Managing Mennonite Memory: Archives of the Mennonite Church, 1937- (Fourth in a Series)

by Dennis Stoesz

In this article I focus primarily on the archival stage of records by looking at how incoming materials are handled at the Archives of the Mennonite Church.

This year, forty-four out of eighty-five collections that came into the Archives were from organizations. In describing these collections I will note the patterns of records management that they represent. In the archives, these organizational records can be called "record groups" since each make up a distinctive group. In particular I will note anything in these sets of records which will help distinguish which are "inactive" and which can be considered "archival".

It has been this work with incoming collections that has led me to propose a more conscious approach to records management system for the church. This approach includes: a) working together with each of the organizations who deposit records at the archives, b) devising a way to work with “inactive” records, and c) cataloging the “archival” records, so the organizations and researchers can have easy access to the activity, faith and heritage found in these Organizational Archival Collections.

Inactive and Archival Records

Before writing about specific collections, I want to explore the nature of “inactive” and “archival” records. When I think of an archives, I naturally think of old papers that are at least fifty to a hundred years old. In working at the Archives of the Mennonite Church over the last ten years, however, I find that collections can date back as early as 1820 and as recent as 1999. In this age of computers and e-mail, I keep hearing of how electronic files are "archived" every month or at least every half-year after they were created. The past seems to be creeping ever closer to the present.

More often than not, organizational records deposited into the Archives date anywhere from three to 30 years of age. Personal papers on the other hand tend to be much older when they are given to the Archives. They tend to range from 20-80 years of age. The reason is that personal papers are usually kept by individuals until they are elderly. And it is often during this senior part of their life that they pass on relevant historical materials to the archives.

Because organizational records are so much younger, it is harder to give clear guidelines on when records are “inactive” or when they become “archival.” It is still useful, however, to use these distinctions. Inactive, or semi-active, records are those that are no longer needed for the daily, weekly or yearly operation of an organization. Archival records are those that are not needed by the organization at all, yet have a secondary, and much broader use in that they reflect the long-range activity and heritage of that organization.

Boards of the Mennonite Church

Thirteen of the collections that came into the Archives in 1999 were from Mennonite Church boards. The Mennonite Board of Education, 1905- deposited its 1986-89 central files. This three-year set of files (1986-89) became ten years old and were identified as “archival” in 1999. The Board also deposited its files of the Pastorate Project, 1986-95. Although not yet 10 years old, these files were no longer needed because the project had come to an end.

The Mennonite Board of Missions, 1906- deposited the 1970-80 files of its Home Missions department. Since 1982 this department has been known as Evangelism and Church Development. The Mennonite Board of Congregational Ministries, 1971- deposited records from several of its programs: 1980-90 files from Peace and Social Concerns; 1977-92 files from Stewardship; and 1982-94 from its Administration.

Included in all of these six shipments were itemized listings of all the files. Inclusive dates indicating the beginning date and end date of the materials in each file was also included on the file label. A brief administrative history of the department, and a list of staff who had worked in that department over the years, was included at the beginning of each file list. It is this "Inventory Listing" which then becomes the basis for cataloging each set of records, and for placing them in the appropriate sections within each organization's archival collection.

Mennonite Board of Education

It is also instructive to compare the first set of files (1986-89) deposited by the Board of Education with the five other sets of records. While all these files were considered "archival" and were 10 years old, the first set spanned a three-year time period while the others were ten years in length. This shows how a specific time period can aid organizations in identifying when its files become archival.

The Board of Education has worked hard over the past few years to set clear dates for “inactive” and “archival” files. Earlier the Board had worked with a large quantity of inactive records which dated over a 10-25 year time-period. This became overwhelming and unmanageable. This large section of inactive records was brought to a realistic size by deciding to work with these records in three-year blocks.

Today the 1997-2000 files are considered current, and are found in accessible filing cabinets. The 1994-97 files are identified as inactive, and are found in accessible filing cabinets in case this information is needed. The 1991-94 files are ready to be archived, and are stored in closets. And the 1989-91 files are archived, and are ready to be sent to the archives at the point when they span a three-year period, 1989-92.

Sandi Bromley, Administrative Assistant, and Ruth E. Schrock sort the files each year, and transfer a year’s-worth of files to the next appropriate section. In July 2000, the 1997-98 files will become inactive and will be transferred to that section. The 1994-95 will get transferred to the closet. And the 1991-92 files will join the 1989-91 batch to be archived.

Bromley will then type out the "Inventory Listing" for the archival files, 1989-92. A copy of this list will be kept in the office so the staff knows what records are at the Archives. Another copy will be sent with the files to the Archives. When these archival records are cataloged, this three-year list of files, 1989-92, will join the other listings of archival records that exist for this Board from 1905-1989. These combined listings become the main access point for researchers to search through the 87 years of archival records on the Mennonite Board of Education.

This is an excellent example of how the categories of current, inactive and archival records helps manage records well.

Five Other Boards and Committees

A greater variety of records can be seen in the collections deposited in 1999 by five other boards and committees of the Mennonite Church. Two individuals brought in photographs of the 1929 and the 1939 general conferences. These were placed in the Mennonite General Conference, 1898-1971, Photograph Collection. Today that organization is known as Mennonite Church USA Executive Board, 1999- ; earlier it was known as Mennonite Church General Board and General Assembly, 1971-1999.

Photographs on the activities at the Archives from 1990-99 were placed in the Historical Committee of the Mennonite Church, 1911- , Collection. The John Horsch History Essay Contest Papers from 1994-96 were also added to that collection. Mary K. Oyer brought in her 1988-89 files on the Hymnal and Hymnal Sampler Project, 1982-1992. These were placed in the Mennonite Church, Music Committee section, which documents the many hymnals the church has published through the years.

The 1983 postage stamp with the ship Concord, and which commemorates the 300th anniversary of German Immigration to the United States, was placed in the Mennonite Publication Board, 1908- Collection. This board published a special church bulletin during 1983 that focussed on this stamp and the anniversary, 1683-1983. And finally, the official dockets, 1997-1998, of the Board of Directors for Mennonite Mutual Aid, 1945- were deposited in that collection.

These last seven sets of archival records look much different from the first six I mentioned. They date as early as 1929 and as late as 1998, instead of from 1977-95. They were not deposited in regular three-year or ten-year blocks, which demonstrates a less organized management of records.

Conferences

Three of the collections that came in 1999 were deposited by two conferences. Staff from the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference, 1854- cleaned out some inactive files from 1988-92. Included were some older handwritten minutes from the annual conferences, 1969-90. Later in the year the conference deposited its 1993-94 official records. Five years of files are kept in the office, 1994-1999, and each year the oldest year's-worth of materials are taken out of the files and transferred to the Archives. This usually takes place around the annual summer conference.

Some older mission records that belonged to Andrew Levi Glick of the North Central Conference of the Mennonite Church, 1920- came to the Archives from Ervie Glick of Harrisonburg, Virginia. This correspondence,1952-59, reflected Glick’s work as president of this North Central District Mission Board. Included with the material were also the “Certificates of Transfer” of church membership, for the years 1946-48.

Again this shows some variation in the management of records. A larger conference office staff should sort through their files annually. Records from a smaller organization are often maintained by a single individual, who may hang on to them for a longer time before transferring them to an archives.

Mennonite Organizations

Eight “record groups” that came into the Archives in 1999 were from a variety of Mennonite organizations. The Mennonite Nurses Association, IN, 1942- deposited its financial records of 1994-96. That included bank statements, bank books, expense reports, membership records and correspondence. The Mennonite Association of Retired Persons, IN, 1989- deposited its official correspondence files from 1989-98. Included here were also the minutes and correspondence from the earlier organization known as the Inter-Mennonite Council of Aging, 1981-87. In this case the director of the organization was retiring, and so it was an appropriate time to transfer its records to the Archives.

The Mennonite Health Services, IN, 1947- deposited a variety of older files which they found after the office was transferred from Pennsylvania to Indiana. It included two sets of project files, 1989-92, and 1992-94, cassette tapes from 1971-97, a video tape from 1988, and photographs from the 1980s-90s. The Mennonite Health Assembly, 1952- deposited some more of its official minutes, newsletters and plaques dating from 1952-94. Included were some photographs, 1981-93 and 1996-98, as well as older booklets, 1947-65. This organization had maintained its own archives for many years, but began transferring materials to the Archives in the early 1990s. In 1999, they finished transferring materials dating up through 1994.

A former executive secretary deposited records which reflected his 1982-91 involvement in Mennonite Renewal Services, 1975- . The secretary of the Mennonite Aid Association of Indiana and Michigan, 1911- deposited his two-year’s-worth of correspondence and reports, 1996-98. It included information on the organization known as the Anabaptist and Brethren Agency, Inc. A duplicate set of these “Aid Association” documents was also deposited at the Bluffton College Archives, Ohio, which has maintained a Mutual Aid Archives for many years.

The Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, 1943- deposited its program files from 1986-97. Included were photographs ranging from the 1940s to the 1990s which had been used in its 50th anniversary history book. And finally, Precision Audio, 1967- deposited the audio cassette tapes that it had recorded for a variety of Mennonite conferences held between 1988-97: MEDA convention, Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference, Ministry of Reconciliation, Breaking Silence, Bringing Hope, Mennonite Health Assembly, and the Conservative Mennonite Conference.

 

What can one say about the pattern of records management represented by these eight collections? One conclusion is that all these organizations consider their “current” records as anything from one to five years old. So “inactive” and “archival” records can be identified as anything older than one to five years. That seems to provide quite a loose definition and gives quite a latitude to what is considered “old”. This, however, seems to hold true for the collections from the conferences and the congregations cited above.

Another conclusion is that organizations seemed to be less structured in their scheduling of records than the boards of the Mennonite Church records. Most of these records are transferred during transition—office relocation, change of director, or a shift of direction within the organization. Here the same difficulty arises in distinguishing “inactive” from“ archival” records as shown previously.

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), 1920-

This large organization which serves the broader Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in North America manages its files through a regular scheduling of records: the latest three years of materials are considered “current”, the previous seven years are considered “semi-active”, and anything that is older than ten years is “archival.” In keeping with this schedule, MCC deposited its official 1987 and 1988 correspondence and report files to the Archives in 1999. This material is found on thirty 16mm microfilm reels. Microfilming its records has been one way MCC has worked at saving costs on storage space.

Several other sets of MCC records were also deposited in 1999. They included workbooks, minutes, personnel listings and news releases from 1986-94. This series of records is on a shorter year schedule, where they are identified as archival after they are five years old.

The history and development of MCC’s records management system deserves a longer and separate treatment, which will come in a future issue.

International Voluntary Service (IVS), 1953-

This organization, based in Washington, D.C, began in 1953 as a non-sectarian, non-partisan agency. In 1997 IVS designated the Archives of the Mennonite Church as its official repository. One of the reasons for this was that a parallel organization, Mennonite Central Committee, had its archival collection located at the archives. That year IVS sent photographs, 1959-93, and program files, 1989-96.

In 1999 IVS’s volunteer, Roderick MacRae, added to this collection by depositing his won records in the Archives. It included field records from Laos, 1963-66, and Washington, D.C., 1966-68. It also included materials MacRae collected on IVS’s involvement in Cambodia and Vietnam during the 1960s. The rest of the papers reflected MacRae’s ongoing collecting of annual reports, newsletters, and information sent out by IVS from 1968 to 1996. These records ranging from 1962 to 1996 will make a valuable addition to the IVS collection.

This example illustrates the important contribution that individuals can make toward keeping materials from an organization in which they served. Although these papers could be placed in a personal collection, since they reflect MacRae’s own involvement, I felt the range and breadth of the records would warrant placing them in the official organization’s collection. MacRae’s field records will be clearly identified in the collection as being generated and collected by him.

 

Archival Values

In addition to those noted above, 12 collections came in from Congregations, and eight collections came from Goshen College, 1894- . Space in this article does not allow me to provide a description of these record groups.”

I want to conclude by writing specifically about what makes records “archival.” There are six values which determine whether a given set of records are “archival.” Those values are a) administrative, b) fiscal, c) legal, d) intrinsic, e) evidential, f) and/or informational. If a set of files has some or all of these values, it would justify the long-term preservation of these records. This definition comes from the Glossary for Archivists, Manuscript Curators, and Records Managers, Society of American Archivists, 1992.

A similar definition of archival values is given in the document entitled Guidelines for Retention and Disposition of Records ... for Mennonite Church Boards and Agencies, 1989. It notes “the determination of how long records should be retained will be based on a number of factors. Records may be important for legal reasons, for historical and research purposes, and/or for the ongoing administrative and financial functions of the organization. These must all be reviewed in making judgments on retention and disposition of records.”

My hope is that we can put meaning behind this definition by developing records schedules that are useful for all of us in managing each of our organization’s records through their entire life cycle, from current to inactive / semi-active to archival.

 

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Denis Stoesz has served as archivist since 1989.

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Mennonite Historical Bulletin, October 1999