[Dialogue] EI and ICA Global Archives - Thoughts

[Beret Griffith]

Colleagues,

Since much of the work documented in the Global Archives includes 
international work, perhaps the Global Archives might best be kept in 
the care of ICA International. I assume the Global Archives where 
housed at Kemper because there wasn't another location permanent 
enough, or with enough space to house them. I don't have a clue 
whether ICA International has any interest in taking on the archives.

If the Global Archives were in the care of ICA International I think 
it might be possible to raise funds to move, sort, catalog and care 
for them if that actually is of interest to folks.

I have an affection for the old material because I have experienced 
material as still relevant and valuable. In 2003 I volunteered, 
reluctantly actually, to plan and oversee the Member Loan Campaign 
for the local food co-op Ron and I helped to launch in our community. 
I went back to some old development notes I had stashed away, from 
New York Region development days in the '70's, 80's. From one folder 
got what I needed to do a proposed plan. It took about 30 minutes of 
looking material over and another hour with a colleague I asked to 
help me (the recently retired as Acquisitions Librarian for the 
Library of Congress) to refine the plan. With a team of about nine 
people, in 2004 we raised a little over $370,000 in member loans over 
a period of roughly eight months.

I used huge amounts of archival material (much of it in my own files) 
when I wrote A Chronological History - 1952-1994 of The Ecumenical 
Institute and The Institute of Cultural Affairs. Over fifty people 
were a part of giving input to the document and it was proofed by 
several old hands. That document, along with the fabulous 
accompanying charts that Brian Stanfield created in 1992, give an 
overview of the work of EI and ICA over 40 years. Updating it all to 
the fall of 2006 would be another task. Both the Chronological 
History text and charts  are in The Repository files - a guide to the 
comprehensiveness and complexity of the work of EI/ICA over the years.

When Betty, Marge and Audrey Ayres were working regularly in the 
archives I occasionally thought of a document I would like to have. A 
call to them was all it took. The work they did to get us the Golden 
CD was a heroic job.

In reference to an earlier note from Pat Tuecke, when I did some work 
with the Archive Angels around 1996 I do recall seeing the old 
assignment sheets. The collection is full of treasures.

By the way I just got the ICA International 2006 Annual Report and it 
is terrific!

Beret Griffith




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