MINING OUR
PAST TO INFORM OUR FUTURE:
A CHURCH
HISTORY PRESERVATION WORKSHOP
The resources contained in this web site represent
information presented during a day-long workshop held at the May Memorial
Unitarian Universalist Society (MMUUS) church, Syracuse, NY, on October 27,
2007, and at the Unitarian Church of Barneveld, Barneveld, NY, on November 10,
2007. It also served as a basis for helping our District’s History Team
establish and initial a digital preservation effort in November of 2008. We
hope they will provide some assistance in your own church history preservation
and promotion activities.
Roger Hiemstra and the MMUUS History
Committee
Table of
Contents
Workshop Schedule
Opening Activity
Opening Presentation: Why Church History Is Important (PowerPoint slide show)
Workshop 1
Gathering, Inventorying,
and Storing Historical Material
May Memorial Unitarian
Church Records (Syracuse University)
Unitarian Universalist
Congregation of Atlanta (Records)
MMUUS History Committee
File Survey (four drawers)
Workshop 2
Why Preserve Media?
(PowerPoint slide show)
Supplemental Material
Workshop 3
Paper Preservation
Workshop
Is Laminating Old Paper a
Good Idea?
Typical Paper/Photo
Preservation Supply Needs
Workshop 4
Suggestions for an
Interviewing Project at Your Church
Examples of Interview
Questions
Sample of Permission Sheet
for Audio Recording
Guidelines for Making Audio
Recordings for History Archives
Afternoon Presentation: Portraying Church History (PowerPoint slide show)
Miscellaneous Material
History Collection Policy
and Guidelines
History Committee’s
Structure and Responsibility
History Committee’s Activities
and Plans – 2007
Historian: An Overview
Helpful Tips for
Preserving Your Precious Documents
Spiral Bindings in a Hard
Cover
Care of Books, Documents,
and Photographs
Sources of Help and Advice
for Your Church or Synagogue Archives
Establishing and
Initiating Digital Preservations Activities in Your Church
References/Future Study
Options
Workshop
Schedule
08:30-09:00 Registration, refreshments, and
getting acquainted – Social Hall
09:00-09:15 Opening ceremony (Alexa Carter) –
Social Hall
09:15-10:30 Introduction to workshop/why keeping
church history is important/policy needs (Rog Hiemstra) – Social Hall
10:30-10:45 Refreshment break – Social Hall
10:45-noon Workshop A. Gathering, inventorying,
and storing historical material (George Adams) – Memorial Room
10:45-noon Workshop B. Preserving and digitizing
media (Harsey Leonard) – Teen Room
noon-12:45 Lunch
– Social Hall
12:45-02:00 Workshop A. Preserving paper products
(Alexa Carter) – Teen Room
12:45-02:00 Workshop B. Interviewing long term members
on history recollections (Mary Louise Edwards) – Memorial Room
02:00-02:15 Refreshment break – Social Hall
02:15-03:30 Using the
World Wide Web/displays/church services for portraying church history (Rog
Hiemstra) – Social Hall
03:30-04:00 Wrap up and charge for back home
activities – Social Hall
Opening
Activity
Chalice Lighting
May the flame of our candle help us to
focus today on our self-appointed task. May we bring
our full attention to the day and may our efforts be fruitful.
Responsive Reading
Out of our occupations and
preoccupations, from the homes and churches that ask of us so much, we have
come here to this place.
Let us leave our daily concerns behind
for the next few hours and direct our energies to the subject at hand.
Let us honor those who have gone
before and strive to preserve their words and wisdom.
May we learn and grow during our time
together.
Announcements
Miscellaneous
program information
Introductions
of resource people and participants
Opening
Presentation
Why Church History Is Important
Overview
The purpose of the opening
presentation was to set the scene for the workshop, help participants
understand what to expect during the day, excite them about the possibilities,
and engage them in providing their own thoughts, questions, and answers
regarding the importance of church history. This was done through a PowerPoint
slide show, an oral presentation, and dialogue among participants and resource
people.
Workshop 1
Gathering, Inventorying, and Storing Historical
Material
Introduction
The purpose of this
workshop is to provide you with some ideas on what is needed in terms of
acquiring, inventorying, and storing the historical material of importance to
your church. We use the experiences of May Memorial and our current History
Committee as a basis for thinking about such tasks, but we recognize that each
church has unique needs, problems, and requirements for maintaining historical
material. We hope that this workshop can be a means for not only learning what
we have done at May Memorial, but also a sharing of your unique situation.
Realistically, gathering, inventorying, and storing archival material must be
ongoing and it requires time, resources, and dedicated people. However, we
believe that the rewards from doing it right and doing it well are immense.
They also are important for helping a church (and its members) maintain a sense
of self as a religious institution.
The management and storage
of records of past church activities raises many questions.
1.
How will the
material be acquired?
2.
What material
will be saved and stored?
3.
How will it be
organized?
4.
What steps are
needed to preserve it?
5.
Where and how
will it be stored?
6.
What retrieval
and procedure for use and review of the material will be established?
We will be discussing 1,
2, 3, and 5 and considering 6 as it applies to how 1, 2, 3, and 5 are
undertaken. Step 4 is covered in another workshop. During this morning
workshop, we can talk about changes and additions based on your experiences and
specific needs.
The material for permanent
church storage comes from many sources:
1.
Material that
church members from previous years set aside for storage
2.
Material from
church administrative offices and from various church committees that have been
accumulating for years (it is important to set up procedures to receive this
material on a yearly basis – see the History
Collection Policy and Guidelines in the miscellaneous section of your
resource packet)
a.
Board of
Directors’ Minutes
b.
Treasurer’s
records
c.
Buildings and
Grounds information
d.
Worship committee
e.
Social Justice
committee
f.
and many more
3.
Sunday School
records and curriculum plans
4.
Church bulletins
and newsletters
5.
Minister’s
records
a.
Sermons –
written/stored digitally or by other means
b.
Letters,
including acceptance and resignation
c.
Activities
6.
Scrapbooks,
newspaper clippings, bulletin board material
7.
Other
Organizing An Archival Collection
How the historical
material a church gathers is organized is affected by what material the church
decides to keep. May Memorial, for example, has stored material in the archives
at Syracuse University through a special agreement with them. A partial list of this material is
attached (see Attachment A). You can see from this list the scope of the
material and how it was organized. (Material kept in files at your church may
have a different organizational scheme, i.e., in the case of May Memorial, not
all materials go to the Syracuse University archives.)
A list of archived
material from The Unitarian Universalist
Congregation of Atlanta is also attached (see Attachment B), so you can see
the scope and organization of their material. It is interesting to see the
effect of their history on what they have archived.
How your material will be
organized is completely up to you – the nature of the material, the storage
facilities (space) available, the time and effort you want to put into
establishing and maintaining the files. However, the organizational scheme used
by the Atlanta church, some of the suggestions from the May Memorial Collection
Guidelines, and the Syracuse University material will give you some ideas for
your own organizational efforts.
Our Current Organizational Efforts
The where and how of
church record storage is dependent on the individual church situation. Judging
from the files we have in our church and those stored at Syracuse University,
May Memorial has been very active in storing church history over the years,
with a rich collection of material going back to the church’s founding in 1838.
In the 1980s there had been a very active and dedicated committee working with
church history. This committee produced an excellent booklet on church history
which we hold in high regard (an interactive version of this history was
completed by Rog Hiemstra and is available on the web).
They also were the people responsible for placing material in the Syracuse
University archives (the Syracuse University attachment represents the result
of many of those efforts). After the work of that committee, the files were
less well managed. Material was placed in the files or in the vicinity of the
files by people working on various church activities who were naturally more
focused on their own activities rather than on organizing the history files –
still, they felt the material was important enough that it should be saved.
When the current History
Committee became active in early 2006, five full metal and two cardboard filing
cabinets were found in the church furnace room, with cardboard boxes of file
material piled on top of them. Other materials were found stashed away in
cabinets and closets around the church building. Those metal files have been
moved from the furnace room to a more suitable but cramped office location and
one fire resistant metal cabinet and one extra wide metal cabinet added. All
these metal cabinets are now locked and History Committee members and selected
church leaders have keys or access to keys.
The material in these
files includes quantities of old newsletters, Sunday School
(religious education) files, and general church files. As we have been
examining these files, we have discovered many gems and some things we don’t
need to keep. We are now in the process of inventorying the material in these
files. (A partial list of this file
survey activity is also attached as a sample of these efforts – see
Attachment C.) We also have fairly complete boxes of files with information
about the work of two past ministers and are collecting information on recent
ministers. The minister files are being reviewed and preserved in preparation
for transfer to the Syracuse University archives.
There are other church
records including old photos and slides, scrapbooks, microfilms, audio and
video tapes and other media, and a few archival objects. Various History
Committee members are working with the preservation of these materials.
In addition to all of
this, there is, or should be, an annual influx of additional records from all
activities of the church (see item 2 in the second list on page one). For
example, records of annual meetings could be a partial basis for this yearly
addition to the archives. Materials in the church administrative office and
other activity centers should also be reviewed for material from past years
which should be moved to the history files. It should be noted that physical
space must always be a consideration, so figure this limitation into all your
planning, inventorying, and decisions on what to keep and even solicit.
The above description of
our experience with church record storage is given as an example of one
church’s experience. It may provide you with some ideas of the situations,
needs, and even surprises that can arise.
A clean, dry, roomy church
record storage facility is ideal, but seldom achievable. Transfer to an outside
facility has advantages and disadvantages. It releases storage space. Researchers
can find and access the material more easily. Once the material has been
given over to the facility, you may not be able to access it as freely as you
would like.
Miscellaneous
As
new communication and storage devices become available our storage capabilities
could increase. May Memorial now includes its
newsletter on its web site, along with audio of the sermons. The church’s PR
Committee is discussing the feasibility of archiving such digital material.
Church services also are recorded on DVDs for those who prefer to listen to or
view such information in their own home. A question we have been asking ourselves, can or also should we store such media in our
file cabinets? Such action has advantages and disadvantages. An obvious
advantage is that future researchers and interested church members can revisit
such information whenever it is appropriate. However, you also have to maintain
a good index of what you have on the DVDs, as looking at a DVD case and perhaps
a title is not the same as looking at a typed sermon. In addition, in the
future will DVD players become obsolete and unavailable, such as with the
difficulty today in access floppy discs or viewing microfilm?
Attachment A
Syracuse University Archives Collection of May
Memorial Material
A Sample of the Material Stored There (use the web link shown below for more information)
May Memorial
Unitarian Church Records
An inventory of its records at Syracuse University
(http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/m/may_mem.htm)
|
Creator:
|
May
Memorial Unitarian Church |
|
Title:
|
May
Memorial Unitarian Church Records |
|
Inclusive
Dates: |
1830-1988 |
|
Bulk
Dates: |
1839-1952 |
|
Quantity:
|
5
boxes |
|
Abstract:
|
Records
of May Memorial Unitarian Church in Syracuse, NY. Collection includes letters,
photographs, newsletters, printed matter, audiotapes, brochures, Order of
Worship handouts, etc. |
|
Language:
|
English |
|
Repository:
|
Special
Collections Research Center, |
May
Memorial Unitarian Church began in 1838 in Syracuse,
New York. Its founders had left the Congregational Church of New England in
Boston, preferring to study the gospels for themselves and worship according to
individual conscience. The church was originally named "Church of the
Messiah." Members of the congregation were active in the community; their
second minister, Samuel Joseph May, was a well-known abolitionist and reformer
best remembered in Syracuse for his part in the escape of Jerry, a runaway
slave, memorialized in the "Jerry Rescue" sculpture in downtown
Syracuse’s Clinton Square. In 1885 the church moved to James Street and named
their new stone building "May Memorial Church" in his honor; some
time later the group voted to change their name to May Memorial Unitarian
Universalist Society.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
In
addition, the May Memorial Unitarian Ministerial Records, comprising the
papers and records of seven ministers beginning with John Storer, covers over
100 years. The collection is only roughly organized, divided according to the
tenure of each minister:
John
Storer, Minister 1839-1844
Samuel
Joseph May, Minister 1845-1868
Samuel
R. Calthrop, Minister 1868-1911
John
H. Applebee, Minister 1911-1929
Waldemar W. Argow, Minister 1930-1941
Robert
E. Romig, Minister 1941-1946
Glenn O. Canfield, Minister 1946-1952
[Note: Papers and Records pertaining to
two subsequent Ministers, Robert L. Zoerheide, Minister, 1952-1961, and John C.
Fuller, Minister 1961-1973, were transmitted to the SU Library in the summer of
2008. A current effort is underway to digitize the papers and records of our
tenth minister, Nicholas C. Cardell, Jr., for transmittal in 2009.]
Contents
include letters, photographs, deeds, wills, pew rental contracts, legal papers,
marriage records, clippings, articles, books, Orders of Service, Sunday School reports, and many other items.
Restrictions: There are no access restrictions on this material.
Use Restrictions: Some
restrictions on reproduction.
Subject Headings - Persons
Applebee,
John H.
Argow,
Waldemar W.
Calthrop,
Samuel R.
Canfield,
Glenn O.
May,
Samuel J. (Samuel Joseph), 1797-1871
Romig,
Robert E.
Storer, John, Rev.
Corporate Bodies
May Memorial Unitarian Church
Subjects
Unitarian
churches, History
Unitarian
churches, New York (State)
Places
Syracuse (N.Y.), Social life and customs
Genres and Forms
Correspondence
Legal
files
Photographs
Programs
Sermons
May
Memorial Unitarian Church Records,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Library
Gift of May Memorial Unitarian Society,
1998.
Finding Aid Information
Revision history: 30 Oct 2006 - converted to EAD (AMCon)
|
Inventory Sample |
|||||||||||
|
Box 1, Folder 1 |
Two copies of letter
from church members 1844 |
||||||||||
|
Box 1, Folder 2 |
Portrait of John Storer
undated |
||||||||||
|
Box 1, Folder 3 |
Text of memorial plaque
undated |
||||||||||
|
Box 1, Folder 4 |
Xerox copies of archival
material gathered by J. Hoefer and I. Baros-Johnson at On. Hist. Soc., UUA and Harvard
libraries |
||||||||||
Attachment B
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta
Archival Material Stored at Emory University
A Sample of the Material Stored There (use the web link shown below for more information)
PITTS THEOLOGY LIBRARY, ARCHIVES AND MANUSCRIPTS DEPT.
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION OF ATLANTA
Records, 1832-2001
(http://www.pitts.emory.edu/ARCHIVES/text/rg026.html)
RECORD GROUP NUMBER
026
EXTENT: 32.5 cubic ft. (63
legal-size archives boxes; 3 legal half-size archives boxes; 11 letter-size
archives boxes; 2 letter half-size archives boxes; 3 slide boxes; and 3
oversize boxes)
ACCESS:
Unrestricted
REPRODUCTION:
All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on
reproduction.
COPYRIGHT:
Information on copyright (literary rights) available from repository.
CITATION:
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta Records, RG 026, Archives and
Manuscripts Dept., Pitts Theology Library, Emory University.
Historical Note
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta has its
roots in two separate congregations that were established in Atlanta in the
late 19th century. In 1879 Rev. W. C. Bowman established a Universalist
congregation that lasted less than a year. The next attempt was in1893
when Rev. Q. H. Shinn succeeded in organizing a congregation that became the
First Universalist Church in 1895.
George Chaney, a northern Unitarian minister and educator
who founded the Artisan's Institute, a vocational school that later became
Georgia Institute of Technology, conducted the first Unitarian service for a
congregation of eight on February 19, 1882. The following year this
congregation established the Church of our Father. The church experienced
growth and decline in its membership and ultimately changed its name to The
Unitarian Church of Atlanta on June 9, 1904. In 1915 the American
Unitarian Association (AUA) financed construction of a church building at 669
West Peachtree Street.
On November 14, 1918 the Unitarians merged with the
Universalist congregation to form the Liberal Christian Church. This
merger is particularly noteworthy because it occurred 43 years before the
national bodies of these two denominations merged. Under the dynamic
leadership of Rev. Clinton Lee Scott from 1926 to 1929, the congregation
approved another name change in June 1927 and became the United Liberal
Church. The effects of the Great Depression, however, almost caused the
church to close its doors in 1934 but the congregation managed to persevere
until the 1940s.
The congregation's position on race almost destroyed the
church during the late forties. In 1944, after the AUA criticized the
church's policy on segregation, the congregation broke its ties with the
national body. The ultimate crisis occurred in 1948, however, when the
Rev. Isaiah Jonathan Domas resigned after the
congregation refused membership to Dr. Thomas Baker Jones, an African-American
Unitarian who chaired the Department of Social Work at Atlanta
University. In response to this incident, the American Unitarian
Ministers' Association urged its members to boycott the pastorate at the
Atlanta church. The congregation stood its ground and turned to a
minister from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) during part of this
struggle. In 1951 the American Unitarian Association resolved the crisis
by selling the church building out from under the congregation.
The AUA provided an opportunity for a fresh start by
sending Rev. Glenn O. Canfield to officially reorganize the church in the
spring of 1952. A church building was purchased in 1953 and on January
20, 1954 the new United Liberal Church was officially reestablished.
During the 1950s and 1960s the congregation demonstrated a commitment to the
fight for human and civil rights. Rev. Edward A. Cahill and Rev. Eugene
Pickett followed Canfield in providing the leadership the congregation needed
during these tumultuous decades. On February 21, 1965, the congregation
adopted a new constitution and changed the name of the church to the Unitarian
Universalist Congregation of Atlanta. That same year construction began
on the new church building located on Cliff Valley Way.
The church is governed by a Board of Trustees in accordance
with instructions by the congregation and the authority delegated by the
congregation through the bylaws and polices. The Board consists of
eighteen members, including the president of the congregation, the chief
financial officer and the two additional trustees of finance. All of
these officials are elected by the congregation. The Executive Committee
of the Board consists of the president of the congregation, vice-president of
the congregation, chief financial officer of the congregation, and as
ex-officio members, the senior minister and church administrator. This
committee attends to details of business that are delegated by the Board of
Trustees and reports its recommendations to the Board. The church's
ministry consists of the senior minister, an associate minister and an
assistant minister.
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of the minutes, correspondence,
bulletins, brochures and publications, reports, newsletters, sermons,
photographs, and other material that document the history and activities of the
congregation.
Of particular importance are the minutes of the Board of
Trustees and church committees, the bylaws, and the constitutions. The
collection also contains an almost complete set of bulletins or orders of
service and newsletters from 1952-1983. The sub-series, Publications of
UUCA Press, consists of everything produced by the church to announce events
and issues, programs of events, and other documents that reveal the activities
supported by the congregation.
The collection also contains sermons, student notebooks,
and some miscellaneous correspondence that were written by or belonged to
George Chaney. Sermons and lectures, primarily from the 1970s and
early 1980s, are also included. In addition to Chaney, the collection
contains sermons or lectures delivered by Ed Cahill, Donald J. Jacobson, Robert
Karnan, Delos B. McKown,
Glyn Pruce, David O. Rankin, Charles Reinhardt, Carl Scovel, Todd Taylor, and Sydney Wilde-Nugent.
The records also contain clippings and other material
documenting the congregation's involvement in and support for the civil rights
movement during the 1950s and 1960s.
Container
Listing Headings
ADMINISTRATIVE FILES
Board of Trustees
Committees
General files
ANNUAL REPORTS
CHURCH DIRECTORIES
FISCAL RECORDS
GUEST BOOKS
HISTORICAL FILES
MEMBERSHIP
PUBLICITY FILES
ORDERS OF SERVICE AND NEWSLETTERS
PUBLICATIONS OF UUCA PRESS
SERMONS AND LECTURES
PHOTOGRAPHS AND FILM
CONTAINER LISTING
Box Folder Description Date
ADMINISTRATIVE FILES
1 1 United Liberal Church Organization meeting
minutes, congregation meeting, budgets 1954
1 2 United Liberal Church Board and
congregation minutes 1955-1957
1 3 Minutes 1959
May-Dec
1 4-5 Minutes 1960-1965
1 6-7 Minutes 1966-1967
2 1-2 Minutes 1968-1969
2 3-5 Minutes 1969-1970
2 6-7 Minutes 1971-1972
3 1-2 Minutes 1973-1974
3 3-5 Minutes 1975-1978
3 6-7 Minutes 1978-1979
4 1-2 Minutes 1980-1982
4 3 Minutes 1982
Feb
65 2-5 Minutes 1982
Jul-1983
64 7-8 Minutes 1987
Oct-1989 Feb
65 1 Minutes 1987
Oct-1989 Feb
64 4-6 Minutes 1989
Mar-1990 May
64 1-3 Minutes 1990
Jan-1991 Oct
63 7-8 Minutes 1991
Nov-1992
63 4-6 Minutes 1993
63 1-2 Minutes 1994
62 3 Minutes [loose material] 1994
75 1-3 Minutes 1995
75 4-6 Minutes 1997
76 1-2 Minutes 1998
76 3-4
Board Member Notebook 1991-1992
Attachment C
MMUUS Archival Material Stored at the Church
A Sample of the Material Stored There
MMUUS
History Committee File Survey Rev. 1 - 8/23/06
First
File on right facing Genesee Street, top drawer Page 1 of 2:
Drawer Label:
Administration - Church School and Newsletter.
Folder 1: Church
School Zoerhide era -- 1957 - 58 School of Religion
Budget
Josephine Gould - Director, Church
School
RE material - 1855
-- early 1960s -- (Letters from director, announcements etc.)
Folder 2: (no
Label) RE Material from 50s & RE descriptive bulletin from ‘68-‘69.
Loose papers
after Folder 2 -- descriptions of RE
1916-17 Prospectus
1963-64 School of Religion Pamphlet
64-65 ditto - (new church) (extra
copy)
66-67 ditto
61-62 ditto (2 copies)
62-63 ditto (2 copies)
67-68
ditto - (2 copies, folded and marked for mailing))
Folder 3:
“Church School Study” -- letters and reports relative to defining the RE
program, probably in 1915.
Mrs. L. Gould Chairman of Committee
(may not have been director anymore?? -- later
stationary listed her as Director of RE under John Fuller in 1967.)
Folder 4: “Youth
Activities Council”
1954,
Children’s day program
1961 Jefferson Club, poetry, writings
by pupils? (Vietnam era writings)
1961-1968 RE Committee Correspondence (not part of folder?)
Additional
Folders:
Monthly Trip -- RE Newsletter
Religious Education Committee 65&66
LRY & Mohawk Federation 65-67
Youth Activities Council 66-67
Religious Education Committee 66-70
Youth Education Committee 67-69
Sunday School Pamphlets 41 & 60-69 (not in file folder)
Untitled folder with mote pamphlets
and papers going back to 48
Church Across
the Street
RE Council 86-87
Lets
take a Trip
Curriculum Development -- Spoerl
MMUUS History Committee File Survey
First
File on right facing Genesee Street, top drawer Page 2 of 2:
Craft Sunday
Loose
papers -- Report of the Task Force on Youth (envelope)
Report of
committee on District Representatives and Distribution of Resources 1981-82
The
Mountain Highlands Camp and Conference Center --
Summer
1985
Ferry
Beach Craft Ideas -- (envelope)
RE Council 81-82
RE Council 82-83
RE Council 84-85
RE Council 85-86
Youth Education Committee 1966-69
Sexuality course permission slips 1987
Notebooks: School of RE records 1965-1968
School of RE records 1961-1964
Weekly MM Newsletters Sept 73
- July 74 (Incomplete)
Large folder --
Orders of Service (some incomplete)
Sept. 63 - June 64 (largest
collection)
Following years thru Sept 72-June 73
Folder --
Newsletters - 68-69 (part)
Folder -- Orders
of Service 9/61 - 6/63
Folder --
Newsletter Oct 69 -- June 70
Folder -- 1973
Newsletters (also some from 1961-1976)
Notebooks:
Weekly Newsletters MMUUS Sept 61-Dec66
(Incomplete)
Ditto - Jan 67 - June 73 (incomplete)
Order of Service Sept 68 - July 70
Weekly Newsletters MMUUS Sept 2, 1974
- June 16, 1975 Complete
Order of Service Sept 1966 - June 1968
Programs for Sunday Morning Services
in the Worship Hall Chiefly Nov 1970 - June 1973
(End of top drawer)
Workshop 2
Why Preserve Media?
Overview
The purpose of this
workshop was to describe how you maintain, store, and preserve the media used to
document the life and times of your church. Participants were encouraged to
share their own experiences in media preservation. A PowerPoint slide show, an
oral presentation, and dialogue among participants and the workshop leader were
utilized.
Supplemental Material
When I first became
involved with the History Committee I was handed a plastic bag containing an
example of what I might expect to find in the files relating to visual imagery.
The bag contained several boxes of slides along with print photos, and one roll
of micro-film marked Roll II.
Eager to get started, I
began with scanning the slides, a process that I was familiar with. The roll of
micro-film was left for a later time. Once I had exhausted the first batch of
slides I decided to take a look at the micro-film by unrolling the leader and
viewing it on a slide sorting tray. I learned that the film had been produced
in the mid 70s a time when materials were being
readied to turn over to Syracuse University. The list of materials listed on
the leader included scrap books dating from the early 50s. My curiosity aroused
I began thinking that if I was in possession of roll II there might be a roll
I, a thought that prompted me to return to the file drawers, and sure enough I
found Roll I.
Eagerly unrolling the
leader of roll I, I discovered to my delight and amazement that the roll
contained professionally produced photos of a scrapbook kept by Dudley Phelps covering
a period from September 1838 thru July 1873, a period that covered the entire
ministry of Samuel J. May. Following are a few sample pages copied from that
film.
Harsey
Leonard
Workshop 3
Paper Preservation Workshop
Assessing Paper
Condition
Much
of the paper made from the 1850s forward has been made from wood pulp and various
additives. Unfortunately, wood pulp contains lignin which is highly acidic, and
it tends to migrate out into the rest of the product over time creating acidic
paper. The result is a product that begins to lose its flexibility and become
brittle and eventually unusable.
·
Deterioration
causes - acid, adhesives, heat, humidity, light,
moisture, plastics, pollutants, pests, and rust (usually from paper clips or
staples)
o
Removing
paper clips and staples
o
Seldom
possible to remove adhesive materials
·
Acid
testing with pH Testing Pen (yellow/brown vs. purple colors) is an option, but
because they dry out quickly you also can assume that all material older than
15 or 20 years is acidic and not use this step if
don’t want to bother with the Testing Pens. If you do want to use them,
remember these points:
o
Use
your judgment on what to test
o
Spot
testing is the most likely scenario in terms of your time
Improving/Protecting
Paper
·
Neutralizing
acidic paper with Bookkeeper Deacidification aerosol
spray or Bookkeeper Deacidification pump bottle spray
– this latter option is the “greener” choice and the bottles can be purchased
in bulk and provide a better yield (see information in your resource booklet on
supply costs.
·
You
should be cautioned that the Bookkeeper material contains Magnesium Oxide, so
use gloves and newspaper backing to protect tables or other furniture as you
are spraying.
·
Here
are the steps for using the deacidification spray:
o
Lightly
spray on both sides and dry by placing on acid free paper (don’t dry it by
placing it on newspaper) – one lights spray typically neutralizes the paper
o
Spot
retesting with pH pen can be used if you desire
·
Use
covered paper clips for reattaching sets, but use acid free paper in between
each sheet as protectors – another option would be to place each sheet in
individual acid free folders but that may not be practical given your time,
space, and cost limitations
·
If
absolutely necessary, use acid-free attach tape (something like archival Filmoplast P document repair tape or an equivalent that is
noted as acid-free for rips or other problems
·
For
delicate, fragile, or ancient paper, also separate with acid free paper
dividers
·
Place
most items in an acid free folder (use your judgment on how many items per
folder)
Working
with Newspaper Articles
Unfortunately, newspapers are made of highly acidic newsprint, a
low-cost, low-quality, and non-archival paper product. It deteriorates much
more quickly than other paper, typically yellowing and/or crumbling with age.
There are several options for its protection:
·
Option one: Deacidify with the spray
only if it is not brittle and not older than 15 or 20 years as deacidification spray can darken newsprint and it won’t
improve brittleness – do take care in not making it too moist (handling old
newspaper material typically is difficult)
·
Option two: Photocopy the article onto acid-free paper (note that
most photocopy/printer paper these days
is alkaline, but be sure you know that it is acid-free
·
Option three: Digitization (digital photographs or optical
scanning) may be the best choice for key items, but you need the expertise,
equipment, and database storage for the resulting digital images
·
For options one and two, store the finished product in acid free
folders and interleave with the acid-free paper
Working with
Photos
The same rules which apply for long-term storage of paper
documents generally apply to photos, except the deacidification
spray should never be used.
·
Use polypropylene or mylar sleeves for
smaller photos
·
Use a polypropylene or mylar roll for
larger photos, cut to size, and seal with archival quality (3M 568) attach tape,
such as a double-sided tape if available – remember to leave about a ¼ inch
between the tape and the item being sealed
·
Photos
also can be stored in individual acid-free folders if the polypropylene or mylar is not available
Identifying and
Recording Information
·
Use
acid-free strip pressure labels on folder labeling strips
·
Use
a simple and logical numbering system by ministerial era, organization,
activity, etc. for identifying the folders
·
Be
as descriptive as possible or necessary
o
Record
the information for inventorying purposes
o
Remember
that what you record becomes a finding aid for others
o
You
may wish to record information in a database
·
Hand
printing the descriptive information on each label makes the most sense, but
remember to be LEGIBLE
Miscellaneous
·
Develop
a good overall inventory and description for a database and as finding aid
information
·
Develop
a procedure for compiling/sorting/identifying sermons, newsletters, etc.
·
Develop
a protocol for deciding what to keep, what to discard, and what needs to
automatically be sent to the History Committee by church volunteers leaders and
paid staff
·
Develop
a long-term strategy on electronic preservation
Is Laminating
Old Paper a Good Idea?
When
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW visited Hot Springs, Arkansas, a man named Scott stopped by
with a framed letter dated March 5, 1847. A woman in Dover, Arkansas, had
written it to her husband while he was a soldier in the Mexican-American War.
The letter had faded and turned brown, as might be expected of any
well-preserved paper over 150 years old, except for one obvious exception: it
was laminated in plastic.
This
fact raised the question: Is lamination a safe and effective way to protect old
paper documents, such as letters, prints and maps, from deterioration? To
answer the question, we spoke with Roy Perkinson,
head of paper conservation in the Paper Conservation Laboratory at Boston's
Museum of Fine Arts.
Perkinson, who has been
fighting the decay of paper for 35 years, explained that lamination was
fashionable as a preservation method throughout the 1960s and 1970s. It was
seen as a way of providing an impenetrable seal around paper, protecting it
from marauders such as mold and bugs, the acids in air pollution, and the dirt
and grease that often travel on human fingers. Those who tried lamination,
though, quickly discovered its deficiencies. Many of the plastics that were
used — and which are still sold on the consumer market — are not inert, meaning
that they will react with the paper they're meant to preserve, thereby damaging
it.
Chris
Lane, a ROADSHOW appraiser and co-owner of the Philadelphia Print Shop, argues
that lamination breaks one of the cardinal rules of paper preservation.
"Nothing should be done with old paper that is not easily
reversible," Chris says. "That's the bottom line for any kind of
conservation or restoration of old paper." Instead, Chris slides fragile
maps and prints into plastic envelopes. "It's called encapsulation, and
it's gotten more and more popular. The other thing that's nice is that it kind
of clings to the paper and gives it added strength so you can handle it and
bend it and turn it over. There's an even pull on the paper. It's really
protected."
The
Library of Congress pioneered the use of plastic envelopes, which is a solution
Perkinson likes. "Today the good news is that
there are supply houses that actually sell Mylar envelopes for the protection
of archival documents," he says. Mylar is the brand name of a plastic that
is inert — unlike most of the harmful plastic sleeves typically sold at
drugstores.
But
what of using lamination for an old letter that literally crumbles apart when
it's handled? Once again, Perkinson is reluctant to
laminate such old documents. For such degraded documents the long-accepted
prescription, which dates back well into the 19th century, is called silking. It consists of pressing a fine layer of
transparent silk over a document to give it strength. But it has gone out of
fashion gradually over the past few decades because it too poses problems.
"A colleague of mine at the Library of Congress showed me a volume of
George Washington letters that had been silked many
decades ago and they were working to get the silking
off," Perkinson says. "The paper had stains
from the silk or the metallic plates used."
When
he is asked to conserve seriously deteriorating paper, Perkinson
will place strips of Japanese tissue paper behind the paper's cracks and tears
to hold it together. And if a document is literally crumbling, he places an
entire sheet of the Japanese tissue behind it.
Perkinson often finds
himself countering the common assumption that old documents and prints need
extreme measures of any sort, much less plastic lamination, to preserve them.
"There are fine documents made of fine rag fiber paper, made from cotton
or linen fibers, that were commonly used back to the late Middle Ages, that
hold up very well," he says. "Machine wood pulp paper made since the
1860s deteriorates much faster than the older paper."
Apart
from the innate desire to take care of them, the other reason to tread lightly
on your family's historic documents is to preserve their value on the market
should you decide to sell them. Lamination damages value. "Knowledgeable
collectors would be astonished if an important 18th-century document ended up
being turned into a place mat," Perkinson says.
The
conservator's parting advice to those who have old paper is to always seek out
an expert. "It's a little bit like figuring out what medicine to take when
you're not feeling well," says Perkinson.
"You should go to someone who might be able to give some advice and
guidance."
The
following resources may be helpful for more information on preserving your old
paper documents, prints, or maps:
Northeast
Document Conservation Center
Andover, Massachusetts
phone (978) 470-1010
Long, J. S.,
& Long, R. W. (2000). Caring for your family treasures. By Jane
S. and Richard W. Long. New York: Harry N. Abrams.
Typical Paper/Photo Preservation
Supply Needs
Gaylord Brothers1
Acid-free bond paper
Acid-free file folders
Archival record storage
cartons and covers
Book jacket cover attach
tape (acid-free) or archival Filmoplast P document
repair tape
Bookkeeper Deacidification Aerosol Spray Can
Gloves (to protect hands
while spraying and to protect paper when handling)
Ph Testing Pen
Pigma Fade Resistant (acid-free) Marker Pen
Plastic covered paper
clips
Polypropylene or Mylar
photo sleeves (varying sizes)
Polypropylene or Mylar
rolls of plastic (clear) for covering larger photos
Scissors
Staple puller
Conservation Resources
International2
This is a source to obtain
pump spray bottles and large size (38 oz. refill bottles) bottles for
Bookkeeper deacidification material
A Note
Archival supplies are not
inexpensive, but it is important to make sure you have acid-free and archival
conservation quality products. Bookkeeper deacidification
aerosol or pump spray is very expensive, so common sense must be used in
determining what paper products must be treated versus what would be
nice to be treated, but may not be as critical as other products.
________________________
1 There are
various archival supply sources. We have found Gaylord to be reasonable, fast
in their delivery, and willing to work with churches in terms of their tax free
status and in giving discounts. Gaylord Brothers, PO Box
4901, Syracuse, NY 13221-4901. Phone number for ordering and obtaining a
catalogue: 1-800-448-6160. Their customer service numbers is 1-800-634-6307.
2 Conservation
Resources International, 1-800-634-6932. Online at www.conservationresources.com/.
They will work with churches in terms of their tax free status.
Workshop 4
Suggestions for an Interviewing Project at Your Church
Purpose
·
To
preserve oral histories and personal memories of the church
·
To
obtain personal insights and perspectives on what has taken place in the life
of the church
·
To
help in obtaining an overall picture of various church-related events,
experiences, and activities
Identifying
Individuals to Be Interviewed
·
Identify
long-time members and friends and approach them about being interviewed for
this project. (Although they may be surprised that anyone is interested in
their memories, we have found that they enjoy the process.)
·
Ask
these individuals, as well as church leaders, for other suggestions (e.g.,
people who may be shut-in or may no longer be attending)
·
Prioritize
the list, with those who are elderly or ill to be interviewed first
·
Once
the high-priority people have been recorded, open it up to the entire congregation.
Different people will remember different things (or will remember them
differently), and people may come forward whom you were not aware of or had
forgotten.
Interview
Questions
·
Develop
a list of questions to serve as guidelines
for the recording sessions so that there will be some consistency across
interviewers and interviewees.
·
We
ask questions about the individual’s own history as a UU and early memories of
attending church or religious education, as well as memories of important
events in the history of the church, such as constructing and moving to a new
church building (see our sample questions).
·
If
you are going to record someone who is hard-of-hearing or who processes
information slowly, give him/her the questions to look over while you are
getting the recorder ready. You can then guide the individual through the
questions.
·
Ask
each individual to sign permission or release form before being recorded. If a
person who is interviewed does not want his/her voice to be used or wants to place
some other restriction on the use of that recording, this information can be
specified on the form. Our form is included in this packet as an example.
The Equipment
and Recordings
·
Why
digital? We advise making digital audio
recordings (rather than audio or video cassette tapes) because they are
better for long-term preservation and storage. This is the current technology,
and digital recordings can quite easily and quickly be duplicated and stored in
several forms, e.g., on 2-3 computers, on multiple compact disks (CDs),
portable hard drives, etc. In addition, digital recordings do not degrade over
time as do audio and video cassette tapes.
·
If
you have the capability, there are instances when digital video recordings may be preferable to audio recordings.
However, such equipment is generally more expensive, and video files take up
more computer storage space. In addition, a video camera is more intrusive and
may be more intimidating to some interviewees than a small audio recording
device.
·
If
you already have recordings made on tapes, we recommend that you have the
information transferred to CDs or DVDs or some type of digital storage. (If no
one in your congregation has the equipment and expertise to do this, it can be
done professionally.)
·
As
technology changes, someone (e.g., the church historian or some member of the
history committee) will need to make sure that all of the recordings are
transferred to whatever the new technology may be.
·
As
appropriate, consider transferring some of the recorded information to the
World Wide Web (e.g., a church web page, via a podcast, as archived documents,
etc.) so that it can be accessed for research or informational display
purposes. However, remember to seek signed approval from any interviewees (or a
family member if the interviewee is deceased) to have their information shared
in this manner.
Enlisting and
Training Interviewers
·
For
individuals who may not be used to manipulating cell phones, PDAs, or other
digital devices, digital recorders can be intimidating. In addition, the
buttons are small and have multiple functions.
·
For
these reasons, it is important to spend time reading the instructions, becoming
familiar with the recording device, and
practicing/role playing with friends or family members.
·
After
you are familiar with and have interviewed with a digital recorder we recommend
training potential interviewers, facilitating their practicing with you or
another person, and making sure they are comfortable interviewing others about
church history and personal recollections.
Selecting a
Location for the Interview
·
Some
people may find it most convenient to meet with you before or after church,
while others will prefer to be interviewed at home. The main requirement is that
the location is relatively quiet and comfortable and as free of outside
distractions, traffic noise, background noise, and foot traffic as possible.
·
It
works best if you sit fairly close to the person you are interviewing, with the
recorder between the two of you. The quality of the recording will be better if
it is placed on a soft surface, such as a padded chair or a folded towel. (The
recorder may be so sensitive that it picks up noise if you are holding or
handling it. In addition, the person being interviewed is more likely to feel
comfortable and to forget about the recorder if it is not being held.)
·
Sometimes
two people (e.g., a couple) want to be interviewed together, particularly if
one hears better or is more able than the other. This can work out very well,
as long as the two people are not talking at the same time.
Preservation of
Interviews
·
A
major purpose of conducting these interviews is to preserve oral histories and
personal memories of the church. Therefore, it is advisable to download each
file as soon as possible after the recording session so that it does not get
overlooked and to save each interview in multiple locations, for example, on
2-3 CDs, to be stored in different locations, and on at least one computer hard
drive.
·
After
ensuring that the information is stored in multiple locations, the file can
then be deleted from the recorder, freeing up memory for another interview.
References for
Future Study
·
Bill
Sumners. The
Way We Were: Documenting Church Life Through Oral History. 2004. The
Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives. Web site: http://www.sbhla.org/art_oralhistory.htm
·
Judith
Moyer. Step-by-Step Guide to Oral History.
1993, Revised, 1999. Web site: http://dohistory.org/on_your_own/toolkit/oralHistory.html
·
Irene
Boston. Oral History Interview Projects:
Guidelines & Recording Tips. 2007. IBTS. Web site: http://www.ibtranscription.fsnet.co.uk/guidoral.htm
Examples of
Interview Questions
Early
Years – Childhood, Family, Early Church Experiences
·
Please
begin by saying who you are and where and when you were born.
·
Tell
me about your family background. Where did your family come from?
·
Where
did you attend church when you were a child, if at all?
·
What
are your first memories of church life? Describe a typical Sunday at church
when you were young.
·
Did
you attend "Sunday school? If so, what was that like (e.g., activities/
projects)?
History
as a Unitarian/Universalist
·
Were
you brought up as a Unitarian or Universalist?
·
If
not, what brought you to the UU church?
·
What
brought you to this particular church?
·
How
old were you when you started coming to this church?
·
Who
was the minister at that time?
·
What
do you most remember about him/her?
Memorable
Ministers/Lay Leaders/Important Events
·
Tell
me about the other ministers and also lay leaders that you remember.
·
What
were some memorable events in the life of the church in your early years here:
Religious Education, social events, things related to a minister, particular
problems or challenges, social action activities, etc.?
·
Were
you here when the current church was built?
·
Please
tell me about that; what kinds of things stand out in your memory?
Involvement
in Church Activities and Organizations
·
What
leadership positions have you held in the church?
·
In
what sorts of church-related activities and organizations have you been
involved?
·
Why
are you a Unitarian-Universalist?
·
What
makes the UU religion different from others?
·
In
your experience, what have been the significant events – good and bad – in the
life and history of this church?
·
How
do you feel the church has changed in the years you have been here?
·
What
are your hopes for the future of this church?
SAMPLE OF
PERMISSION SHEET FOR AUDIO RECORDING
As a member, past member, or friend of
May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society, I hereby agree to be interviewed
and audio recorded by the History Committee as part of their effort to preserve
personal recollections of important events in the history of the church.
Further, I give permission for all or part of the interview, either in spoken
or written form, to be used by the History Committee for instructional or
informational purposes, for example, on the
church website, in written descriptions, or in historical displays.
Date: _____________________
Name
(printed):
______________________________________________________
Signature:
__________________________________________________________
Address:
____________________________________________________________
Phone
number: _____________________ e-mail: ____________________________
Alternatively,
you may use my information and voice as noted above, but I do not want my name
used in reporting/reproducing my interview:
Name
(printed):
______________________________________________________
Signature:
__________________________________________________________
**************************************************************************
Name
of Interviewer (printed): ____________________________________________
Signature
of Interviewer: _________________________________________________
Guidelines for
Making Audio Recordings for History Archives
[NOTE:
This is a set of guidelines we use at May Memorial Unitarian Universalist
Society. You will need to adapt it to your church setting and the type of
digital recorder you are using. Our main point is presenting these materials is
to encourage you to develop procedures, forms, and permission forms specific to
your church setting and utilize them in training people to do the interviewing,
so there is consistency in the way the interviewing is carried out and in the
kind of information that you gather through your oral history efforts.]
Thank you for
your interest in participating in this project with the MMUUS History Committee.
It is our hope to have many personal recollections of historical events of May
Memorial, as recounted by long-time members and friends. Our plan is to use
digital technology for the new recordings so that they can be easily stored on
computers and excerpted for our website. As more people become involved with
this project, it will be important to keep track of who has been interviewed.
So, for now, please keep Roger Hiemstra and Mary Louise Edwards informed so
that they can keep the master list of interviewees up to date.
Permission Form
Explain
the permission form to the person you are going to record, and make sure that
it is signed by you and by him/her. If the individual wants additional
restrictions placed on the use of the recording, s/he should specify that on
the form.
Interview
Questions
The
history committee has developed a set of questions to help structure the
interviews and to elicit certain types of information. These are just
guidelines; refer to them as needed, but don’t feel that you have to get
through all of the questions. If the person you are interviewing has a lot to
say about a particular issue or event, let him/her talk about that. It works
best to let the interviewee do most of the talking, with you asking questions
as needed and following up on things that are said. Think of yourself as a
human recorder. At the beginning of the session, give your name and the date,
and ask the interviewee to also give his/her name as a recording id.
Using the DS-2
Olympus Digital Voice Recorder
This
is a summary; the booklet that is in the bag with the recorder has much more
detail. (Page numbers in this summary refer to the booklet.)
The
recorder has five “folders,” A-E.
Press
the FOLDER button on the side of the recorder to choose a folder.
Each
time you use the recorder, it’s a good idea to use one folder for all your
files (i.e., recorded sessions).
The
display will show the name of the folder, as well as the current file number
and the total number of recorded files in that folder, for example, 04/06,
FOLDER C.
When
you press the RECORD button, a new file will automatically be started in the
same folder.
When
you return the recorder, leave a note with it telling who you recorded and the
location of the files pertaining to your interview.
Batteries – The recorder
takes 2 AAA batteries. Check the batteries before the session, and remove them
right after you finish the recording.
There
should be new batteries in the bag, if needed.
Settings – The settings
should be correct as they are; they don’t have to be changed.
The
VCVA feature should be left off.
Stereo
SP (2 hours) and Stereo High Quality or HQ (65 minutes) both give acceptable
recordings. The Stereo SP is preferable because it allows a longer interview.
Memory-
The
number of sessions that can be stored on the digital recorder varies with the
recording settings used, the length of the sessions, etc. To be on the safe
side, we want to download them often and erase the files. If the recorder
beeps, that means that it is about to run out of memory and that it will stop.
In that case the recording session may have to be cut short.
Microphone
-
The
internal microphone should already be set on “conference” (rather than
“dictation”) in order to also record the voice of the interviewer (p. 22). Make
sure that the recorder is within a few feet of the person being interviewed and
is pointed toward him/her. Both of you should “speak up.” The recorder should
be placed on a soft surface, such as a padded chair. There is a small folded
towel for this purpose in the bag. Don’t hold the recorder in your hand while
recording, as that causes extraneous noise.
Recording
-
Before the
interview,
make sure that the batteries are fully charged and that the settings are
correct; push the HOLD button forward so that the settings will not
accidentally get changed as you are transporting the recorder.
When
you are ready to begin the interview, release the HOLD button on the side of
the recorder (by sliding it back toward you).
Press
the record (REC) button. If the red light comes on, you are recording.
To
pause briefly during the recording, press the REC button.
To
resume recording, press REC again.
Do
not press the STOP button in the middle of a recording. If that is done, the
recorder will automatically start a new folder when REC is again pressed.
Press
STOP to end the session.
To
hear what you have recorded, press REW to get the beginning of the file, then press start.
If
you press REC again, a new file will be started.
If the recorder beeps,
this is a warning that the memory is full, and the recorder will stop very
soon. (This is why it’s important to download the interviews to a computer so
that the files can be erased.)
When
you are through recording, either:
A: Remove the batteries and return the recorder
to the MMUUS office or directly to Roger Hiemstra or Mary Louise Edwards. Leave
a note with the recorder telling who you interviewed and the location of the
file (for example, Folder C, files 06 and 07, and 08). It would be a good idea to also let one of us know by phone or email.
OR
B: This choice requires that you have the DSS
Player software installed on your computer. (The CD needed to install the
software is in the bag with the recorder.)
-
Download
the audio file to your computer, and give it the name of the person you have
recorded.
-
Send
the audio file as an email attachment to Rog Hiemstra.
-
If
you have the capability, burn two CDs of the session, label them with the name
of the interviewee and the date, and leave them at MMUUS with the recorder for
the History Committee.
-
ERASE
the audio files from the recorder. (See the directions on pp. 31 & 32 of
the gray instruction book.)
If
you have your own digital recorder, use the suggested questions to
structure your interviews, and send your audio files to Rog Hiemstra and M.L.
Edwards with the name of the person interviewed, the date of the recording, and
any other pertinent information (such as specific topics covered in depth in
the interview). Please remember to have the permission form signed and to leave
it at MMUUS for the History Committee.
Afternoon
Presentation
Portraying Church History
Overview
The purpose of the
afternoon presentation was to talk about the media and public relations, portraying
history to others in various ways, using the Internet to portray history, the
importance of converting material to digital formats, and the value of
networking. This was done through a PowerPoint slide show, an oral
presentation, and dialogue among participants and resource people.
Miscellaneous
Material
Overview
The purpose of this final
section is to provide a variety of material, information, and resources related
to the various topics covered in the workshop. It is our hope that what is
contained in this website will be of value as you carry out your own church
history preservation and portrayal activities.
MMUUS History Committee
MAY MEMORIAL UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY
HISTORY COLLECTION POLICY AND GUIDELINES
October 17, 2007
—Work in Progress—
[NOTE: Much of the
information in these guidelines is specific to May Memorial and the committee’s
work with our History Collection. However, as it is a document that we have
been working with for a while and we believe in its value as a means for
guiding the development of a history collection, we wanted to share it in this
workshop as a possible template for others to use as they think through the
development of a similar document. May
Memorial UU History Committee]
Purpose
The purpose of collecting
historical material (paper, media, electronic forms, and artifacts) is to
document the life of May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society (MMUUS). This
includes the following:
·
Activities of
ministers, directors of religious education, and music directors
·
Activities of
elected and appointed church leaders
·
Information from
and about church members
·
Activities
pertaining to the church building and surrounding environment
·
Our role within
the community, district, and denomination
All such material of
enduring value, when no longer in current use by ministerial staff, church
leaders, and church members, shall be transferred to the church archives.
Procedures
Archive Collection
The MMUUS archival
collection consists of paper, media, and artifacts related to the purpose
statement. The bulk of these materials are in two locations. The first location
is at the Syracuse University Archives where material is stored as per a July
7, 1995 agreement (see /suagreement.pdf).
Selected papers, photographs, scrapbooks, and mementos pertaining to the
initial years of the church and ministerial eras from Rev. John Storer through
Rev. Glenn Canfield currently are there (see /suarchives.html).
The second location is
Room 8, lower level of our current building. The majority of this material is
in seven filing cabinets, with supplemental material in other containers near
these cabinets. Additional smaller amounts of material is located in the church
office, minister’s office, DRE’s office, choir loft, Memorial Room, loft above
the Social Hall, southwest storage room in the lower level hallway, RE supply
room, and various members’ homes. Most of this additional material is
undocumented and efforts are being made to move it to Room 8.
Finally, a small but
increasing amount of historical material is being digitized and stored on hard
disks, memory sticks, CDs, DVDs, and the World Wide Web. Efforts are being made
to continue this digitization effort for purposes of duplicating existing
historical information, providing a long term storage and preservation
alternative, and facilitating access. In addition, the History Committee needs
to be cognizant of constantly changing technology and be prepared to migrate any digital material to newer formats as they become
available.
History Committee
The MMUUS History
Committee consists of a chair, vice chair, recorder, and various members. A
treasurer may be selected if appropriate.
The chair is selected by
committee members and, if agreeing to serve, approved by the Board of Trustees
during July or August of each year. Co-chairs, if appropriate, may be chosen. A
chair (or co-chair) will serve no more than four years in a row and at least
two years must lapse before a prior chair (or co-chair) can again assume the
position. The purpose in periodically rotating the chair position is to infuse
new ideas and constantly grow new leaders committed to maintaining the history
collection and preservation activities.
The vice
chair, chosen from among committee members, substitutes for the chair as
necessary and appropriate. The
recorder, chosen from among committee members, provides minutes of committee
meetings. Committee meetings are held at least four times each year.
The committee’s
responsibilities include the following:
1.
Establish,
monitor, and revise, as appropriate, collection policies and procedures.
2.
Carry out ongoing
collection, preservation, and storage activities.
3.
Encourage
participation in history committee activities among church members.
4.
Continually
portray church history through periodic displays, WWW information, newsletter
articles, group presentation, and church service contributions.
The History Committee
chair is the focal point for historical collection, preservation activities,
and making the collection available to others. Specific duties include the
following:
1.
Ensuring the
physical and intellectual integrity of the historical collection.
2.
Carry out paper
and media preservation activities as appropriate and needed.
3.
Facilitating and
encouraging committee members and volunteers in carrying out the History
Committee’s work, including seeking funds as needed.
4.
Conducting
periodic committee meetings and evaluation efforts as appropriate.
5.
Representing the
History Committee at Program Council meetings.
6.
Facilitating the
development of appropriate informational material for the church newsletter,
web page, annual report, etc.
7.
Work with the Minister
and Director of Religious Education in promoting church history as appropriate.
Collection Policy
What Should Be Included
In the Archives?
1.
Primary papers,
sermons, reports, documents, electronic media, and correspondence of historical
relevance developed by the Minister, Director of Religious Education, Church
President, and Board of Trustees Secretary. Include hard copies of electronic
files and relevant emails as appropriate.
2.
Annual budget
information, financial statements, records of expenditures, relevant meeting
minutes, and other material of historic relevance, including hard copies of
electronic files and relevant emails as appropriate (church Treasurer’s
responsibility).
3.
Planning
documents program reports, meeting agenda, meeting minutes, and correspondence
of historical relevance developed by each church committee. Include hard copies
of electronic files and relevant emails as appropriate.
4.
Annual meeting
reports, orders of service, newsletters (hard copies), and other office-related
material of historical relevance, including hard copies of electronic files and
relevant emails as appropriate (office administrator’s responsibility).
5.
Other material
not covered above: Membership records, dedications, marriage and memorial
service records, records of church groups, photographs, newspaper clippings,
media recordings, and planning materials pertaining to building revisions. It
shall be the History Committee’s responsibility to arrange for these various
materials. In addition, arrangements will be made with those responsible for
the church web page to archive important web material.
6.
Oral histories as
gathered through interviews with church members and leaders. This information
should be gathered by digital oral and/or video recordings.
Note: A system for
addressing storage, preservation, and access of current operating records needs
to be developed and implemented.
What Should Be Sent to
Syracuse University?
Selected material
pertaining to each minister’s pastorate at MMUUS since Rev. Canfield should be
stored at the Syracuse University Archives as it is preserved and prepared. See
/suarchives.html for a model of the type of past
material sent to the university.
How Should the
Collection Be Organized?
Initially a simple
accession process should be used to identify what we already have through a
simple numbering system and a log sheet for each separate filing cabinet and
known separate container (box, bag, folder, etc.). Maintain the ordering system
currently in place. Numbers that correspond with the numbering system should be
placed on each item. When this system is completed, digitize the information to
facilitate identification, retrieval, and locating duplicate material. Create a
process for removal of any item, identifying its new or temporary location, and
for adding material to the current collection.
When is identified and
numbered, begin the process of reorganization, elimination of unneeded
duplicates, and renumbering. Two or more members of the History Committee
should participate in this reorganization effort. The ultimate goal is to
create a finder’s aid to facilitate research and retrieval. Eventually such
information will be added to a web page.
Maintaining the
Archives
An ongoing History
Committee should be maintained. In addition, funding appropriate for
preservation and maintenance should be available through the annual church budget,
fund-raising efforts, and outside grants. It may be necessary to develop a
sub-group within the History Committee whose responsibility is securing
adequate funding.
A system needs to be
developed for acquiring new material at the end of each church year. This will
mean working with the various individuals mentioned above regarding what should
be included in the archives.
HISTORY
COMMITTEE
April
1, 2006
[The
Description of the History Committee’s Structure and Responsibility
Used
in the Church’s Operating Manual]
Purpose: The History
Committee works to oversee the identification, gathering, preservation, and
protection of information, material, and artifacts pertinent to the history of
May Memorial.
Committee
Structure:
The structure and operation of the committee shall be governed by the
following:
1.
The
History Committee shall consist of five to seven people, all of whom are MMUUS
members in good standing or who have made an annual pledge of record.
2.
The
church archivist will be considered an additional member of the committee and
serve as its chair for organizational and reporting purposes.
3.
Each
committee member will serve a minimum of two years, unless an early resignation
is requested, and may serve an unlimited number of years after that time period.
4.
Robert’s Rules
of Order
will be followed in the conduct of committee meetings. For voting purposes, a
quorum will consist of at least four people.
5.
A
vice chair and recorder will be elected by majority vote, with the length of
term open-ended based on personal preference.
General
Responsibilities:
The responsibilities of the History Committee and church archivist shall
include the following:
1.
Develop
a record management policy for systematically gathering information related to
the “ongoing” history of MMUUS.
a.
Develop
and maintain a written record management policy, preservation plan, mission
statement, long term strategy, and corresponding implementation guidelines.
b.
Determine
the various locations where church archival materials are stored.
c.
To
the extent possible, consolidate such material into one location.
d.
Determine
the location of past photographs, slides, and other visual material related to
church activities, leadership, ministers, and parishioners.
e.
To
the extent possible, identify the names of all people shown in such visual
material.
f.
Create
a corresponding organizational system of information pertaining to the above
points.
g.
Create
an index or catalog that details what the church has
of historical value and where it is located.
h.
Implement
appropriate procedures pertaining to the above points.
2.
Gather
new archival and historical information about May Memorial from approximately
1990 forward, as well as seeking prior information not already contained within
our archival collections.
a.
Seek
historical information from current and past church members.
b.
Find
or photocopy newspaper clippings and other similar information pertaining to
church activities and individuals utilizing the Syracuse University “Newspaper
Archive Elite” database, as well as from other sources.
c.
Create
scrap books or other means for storing and displaying such information.
3.
Select
and prepare those informational resources, records, and artifacts appropriate
for submission to the Syracuse University Archives pertaining to the following
ministerial eras:
·
Rev. Dr. Robert Lee Zoerheide
·
Rev. John Channing Fuller
·
Rev. Dr. Nicholas C. Cardell, Jr.
·
Rev. Dr. Elizabeth May Strong
·
Rev.
Scott E. Taylor
·
The
many interim and associate ministers during our history.
a.
Submit
such material to the university in a timely fashion.
b.
Seek
outside funding to continue the preservation and submission of materials in an
ongoing manner.
4.
Preserve
archival material remaining at May Memorial in accordance with recommended
archival preservation procedures.
a.
Acquire
appropriate storage facilities and resources, including monitoring the storage
space for fire control, climatic conditions, and damage recovery needs
b.
Carry
out necessary preservation activities.
c.
Record
appropriate identification information in a database and create necessary
labels for individual items.
d.
Sort
information by various domains determined to be appropriate for MMUUS.
e.
Initiate
long term preservation activities as appropriate, such as optical scanning,
digital photography, and Web page and other storage techniques.
5.
Disseminate
information about and encourage the use of May Memorial archives and other
historical material.
a.
Share
information about History Committee activities and decisions with the BOT.
b.
Provide
information about our archives to the congregation through occasional history
displays and newsletter articles.
c.
Encourage
MMUUS members and friends to write about aspects of church history for the Web
page, newsletter, newspapers, people interested in joining the church,
professional journals, etc.
d.
Disseminate
information to churches, seminaries, universities, and other organizations
about the MMUUS historical material and their relevance for enhancing Unitarian
Universalism via subsequent research (theses, dissertations, publications,
etc.).
6.
Create
and maintain a church web page link related to our historical information.
a.
Incorporate
finding aids and information summaries pertaining to the historical information
at Syracuse University and MMUUS into a new link on the church Web page.
b.
Include
various research suggestions pertaining to such historical material.
7.
Enhance
our institution’s Samuel J. May heritage.
a.
Restore,
mount, and maintain the Samuel J. May memorial marble tablet as a part of the May
Memorial church property.
b.
Identify
and add additional material and information related to Reverend May to the May
Memorial Web page.
c.
Encourage
members and friends of MMUUS to write and/or speak about our Samuel J. May
heritage as a means of enhancing an appreciation of the church and its rich
heritage pertaining to Unitarian Universalism.
8.
Gather
information about May Memorial from current and past church members.
a.
Interview
such individuals regarding their knowledge of church history and record this
information.
b.
Digitize
the information obtained, create printed documents for storage, add summaries
to the new history Web page link, and develop appropriate “stories” for use by
church members, church leaders, and RE teachers.
c.
Seek
from such people photographs, newspaper articles, reports, church activity
mementos, and other memorabilia of historical relevance.
History Committee’s Activities and Plans – 2007
[A Document Developed by
the History Committee to Guide Their 2007 Activities]
Committee Members: George
Adams, June Card, Alexa Carter, Mary Louise Edwards, Roger Hiemstra (chair),
Harsey Leonard, and Verah Johnson – Note:
We are always looking for additional committee members and for volunteers to
help us with many of the activities noted below.
Many activities have taken
place since the current history committee was formed in 2006. An ongoing
portrayal of many related activities can be found at (a) /archives2005-2006.html and at (b) /archives2007.html. Some highlights are shown
below:
1. New York State Convention of
Universalists (NYSCU) Grants - Two one-year
NYSCU proposals for funding to assist with our preservation activities were
approved, one in 2006 and one in 2007. These grants have enabled us to better
preserve material stored at MMUUS and carry out other activities noted
elsewhere.
2. Preservations Activities – We have many historical materials stored in Room 8 of
the basement. We are carrying out related inventorying, organizational, paper
preservation, media preservation, oral history, and digitization actions.
3. Web Page Efforts – A web page on Sam May (/sjmay.html)
has been completed, as well as many other related web material already on the
church web page or on an alternative web page (/ministers.html
and /church-buildings.html. For example,
an unpublished biography on Sam May is slowly being digitized and added to the
web (we need volunteer typists). See /galpin-may.html.
4. Improving Awareness – We have carried out a number of activities to enhance
awareness of MMUUS’ interesting history, such as a regular newsletter column,
periodic Social Hall displays, the repairing and mounting the Sam May marble
tablet on our outside SW wall (/repairedtablet.pdf),
the past ministers’ photos in the Memorial Room, etc. (/dedicationprogram.pdf), and occasional
presentations within the St. Lawrence District regarding MMUUS’ history.
5. Several future activities are planned
or underway –
·
Continued preservation and web page development
efforts - Volunteers are always
welcome to assist with these efforts.
·
Permanent
history display case - A lockable, enclosed display case will be mounted so
periodic displays of historical material
and memorabilia can be shown.
·
Preservation
workshop - Members
of the History Committee will conduct two one-day workshops on preservation,
promotion, and display of historical material to interested church members and
leaders (at MMUUS on October 27 and the Schenectady UU church on November 10).
·
Digitizing historical material - We are scanning, digitally photographing, converting
audio tapes, slides, VHS tapes, etc. to digital material for long term storage
and/or the Web.
Contact Rog Hiemstra, Chair, History
Committee: 315.637.3527 or rogerhiemstra@gmail.com
for more information. Consider joining our History Committee and/or
volunteering for any of these activities. We can always use more help.
Spiral Bindings in
a Hard Cover – Page Three
Care of Books,
Documents, and Photographs – Page Four
Sources of Help and Advice
for Your Church or Synagogue Archives
Establishing and Initiating Digital
Preservations Activities in Your Church
References/Future Study Options
Converting Material to
Digital Formats
·
Converting audio
tapes to a digital format. Web site: http://www.macnn.com/reviews/ads-tech-instant-music.html
·
Converting
slides, film, etc. with a scanner. Web site: http://www.imaging-resource.com/SCAN/HPG3010/G3010.HTM
·
Converting video
tapes to a digital format. Web site: www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,1902901,00.asp
Interesting Church Web
Sites
·
Old Pine Street
Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia has a good site, including a podcast on
their history. Web site: http://www.oldpine.org/
·
The Smithfield
United Church of Christ (Pittsburgh) has an interesting way of showing stained
glass windows. Web site: http://www.smithfieldchurch.org/windowsreformers.htm
MMUUS Web Site Links
·
A booklet on the
dedication of the May Memorial Church, October 20, 1885. Web site: /maychurch.html
·
A brief tribute
to all of the May Memorial church buildings. Web site: /churchtribute.pdf
·
A brief tribute
to Samuel May. Web site: /maytribute.pdf
·
A memorial book
in tribute to Sam May published after his death. Web site: /inmemorialsjm.html
·
A portrayal of
the MMUUS church history through 1988. Web site: /stranger.html
·
A supplemental
handout for the above Service related to the history of the MMUUS buildings.
Web site: /buildinghistory.pdf
·
An unpublished
biography on the boyhood of Samuel Calthrop, our third minister, written by his
daughter, Edith Bump. 1939. Web site: /SamCalthropBoyhoodStory.html
·
Funeral
and memorial service proceedings for Samuel Joseph May.
·
Hanging the Sam
May Marble Tablet. Web site: /tablethanging.pdf
·
Headstones for
Samuel and Lucretia May. Web site: /may-headstone.html
·
Information on
the construction of our current building. Web site: /churchbuilding.pdf
·
Information on
the MMUUS archival collection’s research possibilities. Web site: /mmuusresearch.pdf
·
Marvelous History
Corner articles. Web site: /newsletters.html
·
Memories wall
dedication service, August 12, 2007. Web site. Web site: /dedicationprogram.pdf
·
MMUUS-Syracuse
University repository agreement. Web site: /suagreement.pdf
·
Recollections of
Samuel Calthrop written by one of his former students. Web site: /recollections.html
·
Sam May Marble
Tablet dedication service. Web site: http://www-distance.syr.edu/tablet.html/tablet.html
·
Samuel Calthrop
family headstones’ photos. Web site: /calthropfamily.html
·
Some of the
history material on our church web page. Web site: /history.html
·
The current
archives/historical preservation actitivies –
2005-2006. Web site: /archives2005-2006.html
·
The current
archives/historical preservation activities – 2007. Web site: /archives2007.html
·
The first 100
years of MMUUS: A Backward Glance O’er
Traveled Roads. Web site: /backwardglance.html
·
The order of
service for the above Sunday Service. Web site: /aug12oos.pdf
·
The rights and condition
of women. A sermon, preached in Syracuse, Nov., 1845, by Samuel J. May
(also known famously as Tract #1).
·
The Samuel Joseph
May web page. Web site: /sjmay.html
·
The stained glass
windows at the former May Memorial James Street church. Web site: /windows.html
·
The story of the
“Jerry Rescue,” that involved Samuel May. Web site: http://www.nyhistory.com/jerryrescue/
·
W. Freeman
Galpin. God’s Chore Boy (an
unpublished biography of Samuel May). 1947. Web site: /galpin-may.html
·
Walking Down Memory Lane – slides for an MMUUS Sunday Service,
August 12, 2007. Web site: /churchbuildings.pdf
Miscellaneous Material
·
Bill
Sumners. Church
Archives: Getting Started. 2004. Web Site:
http://www.sbhla.org/art_oralhistory.htm
·
Bill
Sumners. The
Way We Were: Documenting Church Life Through Oral History. 2004. The
Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives. Web site: http://www.sbhla.org/art_oralhistory.htm
·
Irene
Boston. Oral History Interview Projects:
Guidelines & Recording Tips. 2007. IBTS. Web site: http://www.ibtranscription.fsnet.co.uk/guidoral.htm
·
Judith
Moyer. Step-by-Step Guide to Oral History.
1993, Revised, 1999. Web site: http://dohistory.org/on_your_own/toolkit/oralHistory.html
·
Walter
Henry. Resources for Conservation
Professionals. 2007. Web site: http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/
Rog Hiemstra
November, 2008 (updated October, 2014)