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  Keep in Parish…  First Communion (If recorded)  Any active register  Confirmation  Any closed register regularly consulted  Marriage  Transfer to Archives…  Death  Any closed register greater than 70 years old not regularly consulted  Book of the Elect  Any registers from closed parishes, missions  Profession of Faith  Any registers exhibiting signs of damage, i.e. broken bindings, detached/brittle pages  Register of Catechumens  Register of Anointing/Sick Calls (If recorded)

 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 Records beneficial to the conduct •  Governing Documents (Parish Organizations) – Permanent of a parish business.  Mass Intentions – Keep until fulfilled, then Destroy Document parish policy and •  Minutes (Parish Organizations) – Permanent operations  Reports (Annual) – Permanent Generally, policy records are • retained permanently, and operations 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 Records that document the •  Building Fund Account – Permanent financial transactions of a parish.  Capital Projects – Permanent Records having fiscal value •  Fixed Asset Inventory – Until superseded, then Destroy usually relate to financial transactions normally have short-  General Ledgers – Permanent term retention.  Gifts and Contributions Records documenting fiscal •  Restricted – Permanent policy may have permanent  Temporarily Restricted – 7 years after restriction met value.  Unrestricted – 7 years  Insurance  Auto – 7 years  Liability – 100 years  Property – 100 years

 Journal Entries – 7 years, then Destroy  Offertory Envelopes – Annual, then Destroy Records that document the • financial transactions of a parish.  Payroll – 7 years, then Destroy  Petty Cash – 7 years, then Destroy Records having fiscal value • usually relate to financial  Receipts – 7 years, then Destroy transactions normally have short- term retention.  Tax Records – 7 years, then Destroy  Tax Exemption Records – Permanent Records documenting fiscal • policy may have permanent value.

 Act/Articles of Incorporation – Permanent  Bequests / Estates – Permanent  Contracts  Major – 50 years after cancellation or expiration Records relating to compliance  with statutes and regulations of  Minor – 1 year after cancellation or expiration all civil and canonical  Leases jurisdictions.  Equipment, etc. – 1 year after cancellation or expiration Typically document legal or   Real Property – 7 years after cancellation or expiration property rights of individuals or parish.  Litigation – Permanent

 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 office 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… DON’T…  Store records in acid-free folders  Store records near overhead water or steam  Protect records from direct light or excessive pipes artificial light  Store records on the floor in case of flooding  Store large volumes horizontally, not vertically  Use pressure-sensitive tape on permanent (store sacramental records on spine) records  Remove metal paper clips, binder clips, staples  Laminate any permanent records. Ever. and rubber bands  Flex, fold or crease documents  Transfer records stored in binders and plastic  Store highly acidic materials (i.e. newsprint) covers to folders with permanent records  Folder/Box all loose papers  Eat, drink, smoke or keep open flame  Preserve photographs in acid-free sleeves or (candle) near permanent records envelopes  Use fountain pens, highlighters, etc. on  Accurately label and identify permanent records permanent records.  Use pencils when handling permanent records