CSI Goes Digital: The Management and Preservation of Your Church’s Digital Files

In the not-too-distant past, church meeting minutes were likely recorded on a pad of paper, a notebook, or a bound record book. But today, meeting minutes and other records are likely to be produced on a computer. But how do we manage these records so that they do not get lost, corrupted, or deleted? How do we prepare electronic documents for long-term preservation? And what are some best practices for digital file management in churches and other organizations?

Join CLA archivists Zachary Bodnar and Billy McCarthy for this Church Stewardship Initiative workshop focused on the management and preservation of digital files. Zachary and Billy will discuss common file types and how to ideally preserve documents. They will also share their advice on how to manage files and folder structures within an organization, as well as how to integrate digital files into an existing records management program. Finally, they will discuss the best practices for digital preservation with an eye towards what is actually feasible for churches and small organizations.

This event is free and open to all, but registration is required via this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9017701990280/WN_z8Ol686wTr-2AibpCIOM-w

After registering, you will receive an email with information about attending the webinar.

Email any questions to programs@14beacon.org.

SPEAKER BIOS

Zachary Bodnar graduated with a Masters of Library and Information Science from Simmons University, with a concentration in archives management, in 2018. Prior to his work at the CLA, Zachary worked at the Bellamy-Ferriday House and Garden archive, the Vassar College Special Collections, the Harvard Law School Library, and the Harvard Botany Libraries. Zachary joined the CLA as an Archives Assistant in 2017, helping to prepare materials for digitization through the New England’s Hidden Histories program. In 2018, he took on the title of Archivist. His professional interests include metadata collection and management, digital archiving, audio/visual preservation, and archives management.

Billy McCarthy graduated with a Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS) at Simmons University with a concentration in Archival Management. He started working at the CLA through a graduate internship and was hired full-time as an Archivist in 2018. Billy is the Head of Reader Services, helping the CLA’s visitors with reference requests and facilitating in-person research. Billy also serves as the collection manager for the archives, working with CLA’s offsite vendor to protect and maintain the organization’s archival records. Some of his professional interests include increasing access, collection management, processing of complex materials, and facilitating research.