What We're Saying

When the Rev. Dr. John McCarty kept a journal of his travels in the Missionary Territories of Oregon and Washington, he did us a great service.  For if John McCarty, and others like him, had not kept journals and diaries, written letters, made drawings or taken pictures documenting their time and place, we would simply not know what their lives were like. 

Vancouver, St. Luke.  Founded by the Rev. Dr. John McCarty

We would not know what they thought, what they believed, how they lived, how they worked, or what they took for granted as commonplace.  Such journals, diaries, letters and images are truly archival treasures and it is up to us to care for them and make them available for future generations.

Bishop John Adams Paddock's Alaska Journal. 1882

This is what I'd like people to think of when they think of archives.  I want them to think of the stories that are embodied in the documents - not the paper they're written on or the film the images are captured on - or in today's world - the electronic media where so many of our stories are stored.  The primary importance of these documents is not in the format but in the stories they tell.  The medium is only a small part of the message. 

Letter from Bishop William M. Barker. 1894

However, while the medium may be incidental to the story, it is not incidental to the archivist because in order to preserve the stories - we must preserve the medium through which the stories are transmitted. 

Church Tent at Westport-by-the-Sea. c. 1895.

As many of these treasures are located in our churches, it is vitally important that those charged with their care have the information they need to properly care for them.   With that in mind, my next series of posts will deal with basic preservation practices and will feature several church archives which are dealing with these issues.

I invite your questions and comments and if there is anything I can do to help you on your way to creating a church archives, just let me know.

Diocese of Olympia Archives

Diane Wells, CA
Archivist and Records Manager