Dear members and friends,

As many of you are aware, efforts have been underway over the past few months to reinvigorate the ICA Section on Archives of Churches and Religious Denominations.

A gathering of archivists interested in SKR, and religious archives in general, has been proposed. A budget has been developed and submitted to ICA General Secretariat in order to facilitate this. IF our bid for funding is successful, the gathering will be held in Rome, on 12 & 13 November 2009.

Further details will follow shortly.

Background (SKR 2004-2009)

The ICA Section on Archives of Churches and religious Denominations (hereafter SKR) was formed in 1995, and was an effective, functioning Section of the ICA until 2004, when various factors combined to deprive the Section of its driving force and ability to contribute to the wider archival profession. In discussion with the Secretary General during the 2008 ICA Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Kim Eberhard, archivist of the Franciscan Order based in Sydney Australia was given tentative approval to investigate whether or not the SKR was still a functioning Section.

Numerous attempts were made by Ms Eberhard to contact the steering committee and other listed members of SKR via email and letter between August and November 2008. Several correspondents had advised, with disappointment, that SKR had effectively been in hiatus (or ‘defunct’) since 2004, and welcomed the efforts to revive the Section. This was reported to the Secretary General in late November 2008 at which time the decision was made to endorse Ms Eberhard as the interim coordinator of SKR and a letter was written and distributed which authorised her to undertake measures necessary to reinvigorate the Section.

An email correspondence ‘list’ for SKR members who had responded to email or letter was established in early 2009, and used by the new group to communicate on a regular basis. An initial workplan was developed to guide the efforts of this small but dedicated committee. In April 2009 work began on organizing a meeting of interested SKR members, which was tentatively to be held in conjunction with the 2009 CITRA in Malta.

Purpose of a gathering in 2009

It was felt by the newly gathered and re-connected members of SKR that the Section was long overdue to hold a face-to-face meeting . It was felt that such a meeting would provide further impetus to the re-invigoration efforts undertaken to date, would strengthen the resolve and commitment of members, and would result in a renewed collective effort by the Section to develop projects which would benefit the members if the ICA.

The concept of a gathering was discussed by the active SKR members, and it was decided, in conjunction with the Secretary General and the CITRA organizing committee, that a meeting for SKR should be held outside the CITRA program. Further, it was decided that the meeting should be extended from a simple business meeting to become a forum in which to share news of projects, challenges and successes of Religious Archivists since 2004, as well as being a time to work through the issues of the reinvigoration process and the future of the Section.

It was felt that an extension of the program would encourage more members, and, that a larger event would make it more professionally feasible for some members to attend.

As the majority of active members (to date) reside in the United Kingdom, Europe or North America, a location which was easy to reach by the largest number possible was essential.

Accordingly, a decision has been made to develop and hold a two day meeting of members of SKR in Rome on 12 and 13 November 2009.

Objectives and outcomes

The objectives of the gathering are to:

• Share news of developments in archives of Churches and Religious Denominations across the globe since 2004
• Affirm the value of ‘religious’ collections within the wider archival and historical professions
• Review the purpose and objectives of the Section
• Elect a new steering committee
• Review the workplan for SKR 2009-2012
• Raise awareness of, and interest in, SKR - which in turn will:
• Encourage new membership of SKR and ICA

Anticipated outcomes of the gathering will be:

• A renewed sense of purpose and fellowship for the existing members of SKR
• An energised and committed Steering committee
• A redefined and achievable work plan which reflects the overall strategic directions of the ICA
• New members of SKR / ICA
• Further contributions to ICA efforts from a functioning, thriving Section
• Strengthened networks of archivists under the ICA umbrella

Contact:

If you need any further information, or would like to join SKR, please contact Interim SKR Coordinator, Ms Kim Eberhard via email at: archives(AT)franciscans.org.au