Inventory and survey of archival collections in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago

This paper reports the results of a survey and inventory of the archival collections of congregations of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. The study replicates the 1975 survey conducted by Roderic B. Dibbert, then... [ view full abstract ]

This paper reports the results of a survey and inventory of the archival collections of congregations of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. The study replicates the 1975 survey conducted by Roderic B. Dibbert, then Historiographer of the Diocese, to identify the existence and location of valuable historical records, encourage improvement in the keeping of current records and enable the Historiographer to assist local churches and agencies in the creation and preservation of church records and to increase of the heritage of the parish and Diocese as revealed in historic documents. The paper tests whether Dibbert’s survey is still effective as an information-gathering instrument in 2017. The paper also reports the challenges of conducting survey research within non-profit institutions that may not be familiar with conducting surveys. The response rate and methodology of the surveys are compared. Follow-up communications and visits to parishes are reported.

The drivers for this study were 

• The need for an accurate and up-to-date list of archival collections and personnel responsible for maintaining the collections,
• The need to identify collections that should be transferred from parishes to the Diocesan Archives,
• The need to learn if personnel responsible for collections need guidance in setting up and maintaining archival collections,
• The need to develop and share simple “how to do” document about establishing and maintaining collections.