REPORT OF THE ARCHIVIST
Archival Purpose and Historical Discourse
The Archives of the Episcopal Church exists at the same cultural crossroad that has many of us reflecting on the self-images of our particular community and the messages we use to present the Church to the modern world. The essential promise of evangelism for the Episcopal Church— to spread the message of Christ within a community which offers hope—draws attention to our history of Anglican discourse. The proclamation of an authentic tradition in the midst of change, which is at the very heart of the Episcopal Church’s earliest constitution, continues today to drive competing versions of historical identity. Episcopalians today have an elevated interest in knowing more about ‘being Anglican’ in this part of the Communion, and it is important that we make it possible for that process of learning and rediscovery to occur. The Church Archives engages in the central work of supporting the evolving conversation by gathering, mapping, and communicating resources for faith formation and Episcopal identity.
Information is dramatically more accessible today to the general inquirer and it is easily customized. A new set of expectations has resulted as inquirers turn to networked technology with every reason to believe that answers are online and ready to be consumed. Archival knowledge is quickly turned into new knowledge and re-circulated as websites, listservs, white papers, and blogs. Few would trade the sometimes cacophonous results of the Internet’s vast re-publishing, online archiving, and instant messaging for the predictable regulated information systems of the past.
Like other repositories of institutional knowledge, the Archives encounters the Internet as the solution that changes the problem almost every other day. Two salient challenges continue to be of high priority and slightly out of reach for us: (1) how shall we properly care for the textual material objects that are the authentic documentary record of the Church’s national and international mission; and (2) will we commit resources to making our history open and accessible to Episcopalians as is their right as members of the Church, using the technology upon which we have all come to rely? In this past triennium, the Archives has inched forward with hopeful solutions to these questions. As we enter General Convention 2006, we expect to re-locate the Archives to a permanent home and fulfilling our promise to add to the Church’s historical discourse.
The sections below examine in some detail the various areas of archival activity. Emphasis is given to supporting the mission priorities of reconciliation and evangelism in order to reach those who seek to connect to the Church and advance its work of justice and peace. These priorities are best served by developing the Digital Archives. The Digital Archives is now the Archives’ primary form of communication with the public and a way to educate many inquirers to the Church’s historical commitment to justice, peace, and the integrity of creation. A drop in funding for the Digital Archives in this past triennium slowed the momentum for publishing archival content on the web. The staff has used this period of time, however, to anticipate future expansion of the Archives’ website by strengthening existing content and searching capabilities. While the curatorial staff is drawn to the exciting educational possibilities of this mission-driven work, the Archives has also engaged in the difficult deliberative process of permanently re-locating the Archives. This task coincided with a colossal undertaking to review a forty-five year accumulation of documents dislodged from the offices and backrooms of the Episcopal Church Center during its three-year renovation. In the midst of these big projects, the normal duties of research, organization and cataloging of materials, and preservation continued. The Archives has exceeded fill capacity and breathing space has become prized territory. The staff continues to acquire new stratagems for their artful and commendable work of creating order out of chaos.
Research Services
The 2004–2006 triennium marked a decisive shift in the Archives’ research and reference services to the Church community and the public. The Internet has completely altered the interaction between the research staff and our users. The shift began in the mid-1990s, when e-mail introduced an easy but demanding way of communicating a question, the result of which was a dramatic increase in research and reference queries. At first, e-mail encouraged more people to ask questions, which helped the staff to anticipate future information needs of Episcopalians and the public. By targeting these interests, the web, specifically the Digital Archives, has turned the tide in research and delivery. Indexed, searchable databases, which include General Convention and Executive Council resolutions, Church news releases and independent news articles, and thousands of photographic records, allow inquirers to answer questions directly from the Archives’ website.
The staff’s enthusiasm for the Digital Archives lies in the new audiences who have discovered the Archives. Internet usage is measurable. The staff closely analyzes the statistical counts that are generated by automatic transaction logs in order to isolate meaningful data. The Archives has published a detailed analysis of its website use at http://www.episcopalarchives.org/web_stats.html. A few impressive figures speak to a fairly consistent level of use in the most recent years. The Archives served 29,575 users in 2004 and 29,827 users in 2005, each user represented by a separate, external IP address. Inquirers retrieved 190,775 pages in 2004 and 232,996 pages in 2005, representing separate, non-repeating (non-cached) web pages, excluding automatically generated (“bot”) requests from search engines and in-house administrative use. (These figures are in contrast to the total successful websites visits for 2005, which numbered more than 1.8 million.) The Digital Archives portion of the Archives’ website accounted for 46% of the separately retrieved pages. What is irrefutable is that the Archives— and the Episcopal Church—are reaching many more people inside and beyond the Church than we could ever hope to do with the older technologies.
The impact of the web is shown in the steady decline of about 15% annually in the total number of personal reference queries by telephone and e-mail. Several staff leaves and a prolonged position vacancy account for some of the decline in 2005. Total figures are: 2003: 1050 research inquiries; 2004: 893; and 2005: 677. An interesting feature of the research use is that while questions of a current nature have declined by 24%, historical research questions have remained steady (at slightly over half) and administrative research requests from national leadership have increased from 7% to 17% of the total. As the Archives transfers standard reference data to the web, staff are freed to support the analytical and value-added research that supports local and Church-wide mission.
The Archives produces detailed reports on other aspects of research such as the topical interests and published works created by scholars and students of the Church. Statistics are gathered on total non-research contacts, including 25 consultations to congregations and dioceses. Detailed reports can be found at http://www.episcopalarchives/archives/reports.
Acquisition of Records
The Archives continued to acquire historical records at the Austin Research Office at a steady and predictable pace. In the three-year reporting period 2003–2005, the Archives received 587 cu.ft. (290 individual accessions) of new record material. Most of the Austin material is deposited by Episcopal Church organizations, donated by individuals, or received as publications from dioceses and parishes. The bulk of the annual accumulation of historical records of the General Convention and the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) now remain in New York due to limited space (see Records Management below). While the historical records kept in New York are fairly well protected and documented, they cannot be organized or fully accessed for research purposes, which creates an unfortunate gap in our ability to support institutional research.
The Archives is grateful to all those private donors who entrust their papers to the Episcopal Church. The Archives is committed to building the historical record on the Church’s diverse communities, especially the Afro-Anglican Archives and documentation on the Hispanic church. New material is selected to document ongoing activities and the diversity of the Episcopal Church experience. We watch for little known but effective ministries in domestic and foreign mission, liturgy and worship, social witness, leadership development, and service to others. The following selection of notable new acquisitions is meant only to exhibit the range of the archival collections. A full list of acquisitions and donors may be found on the Archives website.
Papers of the Rev. F. Bland Tucker, Missionary to Japan, 1915-1916, .2 cu.ft.
Records of the Episcopal Society for Ministry on Aging (ESMA), 1987-2000, 10.3 cu.ft.
Records of the Church Society for College Work, 1952-1967, .5 cu.ft.
Records of the Standing Commission on Church Music, 1979-1986, 10.3 cu.ft.
Papers of the Rev. David R. Hunter (Director, Dept. of Christian Education), 1951-1968, .4 cu.ft.
Electronic Records: Digitized Images of Episcopal News Service Photographs, 1976-2000, 29.52 GB.
Papers of Dr. Randall Giles, Missioner, Church of So. India. Musical Scores, c. 1968-2002, 3 cu.ft.
Papers of the Most Rev. John Hines. Manuscript Sermons, c. 1953-1985, 1.3 cu.ft.
Papers of the Rev. Edgar and Ms. Marilyn Robertson, Missionaries to Liberia, c. 1940-2000, 15 cu.ft.
Papers of Thomas Payne Govan (Executive, Division of College Work), c. 1935-1979, 4.35 cu.ft.
Papers of the Rt. Rev. George Clinton Harris (Fifth Bishop of Alaska), 1970-2002, 6 cu.ft.
Records of the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance, 1994-2003, .7 cu.ft.
Papers of the Rt. Rev. George W. Barrett (Fourth Bishop of Rochester), 1930, 1963-2000, 4.5 cu.ft.
Records of the National Altar Guild, 1927-2003, 7 cu.ft.
Records of the Episcopal Church Publishing Company (The Witness), 1927-2003, 26 cu.ft.
Papers of the Rt. Rev. Paul Moore, c. 1937-2003, 46 cu.ft.
Papers of the Rev. Charles Duell Kean (Secretary, Approaches to Christian Unity), c. 1936-1963, 7 cu.ft.
Papers of the Rev. Canon James Edward Griffiss (Canon Theologian), c. 1951-2000, 2.6 cu.ft.
Records of the Church and City Conference, 1959-1992, 1995, 1 cu.ft.
Records of the Social Responsibility in Investment Committee. Meeting Records, 1995-2000, 3 cu.ft.
Papers of the Very Rev. Lawrence Rose (former Dean of GTS), c. 1928-1988, 2 cu.ft.
Papers of the Rev. Ian Douglas, c. 1980-1998, 8.25 cu.ft.
Papers of the Rt. Rev. George Daniel Browne, including the Diocese of Liberia, c. 1866-1998, 19 cu.ft.
Episcopal Pamphlet Collection, Diocese of Connecticut, c. 1729-1899, 239 vols.. 19.5 cu.ft.
Episcopal Women's History Project. Oral Histories, 2000-2004, re. Derby Hirst, Mary Flagg, and Fran Toy.
Papers of the Rev. Canon Henri Alexandre Stines, c.1949-1992, 1 cu.ft.
The Archivist takes this opportunity to urge past officers and members of General Convention’s standing Committees and Commissions to contact the Archives in order to transfer and preserve important documentation on the work of these bodies.
Archival Processing of Holdings
The curatorial staff person in charge of Collections Management and Access focused much more of her time in this triennium managing space and maintaining the Digital Archives. The overcrowded conditions in the Austin facility results in nearly one whole day of staff time per week spent on shuffling inventory simply to clear space for a task or set up shop for a new project. Staff found appropriate ways to work around these conditions to examine areas of lingering difficulty, including the audit and re-inventorying of frequently used subject reference files that were poorly organized or for which no finding aid existed.
Formal finding aids, which are comprehensive and indexed descriptions, or detailed inventory lists were completed for a number of important collections. These include:
The Journals of Diocesan Conventions – Canonical Deposit Copy, 1780-2004, 445 cu.ft.
The Diocesan Journal Collection is made up of the published annual reports of diocesan conventions and councils and a key resource on the people and organizational history of the local Church. Over 1,221 missing volumes were acquired. The multi-year project included cleaning, re-housing for preservation, and a published finding aid.
Records of the American Church Institute, 1867-1968, 12.3 cu.ft.
The American Church Institute for Negroes, begun in 1906 and renamed in 1961, was the institutional Church's response to the educational disparity for African Americans and whites. The collection is one of several key sets of documentation in the Afro-Anglican Archives of the Episcopal Church.
Archives' Biographical Collection, c. 1820-2003, 44 cu.ft.
The Biographical Collection is an accumulating file of historical items that dates from the earliest years of the Austin facility. It is a heavily used resource that contains some original documents, visual material, and hard to find print material. The files now include prominent lay leaders as well clergy.
Records of The Episcopalian, Visual Materials, 1960-1992, 10.5 cu.ft.
The Episcopalian was the news journal of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society from 1960-1992 under separate board management before being brought into Episcopal Church Center as Episcopal Life in 1989 and renamed in 1990. The visual archive is comprised of photographic prints and negatives.
Seabury Press Archive of Published Works, 1947-1983, 17 cu.ft.
The decommissioning of the Sherrill Resource Center library in the Episcopal Church Center released several archival collections, including a deposit copy of many Seabury Press imprints. These titles were added to an existing collection of trade and curricula titles gathered by the Archives.
The Archives’ staff completed arrangement and description of 537 cu.ft. of records (a cubic foot is the size of a banker’s box) during the three-year period 2003–2005. Organizing collections at the inventory level led to either improved storage or the elimination of duplicates and obsolete records, thus freeing up 147 cu.ft. of precious space. Even with these gains, however, the staff continues to send over 100 cu.ft. of archives to off-site storage each year. Off-site transfers require another layer of documentation and handling that cut dearly into productivity.
The most significant new work begun in the collections management area was planning for the publication of the Archives online catalog. As part of the preparation for that resource, the staff completed an audit of all processed collections, the first time in decades that the entire holdings have been fully surveyed. A tentative classification scheme was constructed and new data gathering instruments were vetted for converting the Archives’ catalog to the website where it will be searchable alongside the Digital Archives. While the bulk of the catalog project will be completed in the next triennium, a prototype is anticipated for web publication in 2006.
Records Management
The Records Administration Field Office provides management guidance in the selection, arrangement, retention, and final disposition of official records created by the DFMS offices and its employees. The addition of a full-time Archivist for Records Management and Information Resources in New York in mid-May 2004 provided relief to the staff in Austin. The staff’s principle focus in the three-year period was to prepare for the Episcopal Church Center renovation project that began in late 2004.
The NY Records Center was involved in the earliest stage of the renovation. Over a period of three years, the staff will have completed the off-site relocation of 4,118 cu.ft. of records; accessioned and inventoried 1,322 cu.ft of abandoned records in the ECC basements; conducted the first building-wide survey of records held by 26 ECC offices; created 22 records retention schedules to guide future disposition of new material; accessioned 2,130 cu.ft. of archival records stored by offices; destroyed 2,423 cu.ft. of obsolete records; and worked with project personnel to plan for the new Records Center and administrative offices. The Records Center in New York is a much improved facility with environmental controls and space for the storage of both contemporary archival records and temporary short-term materials. The new center will accommodate up to 7,000 cubic feet of material. It is expected to be 90% full at opening in July 2005 due to the overcrowded conditions of the Austin repository, where older records should ordinarily be transferred.
Major projects were accomplished within the scope of the renovation project. The staff dismantled the last of the Sherrill Resource Center (formerly the National Council) Library and sorted about 275 cu.ft. of historical publications and reports for retention while eliminating 725 cu.ft. of obsolete material. The Archives took custody of over 6,000 audio and visual recordings (280 cu.ft.) from the defunct audio-visual library of the ECC media and communications area. Finally, with the support of new Treasurer Kurt Barnes, long delayed records schedules were developed for several finance units. The Archives reviewed a total of 1,255 cu.ft. of records in this department alone. Many finance staff members expressed genuine pleasure to see the work environment free of the mounds of clutter that had accumulated in recent years. Over the course of the entire period 2003–2005, the Records Management office processed the intake of 2,815 cubic feet of records now under archival management.
Documentation Projects and Information Services
General Convention Support
The Archives’ staff provided pre-Convention research support for the Committees and Commissions of Convention, and on-site support in Minneapolis. Since 1994, this research has helped to reduce the average number of resolutions submitted to Convention by 40% since the highs of a decade ago, and it has informed the work of the standing and legislative committees of Convention. The Archives also assisted the platform minutes clerks in the House of Deputies and the recording secretaries to create raw Convention minutes that could be more easily transcribed for the Journal. In addition, the Archives produced two important manuals of process and publication standards. A Process Manual for the Records and Archives of General Convention was deployed to track and manage the important records and record keeping processes of the Convention. The staff produced a second manual for the Secretariat to standardize Journal of Convention content and style. The Publication Standards Manual is a guide that standardizes the Journal and creates editorial continuity as future changes occur.
Constitution and Canons
The Archives collaborated with the General Convention Secretariat to edit, annotate, and index the Constitution and Canons 2003. The Archives had long been interested in restoring a benchmark text. A new and much expanded index was especially important as users of the canons almost universally complained of the difficulty in finding critical references at important moments of conversation and debate. This work enabled the Archives to recover some funding in order to maintain the Digital Archives.
The Digital Archives
The Archives’ staff edited, authenticated, and indexed the resolutions of the 2003 General Convention for publication in The Acts of Convention 1976–2003 online database. The Archives also expanded the indexing of General Convention resolutions by grouping key resolutions under 159 new topic headings that direct the user to narrower search terms (e.g., capital punishment, baptism, and genetics), which supplement broader terms (e.g., ministry, tolerance, and public policy). A second completed project was the digitization and publication of the Episcopal News Service photographic archives (1976–2000). This project involved the conversion of nearly 1,800 black-and-white photographs dating from 1976 to 2000 to archival coding and metadata formats, including the creation of searchable captions. The images are tied to searchable press releases and appear as thumbnail and full size, downloadable images. Outside grant and agency funding permitted the Archives to complete two other assignments. The Archives partnered with the Living Church Foundation to post archivally encoded back issues of The Living Church (2001) news magazine. The staff also completed the conversion of the 272 page North Conway Institute Archive finding aid to the industry standard Encoded Archival Description (XML/EAD) for electronic data exchange. Website publication of this archive on alcoholism and treatment awaits future funding of the Digital Archives initiative.
The Afro-Anglican Archives of the Episcopal Church
The Archives has used funding from the Rev. Jack Morris and its operational accounts to pursue a project in web-based education that is anchored in its mission to honor the diverse communities of the Church family. An online exhibit drawing from the photographs, documents, and stories found in the Episcopal Church's Afro-Anglican Archives began as an outgrowth of an installed exhibit in Austin on the Episcopal Society for Cultural and Racial Unity (ESCRU). The staff’s interest in developing the exhibit as a teaching tool on Civil Rights and the Church stems from the wealth of related information that can be creatively tapped in the Archives for web display. The exhibit will include video and audio files as well as photographs and downloadable documents.
Episcopal Archivists Network
The Archives has been a driving force behind a new group of diocesan archivists and records managers. The group brings together professionally trained Church archivists who are developing guidelines and resources on record keeping for dioceses and parishes. The network is compiling and indexing each of the Church’s diocesan canons relating to requirements for record creation with recommendations for retention and disposition of parish and diocesan records. The Archives is building an online searchable database to make this resource publicly available on its website.
Acknowledgments
Each member of the professional and technical staff of the Archives is able to take credit for the work that is performed in any one area of responsibility. Whenever the Research Archivist responds to an inquiry, the Collections Management Archivist is also credited for well-organized archival guides. The staff supports each other in a remarkable daily display of caring and commitment. These individuals are: Sylvia Baker (Technical Archivist), Maribeth Kobza Betton (Archivist for Access and Collection Management), Nitza C. Llano (Records Management and Information Services Archivist), Steven Lucht (Research and Public Services Archivist), and Jennifer D. Voss (Administrative Deputy). Several part-time employees, especially Amy FitzGerald, Gedy Tovar, Kyle Harter, Rebecca Romanchuk, and Rachael Gilg brought new ideas, stamina, and a good spirit to the work place. We are thankful for the contributions of all. In conclusion, we gratefully acknowledge and give thanks for the direction and support of the Board of Archives and its chair, Bishop Larry Maze. We remember especially the passing of Bishop Scott Field Bailey, who brought the Archives back into the orbit of the General Convention and ushered the program into the modern age.
Mark J. Duffy
Canonical Archivist and Director
December 30, 2005
GENERAL CONVENTION RESOLUTIONS
Resolution A000 Relocation of the Archives of the Episcopal Church
Resolved, the House of _____ concurring, That the 75th General Convention hereby:
(1) Authorize and direct the Board of the Archives and the Archives Strategy Committee heretofore established by Executive Council, as the same may from time to time be comprised, to investigate, evaluate and adopt a plan, with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, to relocate the Archives of the Episcopal Church to a site within the United States appropriate to and which will be adequate for the present and future needs of the Archives of this Church, as contemplated by Canon I.5., and those using the resources of the Archives to be completed on or before January 1, 2010;
(2) Authorize the Board of the Archives and the said Archives Strategy Committee, with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, to commence a fund-raising case and campaign for the costs of planning, construction, relocation and endowment of an archives facility for the Episcopal Church; and
(3) Authorize the Board of the Archives, upon the advice and consent of Executive Council, to incorporate under the State of New York Not-for-Profit Corporation Law and to seek 501(c)(3) recognition under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; provided, however, that the Articles of Incorporation shall include a dissolution provision conforming with the laws of the State of New York and the Internal Revenue Code that upon dissolution, extinction or the winding up of its affairs, all assets and property of said corporation would be assigned, transferred and paid over to or for the benefit of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society.
EXPLANATION
For several years, the Board of the Archives of the Episcopal Church has been considering the relocation of the Archives to a new site due to issues of space and access. (See Blue Book, 2003, p. 3 and GC Resolution 2000-A014). The spatial requirements of both the Archives and its present host, the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, in Austin, Texas and concomitant financial issues now mandate that the Archives be relocated to a site that will both accommodate the needs of the Archives for effective and efficient operations and the convenient availability of these materials for the Church leadership, scholars, and researchers.
In recognition of the issues facing the Board of the Archives, Executive Council has established an Archives Strategy Committee comprised of both members of the present Board of the Archives and others appointed by Executive Council. The Committee has been established to assist the Board and Executive Council in planning, evaluating and implementing the relocation to a new site and the funding therefor. It is contemplated that other persons of specific skills and experience in particular areas of concern may be co-opted by the Board and the Committee from time to time to assist in the successful implementation of this venture.
Therefore, the Board of the Archives seeks authorization from the 75th General Convention to proceed with the project with a goal of having the relocation completed on or before January 1, 2010; to implement a case and a campaign to raise additional funds to finance the project and, if successful, establish an endowment for the maintenance of the Archives; and, if deemed appropriate, to obtain access to funding sources that either would not or cannot make gifts and grants to a religious entity through a new corporate entity. The new corporate entity will be tailored to ensure that there would be no diversions of any assets or properties to any body other than the Episcopal Church. In each instance, the Board of the Archives and the Archives Strategy Committee will be working with the Executive Council, whose advice and consent will be sought and of assistance.
Resolution A000 Amend Canon I.5.3(a) Board of the Archives Membership
Resolved, the House of _____ concurring, That Canon I.5.3(a) be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 3 (a). There shall be a Board of the Archives which shall consist of the Archivist (ex officio, with vote), the Dean of the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest (ex officio, with vote), and twelve (12) appointed persons, three (3) of whom shall be Bishops, three (3) of whom shall be Clergy, and six (6) of whom shall be Lay Persons. All appointed Members of the Board shall serve terms beginning with the close of the General Convention at which their appointments are confirmed and ending with the close of the second regular Convention thereafter.
EXPLANATION
In 2005, the Executive Committee of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest decided that the seminary could no longer serve as General Convention’s designated permanent home for The Archives of the Episcopal Church (GC Resolution 1985–A075). Beginning in that same year, the Archives entered a rental agreement for a short term period until it can re-locate. The Board of the Archives believes this new relationship calls for an appropriate adjustment in the membership of the Board by removing the dean as an ex officio voting member of the Board.
Resolution A000 Endorsement of the Digital Archives
Resolved, the House of ____ concurring, That the General Convention recognize the importance of the Digital Archives for access to the Church’s historical texts, documents, and images; acknowledge the extraordinary contribution that the Digital Archives has made to the efficiency of the General Convention’s legislative process; and request the Archives expand and enrich this important vehicle, which includes the Acts of Convention 1976-2003 and the Resolves of Council 1976-2000, as well as news articles, photo archives, catalogs, and other documents from the Church Archives; and be it further
Resolved, that the General Convention endorse the Archives’ website and the Digital Archives as an official site and electronic archive of the Episcopal Church, created under the supervision of the Board of the Archives and the Canonical Archivist; and that the Archives be charged with responsibility to create an authentic, accurate, and trustworthy record for purposes of communicating historical knowledge about the Episcopal Church and its identity to Episcopalians and those who seek a greater awareness of this Church; and that budgetary funding requested for the Digital Archives be given priority in support of the mission of reconciliation, evangelism, and education.
EXPLANATION
In response to resolutions passed by both the General Convention (1988-A176) and the Executive Council, the Archives created a complete online archive since 1976 of past Convention and corporate resolutions. These two resources alone have had a tremendous salutary effect on the legislative process at General Convention, helping to reduce the number of resolutions from a high of 593 in 1994 to an average of 360. The Acts of Convention have become a reliable information resource for the peace and justice network, parish Christian education programs, and the leadership. Key documents, images, and resources have been added to the Digital Archives and a catalog of the Archives’ holdings is scheduled for Web publication. Approximately 14,200 separate inquirers logged into and requested information from the several databases in 2004 alone. Unlike the unmonitored and random documents “archived” on most websites, the Digital Archives and the Website of the Archives of the Episcopal Church (http://episcopalarchives.org) are created to reproduce and preserve an accurate, complete, and authenticated record of the Church’s public statements. All content is carefully audited, editorially reviewed, annotated, and indexed to ensure a trustworthy record. Archives staff oversees data encoding to industry standards to protect the portability of the Church’s investment as Internet standards and technology changes. The Board of the Archives strongly supports the Digital Archives as the nucleus of its efforts to support mission and ministry within the General Convention's mission goals of reconciliation and evangelism, and peace and justice. The Board's proposed triennial budget incorporates this priority by seeking a reinstatement of funding for General Convention Support and development of the Digital Archives.
Resolution A000 Budget Appropriation for The Archives of the Episcopal Church
Resolved, the House of _____ concurring, That in accordance with Title I, Canon 5, Section 4, the 75th General Convention appropriate approximately $1,796,420 for salaries and benefits for the staff of The Archives of the Episcopal Church for the triennium 2007-2009; the allocation of these funds within the Canonical budget shall be determined by the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance; and be it further
Resolved, in accordance with Title I, Canon 5, Section 4, That the 75th General Convention appropriate $752,327 for operations, site and facility, and information services expenses of The Archives of the Episcopal Church for the triennium 2007–2009; the allocation of these funds within the Canonical budget shall be determined by the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance; and be it further
Resolved, That there be appropriated from the Canonical budget of General Convention $42,000 for meetings and expenses of the Board of the Archives of the Episcopal Church for the triennium 2007–2009.
