Collection Development Policy

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Overview
Church and Agency Records
Personal Collections
Books and Periodicals
Additional Considerations

Overview

The primary goal of collection development for the Archives of the Moravian Church in America, Southern Province, is to acquire and make available those resources which are needed to depict a complete picture of the history of Moravians in the Province and support the research interests of our users.

A collection development policy is a statement of guidelines for Archives staff members to follow when selecting, acquiring, and building collections. It reflects the needs of the Moravian Church in America, Southern Province, and the needs of users of the Archives. This policy is evaluated and changed as the Province and information needs change. The Archives Collection Development Policy establishes priorities for selection and appraisal of resources in the collection.

The policy on deaccessions addresses potential actions the Archives may take when in receipt of material that is not included in the accepted materials described in this policy.

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Church and Agency Records

The top priority for collection development at the Archives is preserving the history of Moravian churches and agencies of the Southern Province. The Book of Order (2018) instructs Provincial and Interprovincial agencies and Congregations of the Southern Province to deposit their records with the Archives. The bulk of our holdings consists of these records, including minutes, correspondence, histories, church registers, diaries, memorabilia, deeds and land records, and more. In the 18th century and early 19th century, the church was also the center of public life, so though our records are those kept by church-based institutions, they reflect life in North Carolina during those eras.

Church Records

The Pastor, with the assistance of the Congregational Archivist/Administrative Assistant, will see that the following materials are deposited in the Provincial Archives in a timely manner. These materials are available for use in the Archives immediately after processing, with the exception of Board minutes and correspondence of the past 70 years, which may be consulted only by written permission of the Chair of the relevant board.

Only one copy of each of these items should be submitted, whether submitted in digital or physical form.

Items which should be transferred to the Archives at the end of the year:

  • Elders minutes
  • Trustees minutes
  • Joint Board minutes
  • Church Board minutes
  • Congregation Council minutes
  • Year-end reports, including financial, submitted at Congregation Council
  • Budget submitted at Congregation Council
  • Minutes and year-end reports of other committees, such as Stewardship, Christian Education, or Women’s Fellowship

Items which should have a copy reserved for transfer to the Archives when they are produced or updated but may be transferred to the Archives in batches or at the end of the year:

  • Updated or new directories of members and/or membership lists
  • Updated or new histories of the congregation and organizations within the congregation
  • Updated or new brochures concerning any facet of church life
  • Bulletins, programs, and other printed materials created and/or used for special Sundays, anniversaries, dedications, and other occasions
  • Updated or new constitutions, by-laws, and rules and regulations
  • Memoirs[1]

Items which should be transferred to the Archives once completed or full:

  • Church registers (registers of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, deaths, etc.)[2]
  • Congregation diaries
  • Building plans for church-owned buildings, including graveyard records
  • Journals and ledgers

The Archives should be added to the newsletter mailing list so that each issue comes to the Archives automatically. This can be either an email list or physical mail list but submission of both email and physical is not necessary.

Agency Records

The Archives also coordinates the transfer of provincial agency records and will provide detailed guidance for the transfer of those records in 2024. Until that time, agencies should mirror the church records guidelines as closely as possible.

Financial Records and Personnel Records

The following items should not be deposited in the Archives:

  • Weekly/monthly financial statements or reports
  • Cancelled checks
  • Receipt books
  • Bank statements
  • Paid bills or invoices
  • Personnel records still being referenced

Other Records

  • Congregations and agencies may transfer correspondence, photographs, and audiovisual material produced during the business operations of those entities, which may include those that document events held by those entities.
  • The number of photographs and audiovisual items transferred to the Archives should be limited to only those necessary to convey and depict the event as the Archives has limited capabilities to store and provide access to these items.
  • Audiovisual material copyrighted by a non-Moravian entity should not be deposited with the Archives.
  • Sheet music and strictly musical recordings should not be deposited with the Archives. Those should be deposited with the Moravian Music Foundation.
  • The Archives does not accept the transfer of art and three-dimensional artifacts, except under unique circumstances, as there is limited capacity and ability to store and grant access to them.

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Personal Collections

In addition to the records from Moravian churches and Provincial agencies, the Archives accepts personal papers and collections from individuals in the Moravian community and scholars whose work is focused on Moravians in North Carolina. The collections at the Archives primarily support research and learning. When considering new acquisitions, we assess the materials’ relationship to existing collection strengths and relationship to developing fields of research and academic study involving Moravians or local history tied to Salem, North Carolina.

The Archives will accept the following, provided they give some insight into life in the Moravian communities of the Southern Province, past or present:

  • Correspondence
  • Journals and diaries
  • Writings, including sermons and other speeches and drafts and manuscripts of articles and books
  • Historical maps, blueprints, and architectural drawings
  • Scrapbooks
  • Unusual or unique printed material

The Archives will accept in limited quantities the following, provided they give some insight into life in the Moravian communities of the Southern Province, past or present:

  • Photographs
  • Audiovisual material containing more than music and under copyright by the donor or a Moravian entity
  • Born digital material
  • Web archives

The Archives does not accept the donation of art and three-dimensional artifacts, except under unique circumstances, as there is limited capacity and ability to store and grant access to them.

The Archives will not accept the following:

  • Photocopies
  • Copies of popular publications, including magazines and newspapers
  • Duplicates of items already in our collection and duplicates within a donation
  • Financial records
  • Material containing personal identifiable information (PII), such as Social Security Numbers
  • Material containing information that violates your rights under HIPAA
  • Material containing information that violates your rights under FERPA or PPRA
  • Audiovisual material that contains only musical recordings[3]
  • Audiovisual material that is copyrighted by an individual or entity that is not the donor and is not a Moravian entity
  • Sheet music, books only containing or relating to music, and musical instruments[4]

These kinds of materials either lack significant research value, cannot be provided to researchers due to ethical best practices and/or federal law, and/or are out-of-scope for our holdings.

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Books and Periodicals

The Archives maintains two book collections. One is a Research Library, available on the public access floor. The items in this collection may be but are not necessarily rare or unique. They provide a wealth of information to complement primary source research in our Reading Room. These items can be accessed without a research appointment. The other book collection is the rare book collection kept in the Vault. These items are rare and/or unique and/or were created by churches or members of the Moravian Church in America, Southern Province. While the goal of housing books and periodicals in the Research Library is easy access, the goal of housing books and periodicals in the Vault is preservation. You must have a research appointment to access items in the rare book collection.

The Archives collects books and periodicals on the following subjects:

  • Moravian history and culture, including that of the Unity, but primarily focused on Moravian churches, fellowships, and settlements in the Southern Province, past and present
  • Salem, Winston, Winston-Salem, Wachovia, and Forsyth County history and culture
  • North Carolina history and culture, especially those items that focus on the Piedmont region
  • History of religion tangential but relating to the context of the Moravian Church (e.g., the Hussite movement or the Quakers)
  • Theology of religion tangential but relating to the context of the Moravian Church (e.g., the theology of Martin Luther)
  • Genealogy relating to popular, local Moravian family names

The Archives also collects books and periodicals using sources accessed and researched at our facility, even if the resulting publication is not reflective of the above subjects. We want to preserve how the Archives are being used in scholarship.

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Additional Considerations

The Archives will not accept collection material that does not fall within the parameters of this policy. Additionally, if the material is in such a condition that the Moravian Archives will not be able to appropriately care for it, it may not be accepted. Some donor stipulations may also be difficult to meet (e.g., a requirement that an item be permanently displayed) and, in the event that we cannot guarantee compliance with a request, the material may not be accepted.

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[1] Memoirs can be submitted online using this form: https://airtable.com/embed/shr3atLYbCKsT9ys4

[2] Church register data can be submitted online using this form: https://airtable.com/embed/appZMsIEgGaPjYRQw/pag2OnrK3H3WCgfiv/form

[3] This type of material can be donated to the Moravian Music Foundation: https://moravianmusic.org/

[4] This type of material can be donated to the Moravian Music Foundation: https://moravianmusic.org/