Records Deposit
PC(USA) congregations and mid councils are encouraged to deposit their records with the society at no charge. Original paper records are placed in an environmentally controlled archival storage area with specialized fire detection and security systems, and born-digital/electronic records are preserved through a series of managed activities intended to maintain the integrity, understandability, and renderability of the digital records over time.
Congregations and mid councils retain ownership of records on deposit and may request their return at any time with written authorization from the clerk of session or stated clerk.
Before packing and shipping records to us, please consult your retention schedule or contact the society to make sure you are shipping only records of permanent value.
Create a signed cover letter and an inventory to include with the shipment. If feasible, describe the contents of a shipment item by item. For example:
First Presbyterian Church (Truth or Consequences, N.M.):
Session minutes, 1906-1936.
Session minutes, 1936-1948.
Register, 1906-1948.
Trustees minutes, 1900-1910.
We recommend shipping records in as near their original state as possible. Do not cut the text block out of bound volumes, and do not remove bindings, including any three-ring binders (these protect the text block and pages during shipment). Retain original folders with their labels or group documents into folders so that papers are not loose. Pack materials in a sturdy, corrugated cardboard box, densely enough that volumes are unlikely to shift and insulate the materials from the edges of the box with bubble wrap or packing paper. Please do not use packing peanuts. Finally, do not ship framed photographs under glass or any other hazardous material. Secure your packages with ample shipping tape that is strapped completely around the top and bottom of your boxes.
Records may be hand-delivered or shipped. If shipped, our preferred carrier is United Parcel Service (UPS). Ship records via ground delivery to:
Records Archivist
Presbyterian Historical Society
425 Lombard St.
Philadelphia PA, 19147
Before transferring born-digital records with no paper equivalent, please consult your retention schedule to ensure you include only records of permanent value. To better ensure the preservation of electronic records, we only accept the following formats: PDF or PDF/A, CSV, TXT or a Microsoft Office or Open Office format. Files must be organized and conform with best practices for file naming (example below). If you have any questions, please contact the society.
We make every reasonable effort to follow best practices and established standards that will help support sustained access to permanent electronic records. For more information, visit our Digital Preservation Policy.
Born-digital records may be transfered by the following methods:
Via Email:
Files must be relatively small in size (most email servers allow attachments up to 10 MB) and the quantity of files must be limited.
Do not compress files.
Via file sharing or cloud storage service (e.g. OneDrive, DropBox, etc.):
Suitable for files that are larger in size and/or quantity.
You may request that we provide a transfer folder for you.
