Your congregation is unique! Whether it is young or old, large or small, the story of your church is different from any other. The story of your church is important not only because it is distinct from any other, but because it is part of God's story, His work among and through us. Your church is one of many Covenant churches, each having a special place in the whole denomination. Its story needs to be remembered and communicated to others, and to new generations.

The best way of remembering your church's past, preserving it for the present and the future, is through an archives. By organizing our church's records and documents, gratitude and appreciation are shown to those who have gone before us in the work of the church. In addition, an archives provides a record of congressional business, legal actions, and financial reports which is helpful for continued functioning and growth of the congregation.

Where to begin?
The responsibility for the church's archives is a very important one. Each congregation should appoint an archivist and/or archives committee from within the congregation to organize and care for the church archives. Most archival records are invaluable and irreplaceable, therefore those who care for them should be mature, dependable, and knowledgeable individuals.

In order to assist the local church archivist or archives committee in this significant task, the Commission on Covenant History wishes to suggest the following guidelines and methods.

Materials to be preserved
Essentials:
1. Registers of membership, baptism, marriage, confirmation, and burials.
2. Minutes of the congregation, church boards or council, committees and organizations.
3. Official correspondence concerning church matters.
4. Annual reports.
5. Treasurer's records and monthly reports. Cancelled checks and invoices may be destroyed after seven years, or an interval agreed upon.
6. Histories of the congregation.
7. Copies of all constitutions.
8. Legal documents: all titles, deeds, leases, contracts, mortgages, etc. Copies of mortgages should be used for mortgage burning ceremonies in place of the originals.
9. Diaries or journals of pastors and other individuals should be preserved.

Other things of importance
The following materials ought to be saved if possible to preserve more of the story of the congregation.
1. Church newspapers and newsletters.
2. Church publicity publications.
3. Sunday bulletins.
4. Programs of special events.
5. Records of special groups within the church (e.g. choirs, Kid's Klub, etc.).
6. Books: hymnals, Bibles, confirmation texts, old denominational books, etc.

Preservation
Environment

The ideal location of a church archives would be a fireproof, locked room that has a controlled climate. If possible the temperature should be about 65 degrees Fahrenheit, and the humidity should be in the range of 45% to 55%. This provides protection from theft or fire and gives the best environment for the preservation of documents and books.

If a fireproof room is not available, the essential records may be stored in a fireproof filing cabinet that can be locked. The cabinet itself should be placed in an area that will not be affected by heat or humidity fluctuations.

If neither of these is a possibility, place archival records in a location that is as fire-safe as possible in addition to meeting the other environmental factors (cool temperature, moderate humidity, and locked storage area).

Caution should be used with any small electrical appliances in close proximity to archival documents.

Light, especially sunlight, can cause fading and deterioration of papers. Excessive exposure to light should be avoided for all documents. When records are on display for certain occasions, such as a church anniversary, chose a display area that may be lighted when necessary for viewing and darkened for the balance of the time. You may want to limit the period for display in order to keep documents in good condition. In the interest of security, records should be exhibited in a locked viewing case.

Storage
Archival papers should be placed in acid-free file folders and then in acid-free boxes, for those not in a filing cabinet. Other types of paper boxes and file folders contain acid which speeds deterioration of the documents. Acid-free supplies are available from several distributors. The oldest in the business is:

The Hollinger Corporation
P.O. Box 8360
Fredricksburg, Virginia 22404-8360
Phone 1-800-634-0491

Another major advantage to using these reinforced document boxes is that they are small enough to allow easy access to the records and no heavy lifting is required in removing them from the shelves. These boxes are available with or without a pull string. Be sure to get the pull string which makes removal from the shelves much easier.

Each storage box should be labeled at one end with a catalog number. These numbers should be indexed according to subject matter and the contents of each box listed on a subject card. These cards can be placed in an index file box, each subject having its own category. A separate index box can hold cards listing the contents of each document box. A sample listing of archival materials and their catalog numbers is included at the end of this document.

The cataloging should be done in such a way as to allow for further additions to the archives as time goes on. Begin with the oldest papers and progress to the more recent ones. That is, the oldest material should be at the front of the box and the recent material at the back. The researcher usually wants to begin with the early documents.

Each box should also contain a table of contents showing what documents are inside and their proper order. This list should show the box number and the file folder number so as to facilitate returning the material to the right box if it should be left out.

Files should be stored in the order in which they were originally generated. That helps you find specific items, just as the secretary could find them when they were in the office. Records must be grouped according to the office or administrative unit that created them, and the arrangement imposed by the creators should be preserved in the church archives. Shelving for the document boxes should be made of noncombustible and noncorrosive materials (e.g. anodized aluminum, stainless steel, or steel with baked on enamel finish).

Scotch tape or masking tape should not be used to mend documents because the tape eventually leaves permanent marks on the paper. The glue from the tape may become fluid and gummy, seeping onto other records and damaging them as well. Fragile papers may be stored in Mylar (inert plastic) sleeves to prevent destruction through handling. Mylar sleeves are available from archival supply companies. Pencil only should be used on archival records.

All paper clips, pins, staples, and rubber bands should be removed from documents. The metal fasteners rust and stain the paper, and rubber bands generate sulfuric acid which damages paper. Stainless steel staples and paper clips are satisfactory as well as plastic paper clips. Pins should never be used. The most important records should be microfilmed and film copies may be sent to the Covenant Archives in Chicago.

Most universities have a department of photoduplication that will microfilm your important records. One full reel of 35-millimeter (the standard size) microfilm will hold about 2,000 pages of letter size material, or somewhat fewer newspaper pages. Usually the university will be willing to store negatives and make positive prints for your reader. The negatives are your property and the university will not make copies for anyone without your permission.

There are commercial microfilmers, but care must be exercised to make sure the quality of their work is good. They usually do not store negatives, so you will have to find a safe storage place away from your archives.

Records Management Policy
The archivist or archives committee should establish a Records Management Policy which sets standards as to when current records should become part of the church archives. Such a policy also decides when certain records (e.g., cancelled checks and invoices) may be removed from the archives for destruction. Most materials, however, will be kept permanently.

Because archival records are irreplaceable, they should not be removed from the church premises. Stored records must be inspected periodically for atmospheric or vermin damage. Consult your state historical society for recommended treatment if damage occurs.

Summary of precautions
1. Archival records are best stored in a fireproof or firesafe, locked location that has a temperature of about 65 degrees and relative humidity between 45% and 55%.
2. Correspondence and other documents should be placed in acid-free file folders and acid-free document boxes.
3. All paper clips, staples, pins, and rubber bands should be removed from archival material.
4. Avoid excessive light and sunlight exposure to archival records.
5. Do not use Scotch tape or masking tape to repair papers.
6. Microfilm essential records and offer copies to Covenant Archives in Chicago.
7. Inspect records occasionally for damage due to vermin or atmospheric conditions and take corrective action as needed.|
8. Use noncombustible and noncorrosive materials for shelving.

Photograph preservation and storage
Church photos should be preserved to complement the documents and records in the archives. Those of particular interest are: photos of the church building, the congregation, the pastors, special groups (confirmation classes, Sunday school groups, choirs, string bands, etc.) and significant services or gatherings.

All photos should be identified as to date, location and occasion, including names of people in the picture. If possible label pictures on the back, writing lightly in pencil. Do not press hard as this will result in permanent damage to the right side of the photo. Ballpoint ink or fountain pen ink can bleed through the photograph.

Photos should also be stored in a cool, relatively dry, locked room to prevent deterioration and theft. Light and sunlight quickly fade old photographs, so care should be taken when displaying them to minimize exposure. No Scotch tape or masking tape should be used to repair, mount, or label photos. Rubber cement and white glue are also harmful to photographs.

Photos may be stored in Mylar (inert plastic) sleeves. One end of the sleeve should be left open for ventilation. If paper folders are used to store photos, the paper should have a neutral or alkaline pH reading. Most acid-free file folders are imprinted with a pH reading of 8.5. Neutral is 7.0. A reading below 7 is acid and above is alkaline, which is desirable because it helps to neutralize the acid in the paper stored in the folder. Plastic envelopes should not be used for photographs that have flaking surfaces because static electricity generated by the plastic will exacerbate the problem, resulting in greater loss of the photo image.

Photos should not be placed in adhesive photo albums for the same reasons tape should not be used on pictures. Also, after a period of time, the photos are not removable from the pages. The paper in old style albums is highly acidic and pictures should not be kept in them. Snapshots may be mounted on acid free paper (e.g., file folder paper) using corner mounting pockets which are glued with waterbase paste to the mounting paper, not the photo. Larger photos may be kept in acid free folders or Mylar sleeves.

Negatives should be made of important photographs and stored elsewhere. Some older negatives are made of nitrates and are highly combustible, and must not be stored with photographs or archives. Copies can be made of these and the originals destroyed.

Fingerprints leave lasting marks on photos, resulting in irreversible damage. These marks can be prevented by wearing cotton gloves (available at camera stores) when handling photographs and negatives.

Photos should not be stored on wood shelves or in wooden boxes or filing cabinets. Raw wood is especially harmful to photos and certain wood finishes can initiate deteriorative chemical reactions in photographs. If wood must be used, seal it with several coats of polyurethane varnish. Before sealing wood, remove all photos from the area and allow sealed surface to air for several weeks before refiling the photos. Storage furniture or shelving is best constructed of noncombustible and noncorrosive materials such as anodized aluminum, stainless steel, or steel with baked-on enamel finish.

Summary of precautions for photographs
1. Avoid excessive light or sunlight exposure to prevent fading.
2. Store photos in a cool, relatively dry, secure location.
3. Identify and label photos in pencil without damaging them.
4. Avoid the use of Scotch tape, masking tape, rubber cement, white glue, rubber bands, paper clips, staples, and adhesive photo albums.
5. Make negatives of important photos and offer copies to the Covenant Archives in Chicago.
6. Store nitrate-base negatives and films away from archival documents because of fire danger. As soon as possible get them copied and destroy the originals. Nitrate-base films have probably not been used in the last forty to fifty years. Modern films and negatives are not a fire hazard.
7. Use cotton gloves when handling photos and negatives to prevent fingerprints.
8. Use acid-free paper or inert plastic sleeves to hold photos.
9. Use noncombustible and noncorrosive materials for shelves on which photos are to be stored.

Historical programs and memorabilia
In addition to preserving your church's past through an archives, the congregation may wish to initiate an Oral History Program. Oral history captures personal memories of church members through tape recorded interviews. Tape recordings of older or other significant members can give new insight into the church's history. All oral interviews should be transcribed into typewritten form.

To preserve the tape recording, keep the tape away from any strong magnetic forces. The tape should be played once or twice a year to prevent print-over. Tape recordings of special services should also be saved and transcribed.

Museum pieces such as church furniture, stained glass windows, baptismal fonts, communion sets, and other memorabilia should also be saved if possible.

Sample of archival organization

-Document written 1987; updated 2000.

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