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The Archival Spirit, Winter 2004
As I write this, I’m on vacation unwinding after a busy year – and looking forward to the holidays with family and friends. When you read this, I’ll be back at work, facing the backlog that has built up in my absence and the onslaught of boxes which always appear outside my office door at the beginning of a new year! Consequently, at the New Year, my thoughts turn to records management.
Like many of you, I’m the records manager as well as the archivist. This is an extremely important role when it comes to maintaining intellectual and physical control over our institutions’ records, but it is also a difficult role, placing increased demands on our time and resources. Records management requires specialized expertise, the regular implementation of retention policies and procedures not to mention increased storage space and I can’t help but wonder how well prepared we are to carry out these responsibilities.
This is a topic of concern to me – as I’m sure it is to many of you – and one I’d like to explore over the next year or two. I think it would be a great subject for discussion on our listserv – and invite you to comment on it there. For instance, I’d be interested to know how many of you have formal records management policies and retention schedules, how you implement them and what kind of institutional support you receive.
I for one applaud the increased cooperation between SAA and ARMA and suggest that if you haven’t already become in involved in this process that you do so. The problems we face in archives and records management aren’t new – but perhaps we have some new and innovative solutions among us and I, for one, can use all the help I can get. So let’s use the resources at our disposal, put our listserv to work and share our expertise and experience.
In 1985 the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), a worldwide Catholic missionary order, restructured its provinces in the United States and merged the Eastern and Northern Provinces into the Chicago Province. At this time, Fr. Robert Myers received permission to set up an archive to bring together the historical records of the SVD in the U.S. since 1897 and the records of its former provinces.
The Chicago Province determined in 2000 that the current archives did not serve the needs of the province. They hired a professional archivist, Marcia Stein, to reactivate the provincial archive and to set up a records management program to capture future records. Then in 2003, a new Provincial Council called for an Archives Evaluation Committee to review the work of the archives and its support by the provincial administration.
As a result of this evaluation, the committee resolved to establish the Chicago Province Archives as an “officially sanctioned part of the province’s structure” with a mandate for the archivist to establish and enforce a province-wide records management program. The resolution passed the Provincial Chapter of 2003 and received approval of the SVD General Council in Rome.
The Archivists from the five United States Provinces of the Daughters of Charity met in Albany NY on May 6 and 7, 2003 to discuss recent happenings in their archives and plan future projects to preserve the history of the Daughters of Charity.
The archivists assembled for two days to discuss topics ranging from the new archival facilities in St Louis, to the extraordinary efforts undertaken by the archivists in the Southeast Province to preserve the St. Joseph’s College needlework collection. In addition the archivists gave presentations on the oral history project undertaken by the Northeast Province, the importance of collaborating with other archivists to document the history of the Daughters of Charity, and how to best manage each Provinces’ collection of religious relics.
In addition to taking in the sights and sounds of Albany, the Archivists were given a behind-the-scenes tour of the Peebles Island Resource Center. Peebles Island is the New York State Parks Department facility responsible for preserving the artwork, works on paper, furniture and textiles for all of the New York State Parks. The archivists had the opportunity to talk with specialists working on preserving priceless painings, restoring a one-of-a-kind gilded frame, repairing a wall-sized tapestry, and cataloging and preserving photographs of State Parks on Long Island. After two busy days Sister Betty Ann McNeil, Provincial Archivist from the Southeast Province, gave a presentation to the sisters and their guests. Her presentation compared the lives of St Louise de Marillac and St Elizabeth Ann Seton and served as a reminder to all present about why the work of the archivists to preserve the history of the community and the memories of its sisters is so important.
The Diocese of Brooklyn Archives, working collaboratively with the Diocese of Rockville Centre Archives and the Northeast Regional Pastoral Center has recently completed a $4,962 grant from the New York State Archives Documentary Heritage Program for a Hispanic Catholic Documentation Survey Project in the Metropolitan Area. It has just received a $9,907 grant to carry out the plans developed by the first grant.
The Metropolitan Area Hispanic Catholic Documentary Heritage Project is an ambitious effort to reach out to the Hispanic Catholic community in the Archdiocese of New York, and the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre. It will seek feedback from the local community to learn what are the important issues, themes, organizations and persons that need to be documented in order to tell the story of the Hispanic Catholicism in the New York City Metropolitan area as well as the story of how the Catholic Church has attempted to meet the needs of its Hispanic members.
Moving in search of better social, economic and political conditions, Latinos compose a growing segment of New York City’s newest population groups. In fact, they are becoming the largest minority group in New York State, making them a group that no documentation survey can afford to ignore.
At a time when New York’s Hispanic population is rapidly growing, it is important to adequately document this story in its early stages. While in the past this was not always done for new immigrant groups, we now have an opportunity to document an early stage in the history of an immigrant group.
For over five centuries, as the traditional religion of Hispanics, Catholicism has formed an essential component of Hispanic identity, particularly with regard to family life and culture. It is estimated that in the next quarter century Hispanics will compose one third of all American Catholics. In the New York Metropolitan area, Hispanics increasingly form the bulk of church membership.
Discussions with our Advisory Committee have made us aware that there are migration trends within the Hispanic community, which a documentation survey can expose and highlight. Therefore, a survey of records showing the Catholic Church’s Hispanic/Latino outreach in the Metropolitan New York area is an attempt to provide documentation for future researchers of an important chapter of New York State and Catholic history.
Art, faith, history and genius come together in the exhibit, “Creating St. Peter’s – Architectural Treasures of the Vatican,” that opened Dec. 10 at the Knights of Columbus Museum, New Haven, Conn.
The centerpiece of the exhibition, Michelangelo’s hand-crafted 1560 study model for the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, unites the show’s powerful themes. The 16-foot model provides a rare glimpse at the process and people behind one of the masterpieces of Renaissance architecture. The model is among more than 100 artifacts –most rarely, if ever, seen by the public— that tell a rich and captivating story.
Many of the architectural treasures in the show have recently undergone restoration in Rome. The specially arranged collection is the first time all of the pieces will be shown. Because of its great age and fragile wood construction, this New Haven showing of
Michelanglo’s splendid dome is the only location where it will be shown in the United States.
Less than three years old, the state-of-the-art Museum has recently completed structural modifications to accommodate many of the larger architectural pieces. “Creating St. Peter’s” will remain in New Haven for nine months, enabling teachers to plan class field trips to see the great and historic art treasures throughout the school year. “Because we expect to attract record crowds, we are revising our entire exhibit schedule to accommodate this large and important show,” noted Larry Sowinski, the Museum’s director.
Courtesy of the Knights, admission and parking in the Museum garage are free as a public service. For additional details and schedules, please call 203-865-0400.
Before there was Internet evangelism, mega-churches and TV preachers, there was Paul Rader and the Chicago Gospel Tabernacle. In the 1920s and ’30s, this urban ministry pioneered ideas and methods that influenced generations of American Fundamentalists and Evangelicals. Today, the Billy Graham Center Archives opens its latest permanent interactive online exhibit that tells—through photos, drawings, documents, audio clips and motion pictures—an important story that has been almost forgotten.
The interactive exhibit, found at www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/cgt.html, is called “Jazz Age Evangelism: Paul Rader & the Chicago Gospel Tabernacle, 1922-1933.” It tells the story of Rader and the organization he founded, and is based on the Archives’ extensive collection of historical materials about Paul Rader. The user-friendly exhibit is designed to meet the various needs of online visitors, from those who want to quickly discover the Tabernacle’s story to those who want to explore it in depth.
“We hope this exhibit recaptures some of innovativeness and vigor of Paul Rader and the group he brought together,” says Paul Ericksen, director of the Archives. “The story of the Tabernacle, in its strengths and weakness, is one with lessons for today. Just in terms of its human interest, it is well worth retelling.
The Tabernacle was a fixture in Chicago during one of the city’s most turbulent and creative eras. Although its ministry lasted less than a decade, it had a continuing influence on people and institutions, thanks to Rader’s vision for using popular culture and modern technology to present the Gospel. The Tabernacle staff, for example, were among the first people to use radio for evangelism. The exhibit includes actual sound clips of some of those broadcasts.
The online exhibit uses a variety of audio and visual archival materials to look at other Tabernacle activities. These included foreign missions, worship and Bible studies for thousands, satellite congregations, a food pantry, youth camps, street preaching, and above all, an urban outreach aimed at those who never went to church. Audio clips of individuals recall the part that the Tabernacle played in their lives and offer many vivid vignettes.
The Billy Graham Center Archives is a department of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. For more information, call 630-752-5910 or e-mail bgcarc@wheaton.edu
The online exhibit uses a variety of audio and visual archival materials to look at other Tabernacle activities. These included foreign missions, worship and Bible studies for thousands, satellite congregations, a food pantry, youth camps, street preaching, and above all, an urban outreach aimed at those who never went to church. Audio clips of individuals recall the part that the Tabernacle played in their lives and offer many vivid vignettes.
The Billy Graham Center Archives is a department of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. For more information, call 630-752-5910 or e-mail bgcarc@wheaton.edu . Other online exhibits on the history of evangelism are at: http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/exhibits.html
The Archival Spirit is published three times a year by the Archivists of Religious Collections Section of the Society of American Archivists. Feature pieces as well as announcements of acquisitions and projects are welcome. Send submissions to: Wesley W. Wilson at wwwilson@depauw.edu. For membership information, contact: Society of American Archivists, 527 S. Wells, 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60607, 312-922-0140, fax 312-347-1452, info@archivists.org Archivists of Religious Collections Section Officers
From the Chair
Diane Wells
Chicago Province Archives Society of the Divine Word
Marcia Stein
Archivists of the Daughters of Charity Annual Meeting
Hispanic Catholic Documentation Survey Planning in the New York Metro Area
Joseph Coen and Patrick McNamara
Knights of Columbus Hosts Vatican Exhibit
Larry Sowinski
Jazz Age Evangelism Online Exhibit Recaptures a Forgotten Moment in American Christianity
| Chair | Diane Wells | Episcopal Diocese of Olympia |
| Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect | Loretta Zwolak Greene | Sisters of Providence Archives |
| Secretary | Gwynedd Cannan | Trinity Church, New York |
| Past Chair/Nominating Committee |
L.
Dale Patterson
|
General Commission on Archives and History, United Methodist Church |
| Representatives-at-Large | Joan S. Clemens | Pitts Theology Library, Emory University |
| Wesley W. Wilson | Archives of DePauw University and Indiana United Methodism | |
| Newsletter Editor | Wesley Wilson | |
| Web Coordinator | Mark J. Duffy | The Archives of the Episcopal Church |
| Models & Resources Committee | Diana Sanderson | Presbyterian Historical Society |
[End of document. HTML document version prepared February 16, 2004.]