Diocesan and Parish Archives | Electronic Records | Digitization | Oral Histories | Depositing Records
The following resources have been created to help parishes and dioceses in managing their own archives and records management programs. If you cannot find an answer to your question, or would like to arrange a consult with the Archives staff, please contact us.
Resources for Diocesan and Parish Archives
Records Management Manual for Congregations
The Records Management Manual for Congregations offers guidelines on practical issues that administrators and treasurers of congregations will encounter with business records. Parish archivists can use these guidelines to establish a retention schedule and establish best practices for the management and preservation of parish records.
DFMS Records Retention Policy and Schedule
A policy statement (and schedule) adopted by The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council to establish requirements and standards for the retention, disposal, and preservation of the church’s records in all formats, including electronic records and communications.
Guidelines for Creating Parish and Diocesan Archives with Limited Resources
A checklist to aid parish archivists when bringing records together to establish a parish archives. This list offers an approachable method for local congregations who may lack funding and professional expertise.
Sample Record Classification and Arrangement Schema
This sample outline serves as a model archival arrangement pattern for dioceses.
Sample Agreement for Depositing Church Records with an External Agency
A sample form that parishes or dioceses may use to customize their own agreement, when compelled to deposit their records with a third party such as a historical society, university, or public institution.
Electronic Records
E-Record FAQS
This answers the most commonly asked questions about managing, preserving, and providing access to electronic records.
Email Management
Best practices for the management and retention of email. Guidelines include directions for locating and exporting Microsoft Outlook’s archive file and directions for converting proprietary files to preservation formats for long-term retention.
Software Selection Guidelines
An addendum to the official Records Retention Policy, these guidelines may be used by other church bodies in evaluating the security and business operations of software vendors, including those operating in the cloud.
Digitization
Digitization of Church Records
A statement regarding the practice of relinquishing rights and responsibilities for church records to third party for-profit vendors.
Technical Standards
The Archives recommends following standards established by the “Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Cultural Heritage Materials” that were developed by the Federal Agencies Digital Guideline Initiative (FADGI).
Oral Histories
Oral History Project Guidelines
These guidelines for conducting an oral history project cover a wide span of topics, including, choosing an interview site, recording introductions, interview tips, release forms, file management and remote interviews.
Project Checklist
A useful checklist of steps to complete prior to the interview, during site preparation, during the interview, and after the interview.
Sample Forms
Sample forms, includes a donor form with restrictions and a donor form without restrictions, as well as an interview summary form that should accompany the resulting interview files.
Other Online Resources
A list of reputable online resources for conducting oral history interviews.
Depositing Records
Canonically Mandated Records
Canon I.6.5(a) (Dioceses) and Canon I.11 (Provinces) and Canon IV.19.30 (Discipline) requires dioceses of The Episcopal Church to make regular deposits of documents to the General Convention and the Archives to ensure an accurate view and record of the state of the Church. These guidelines will assist dioceses in transferring journals and other official documents to the Archives in electronic or paper format.
Archives’ Acquisition Policy
The acquisition policy of The Archives of The Episcopal Church derives from its canonical mandate to document the church’s official, institutional life, as well as the informal areas of church life in order to gain a more complete historical record that represents the diversity of the church.
Organizational Records
We welcome the deposit of organizational records by historic or contemporary organizations affiliated with The Episcopal Church. These guidelines will provide helpful information for organizing records for deposit, packing records, and preparing electronic records.
Personal Papers
A helpful guide for determining what types of personal and family papers the Archives collects, as well as contact information for beginning the donation process.