: Advice needed on setting up a church archives



Paul,

Aim to set up an ongoing volunteer committee as you oversee the initial
work. I and other archivists of religious collections in Minnesota have had
quite a lot of experience in providing ecumenical workshops for local church
history committees. I expect that what the "lay folks" do might scare me at
times, but we have found that they usually rise to the occasion very well.

Denominational local church history resources tend to be useful across
denominational lines. Check out http://www.gcah.org/resources.htm
for United Methodist titles. You will find a complete "Guidelines for
Managing Records..." on the site. Scroll down toward the bottom of the page
and locate the link for a printed resource under Caring for your Church's
Heritage. This booklet costs about $2. There is a lot of good information
for the money. The next listing is an effective introductory video, "Memory
and Ministry" that helps explain provenance (keep the Music Committee
records under Music Committee, etc., etc.) and original order. It begins
with a typical archival mystery -- a mixing bowl in the church history
closet that someone has labeled "KEEP" without saying why.

Good luck.

Thelma Boeder, archivist
MN Annual Conference, United Methodist Church

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