Archives

Archives Month is an annual month-long celebration highlighting the importance of archives and the value archives bring to our lives. Founded in 1969, Archives Month is a collaborative effort by professional archival organizations and repositories to raise awareness about archives, what they do, why they do it, and the materials they contain.

I’m just back in the office after a trip to Washington D.C. and the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) where members discussed ways in which to better “Ensure Access” to archival materials. SAA is the primary professional organization for archivists in the United States and Canada and I’ve attended all but one meeting since 1994!

Last month I attended the annual National Episcopal Historians and Archivists conference in Salt lake City, Utah. This year’s theme focused on women in the Church – and featured papers and presentations on Episcopal lay and clergy women – wives, deaconesses, nuns and missionaries – who dedicated their lives to serving others and promoting the work of the Church.

What are vital records – and why should you care? Let me ask you this. How often are you asked for your driver’s license, your passport, your birth certificate or other document that establishes who you are? Have you ever tried to prove your identity without the proper documentation? Not easy is it? These types of records are known as vital records and it is just as important for your congregation to maintain and protect its vital church records as

As the Season of Lent comes to an end and the glory that is Easter approaches, I’d like to take you back to the Diocese of Olympia in 1914 and some thoughts expressed by Bishop Frederic W. Keator in the newsletter entitled simply, The Diocese of Olympia.

My husband and I are in the process of moving from a large house to a much smaller house. I suppose some might call it downsizing. I call it cramming. Logically I know that only so much stuff can fit into a given space – but I’m doing my best to defy that notion. I’m sure this is something we can all relate to.

In my last blog I talked about being ‘out of space’ and listed some ways to address that problem. So my question is: Have you begun to tackle those piles of paper, that inbox full of e-mails, those online documents and/or attachments, those stacks of photos (digital or not), etc.? If you haven’t, what are you waiting for?

Are you out of space? I know I am. Every year at this time, I’m always amazed by how much ‘stuff’ I’ve managed to accumulate, collect, amass, gather, acquire, hoard – or any other verbal synonym you can think of – over the course of the past year! On the one hand, this is the nature of archives.