Best Practices in Parish Record Keeping Jon-Erik Gilot, MLIS PACE - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Best Practices in Parish Record Keeping

Jon-Erik Gilot, MLIS PACE – Charleston, WV April 25 – 26, 2017

• Purpose of Good

Recordkeeping

• What is ‘Records

Management?’

• Types of Records
• Sacramental Records
• School Records
• Administrative
• Personnel
• Financial
• Legal
• Property
• Cemetery
• Historical
• Planning Your Parish Archives
• Questions

• Ensures accurate control of day-to-day parish business…
• Ensures parish/diocese are conforming to legal requirements…
• Ensures time/space/money are not wasted on retention of

unnecessary or obsolete records…

• Ensures that the records concerning the rights, privileges and

history of the faithful of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston are protected and preserved…

• The systematic control of the recorded information necessary for

an organization’s operation.

• Assures…
• Valuable information is protected and maintained in a manner that

facilitates access and use

• Obsolete information is systematically destroyed
• Records Retention Schedule
• Determines lifespan (permanent, long, short term) and value

(administrative, legal/canonical, fiscal, historical) of records created in the course of parish business.

• Permanent Sacramental Records
• Baptism
• First Communion (If recorded)
• Confirmation
• Marriage
• Death
• Book of the Elect
• Profession of Faith
• Register of Catechumens
• Register of Anointing/Sick Calls (If recorded)
• Keep in Parish…
• Any active register
• Any closed register regularly consulted
• Transfer to Archives…
• Any closed register greater than 70 years old

not regularly consulted

• Any registers from closed parishes, missions
• Any registers exhibiting signs of damage, i.e.

broken bindings, detached/brittle pages

• Other records relating to Sacraments…
• Pre-Nuptial Case Files – 75 years OR after both parties have died
• Destroy after retention is satisfied
• Cannot be used for genealogical purposes
• Annulment Case Files – 10 years after close of case
• Destroy after retention is satisfied
• Dispensations – Retain with Pre-Nuptial Case Files

• Types of Records
• Student Transcripts
• Gradebooks, Ledgers
• Personnel Files
• Legal Documents
• Yearbooks
• Photographs
• Historical Records
• Student records bound by

FERPA, HIPPA

• Personnel records used to

validate retirement credits

• Retention – PERMANENT
• Disposition – Diocesan Archives

• Announcements/Bulletins – Permanent
• Parish Census Records – Permanent
• Correspondence
• Official – Permanent
• Routine – 5 Years
• Governing Documents (Parish Organizations) – Permanent
• Mass Intentions – Keep until fulfilled, then Destroy
• Minutes (Parish Organizations) – Permanent
• Reports (Annual) – Permanent
• Records beneficial to the conduct
• f a parish business.
• Document parish policy and
• perations
• Generally, policy records are

retained permanently, and

• perations records are kept

short-term.

• Employment Applications…
• Successful – Retain for life of personnel file
• Unsuccessful – Destroy
• Pastoral Appointments – Permanent
• Personnel Files – 7 years after termination, then Destroy
• Incident Reports – 10 Years, then Destroy
• Insurance Claims – 10 years, then Destroy
• Service Record – Permanent
• Workers Compensation/OSHA – 30 years after termination

• Accounts Payable/Receivable – 7 years, then Destroy
• Chart of Accounts – Permanent
• Audit – Permanent
• Balance Sheets (Annual) – Permanent
• Banking Records – 7 years, then Destroy
• Building Fund Account – Permanent
• Capital Projects – Permanent
• Fixed Asset Inventory – Until superseded, then Destroy
• General Ledgers – Permanent
• Gifts and Contributions
• Restricted – Permanent
• Temporarily Restricted – 7 years after restriction met
• Unrestricted – 7 years
• Insurance
• Auto – 7 years
• Liability – 100 years
• Property – 100 years
• Records that document the

financial transactions of a parish.

• Records having fiscal value

usually relate to financial transactions normally have short- term retention.

• Records documenting fiscal

policy may have permanent value.

• Journal Entries – 7 years, then Destroy
• Offertory Envelopes – Annual, then Destroy
• Payroll – 7 years, then Destroy
• Petty Cash – 7 years, then Destroy
• Receipts – 7 years, then Destroy
• Tax Records – 7 years, then Destroy
• Tax Exemption Records – Permanent
• Records that document the

financial transactions of a parish.

• Records having fiscal value

usually relate to financial transactions normally have short- term retention.

• Records documenting fiscal

policy may have permanent value.

• Act/Articles of Incorporation – Permanent
• Bequests / Estates – Permanent
• Contracts
• Major – 50 years after cancellation or expiration
• Minor – 1 year after cancellation or expiration
• Leases
• Equipment, etc. – 1 year after cancellation or expiration
• Real Property – 7 years after cancellation or expiration
• Litigation – Permanent
• Records relating to compliance

with statutes and regulations of all civil and canonical jurisdictions.

• Typically document legal or

property rights of individuals or parish.

• Appraisals – Permanent
• Architectural Plans, Drawings, Blueprints –
• As-Built – Permanent
• Proposed – As needed
• Construction Files (Major Projects) – Permanent
• Deeds/Titles/Conveyances – Permanent
• Equipment Files – Until superseded
• Property Inventories – Until superseded
• Mortgage Documents – Permanent
• Permits/Use of Premises/Facilities – 7 years after

expiration

• Surveys – Permanent
• Titles (Vehicle) – 3 years after final disposition

• Annual Reports – Permanent
• Board of Trustees Minutes – Permanent
• Burial Records / Lot Cards – Permanent
• Contracts/Agreements – Permanent
• Lot Maps – Permanent
• Rules & Regulations – Permanent
• All routine administrative and financial records – Subject

to same retention as parish records

• Consecration of Altar/Church – Permanent
• Photographs (Identified) – Permanent
• Parish Publications – Permanent
• Recordings (Audiovisual) – Permanent
• Scrapbooks – Permanent

• Parishes are canonically mandated to maintain a safe storage

area, or archives, for its records of permanent retention (cf. Canon 535 §4)

• Fundamental requirement is for a secure location with

environmental controls - commonly achieved with use of locked, metal/fireproof cabinet or vault in a low-traffic

• ffice space.
• Ideally, permanent records would be housed in acid-free

folders in a secure, dark environment with circulating air at a stable rH (30-40%) and a stable temperature (60-70°F)

• We understand the ability to achieve such exacting

conditions will vary from parish to parish, so as a general rule – where you’re comfortable, your records will be comfortable.

DO…

• Store records in acid-free folders
• Protect records from direct light or excessive

artificial light

• Store large volumes horizontally, not vertically

(store sacramental records on spine)

• Remove metal paper clips, binder clips, staples

and rubber bands

• Transfer records stored in binders and plastic

covers to folders

• Folder/Box all loose papers
• Preserve photographs in acid-free sleeves or

envelopes

• Accurately label and identify permanent records
• Use pencils when handling permanent records

DON’T…

• Store records near overhead water or steam

pipes

• Store records on the floor in case of flooding
• Use pressure-sensitive tape on permanent

records

• Laminate any permanent records. Ever.
• Flex, fold or crease documents
• Store highly acidic materials (i.e. newsprint)

with permanent records

• Eat, drink, smoke or keep open flame

(candle) near permanent records

• Use fountain pens, highlighters, etc. on

permanent records.