In one of his letters Saint Vincent said: “ In the future, please keep the letters written to you and to the members of your house, no matter from whom they may come, whenever they contain any noteworthy details that may be important or may be instructive for the future.” (Saint Vincent, letter no. 3220, Coste [English edition], volume VIII, p.467).HANDBOOK FOR PROVINCIAL ARCHIVISTS
IN THE CONGREGATION OF THE MISSION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapters
I. The Archivist and the Archives
II. Classification System
III. Access and Service
IV. Frequently asked Questions
1. How to Weed out the Files?
2. How to use Modern Technology: DVD, CD, etc?
3. How do I Keep up to Date?
4. When do I File my Documents?
5. How to deal with Researchers?
6. How to Accommodate Modern Topics?
7. How to deal with Multiplicity of Languages?
8. How do I Prepare my Successor Archivist?
9. What new Equipment to Buy?
Appendices
1. Sample Archives Policy
2. Application to Use the Archives
3. Starting an Archives: the First Steps
4. Proposed Classification System
Resources: Web sites and Resources
The Congregation of the Mission is fortunate to have this tradition which encouraged the historians to conserve many documents and to write excellent histories of our past. But there are many lacunae, many untold stories in many provinces for lack of a systematic way of conserving the documents , notably in small provinces. This is one reason why many general histories of the Congregation are more of a history of curial administration rather than a history of the whole Congregation.
This basic handbook, or manual for provincial archivists, aims at helping to solve this problem and at making the job of provincial archivists a little easier. It is the product of six years experience as archivist and of continuous reading and meetings with other archivists in Rome. Most of the materials can be found in any good book on archives but the merit of this work is in its arrangement and its easily readable language.
It is with gratitude that the author thanks the Reverend Robert P. Maloney, C.M. and the members of his General Council for the encouraging support they gave to this project. May it be helpful for all confreres who want to make our provincial archives more professional, scholarly, accessible and complete. In this way, the Congregation will be better able to keep alive the spirit of Saint Vincent de Paul.
Rolando S. DelaGoza, CM
Rome, 2004
