Regional archivists’ convocation to be held at Centenary
SHREVEPORT, LA — The South Central Jurisdiction’s Convocation of Archivists will take place at Centenary College of Louisiana October 11 and 12, 2019. Chris Brown, the archivist of Centenary and the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church, is hosting the event with the support of the Louisiana Conference’s Commission on Archives and History.
The event offers educational programs and tours tailored for United Methodist conference archivists, conference historians, local church historians, as well as anyone else interested in learning more about managing historic records of the United Methodist Church. An October 11 dinner banquet features guest speaker Rev. David Severe, co-author of 40: The History of the South Central Jurisdiction, 1968-2008. Rev. Fred Day, general secretary of the General Commission of Archives and History, is also scheduled to attend the convocation.
The educational programs cover topics such as managing electronic records, cultivating partnerships between conference archivists and local church historians, and an open discussion where questions are asked by anyone in the room and everyone has a chance to share advice and encouragement from their training and experience. Tours include visits to Centenary’s Archives and Special Collections (which house the archives of the Louisiana Conference) and Saint Paul United Methodist Church in Shreveport.
“We go through lots of paper, documents of various types and kinds, artifacts, and pictures,” says Frances Long, archivist of the South Central Jurisdiction. “Each one of these pieces have a story to tell, and so as church archivists and historians we want to learn the best way to tell that story. At the convocation, we learn how to not just maintain the records, but to help others learn about themselves through their church's history.”
Registration for the entire convocation is $60, which covers all meals and tours; guest registration for only the dinner banquet is $20. The convocation’s complete schedule, lodging details, and online registration form are available at centenary.edu/scjarchives.
For more information, contact Centenary archivist Chris Brown at 318.869.5462 or archives@centenary.edu.