Well, we all know that Moses was the first records manager, and that Adam and Eve were the first people cited for regulatory non-compliance.

But seriously, while John M. has given a credible legal interpretation to this question, there are other issues as well.

On the micro/parish level, there are records of baptisms, weddings, funerals, etc. that qualify as archival material. There are also records of votes at congregational meetings on budgets, by-laws, etc.
 
At the broader level, there are all sorts of records that need to be preserved for organizational, doctrinal, or theological reasons.  I see it as unfortunate that the some of the most authentic records in the Christian church are, at best, several-generation derivatives of the originals.  
 
On the other hand, I am thankful for those records managers and archivists that have made ancient hagiography, like the prophecy of Isaiah and the Dead Sea Scrolls, available thousands of years later.
 
I wish more people would use that as a standard when they apply the "permanent" retention code.
 
Gordy
Gordon E.J. Hoke, CRM
Waukegan, IL USA
[log in to unmask]

List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
To unsubscribe from this list, click the below link. If not already present, place UNSUBSCRIBE RECMGMT-L or UNSUB RECMGMT-L in the body of the message.
mailto:[log in to unmask]