Past reports of the Commission on Archives and History show that for years the Commission has urged local churches to send copies of records to the archives for proper preservation. The hurricanes of 2005 bring to mind how quickly a disaster can happen and precious material can be lost. Since disaster in the form of flood, fire, tornado, etc. can strike at any location in the state without warning, it would be good to preserve copies of the documents, records, and photographs of every church in a secure location. Even discounting disaster, each passing year sees more of our church’s heritage disappear as documents, records, and photographs are lost, misplaced, or destroyed

Every local church should have a records retention schedule (see the A&H 1991 annual report). An example of one [PDF] can be found at the GCAH website. This will guide the local church in what should be kept and for how long. But if a tragedy occurs, these materials may be lost. Local churches are therefore urged to make copies and send those copies to a proper archival facility. According to the 1991 report, local churches should send their records to the Archives every 4 years to be photocopied. While Dillard serves as a repository, the conference Archives is located at Centenary College in Shreveport.

A simple method of making copies would be to make photocopies. If a church does not have their own photocopy machine, they may ask to borrow one in a nearby larger church that has one. It may even be possible to bring them to the local library to photocopy. The cost for the copies is minimal compared to what might be lost if the originals were destroyed.

A better method of copying would be to create digitized copies. These can be burned to a CD or DVD, which are more space-efficient and impervious to the elements. Information to help you in digitizing material can be found at How to Digitize Your Church Documents, Records, and Photographs.