Meeting Libraries and Records
Giving professional advice and guidance on Quaker archives and records, and meeting libraries are the responsibilities of the Library Committee of Quaker Life and the staff of Friends House Library.
Guidance for Meeting Librarians
The Library at Friends House has produced a series of guides to help Friends run the meeting library:
- Cataloguing and arranging the meeting library [Word: 151kb -new window]
- Equipment for a meeting library [Word: 137kb - new window]
- Disposing of unwanted books [Word: 365kb - new window]
- Caring for your books [Word: 134kb - new window]
- Promoting the meeting library [Word: 93kb - new window]
- Web Resources for Meeting Librarians [Word: 178kb - new window]
The Library has also produced two joint guides for Meeting Librarians and Custodians of Records:
- Disaster preparedness [PDF: 183kb - new window]
- Creating exhibitions and displays (coming in 2011)
For further information, see the Support for Meetings section of the Library pages.
Meetings' records
If you look after your meeting's records and archives, the Library has produced the following guides to help and guide you. The guides set out the responsibilities of Clerks and Custodians of Records for the good stewardship of records; outline good practice on the creation, care and preservation of records; and give practical advice on what materials to use when creating records, which records should be kept, how to care for them and keep them safe and secure.
- The job of the Custodian of Records [PDF: 173kb - new window]
- Meeting records and their retention and disposal [PDF: 208kb - new window]
- Legislation affecting records and record-keeping [PDF: 282kb - new window]
- Creation to curation of records [PDF: 228kb - new window]
- Minutes and supporting papers [PDF: 240kb - new window]
- Electronic records [PDF: 309kb - new window]
- Preservation and storage of records and archives [PDF: 230kb - new window]
- Use and access to records and archives [PDF: 172kb - new window]
- Depositing archives with appropriate repositories [PDF: 159kb - new window]
- Disaster preparedness [PDF: 180kb - new window]
- Creating exhibitions and displays (coming in 2011)
- Records equipment and suppliers [PDF: 130kb - new window]
- Glossary of records management terms [PDF: 111kb - new window]
- Frequently Asked Questions (coming in 2011)
If you are unable to open or print out the guides, then please contact the Library. These guides replace Your Meeting's Records: a handbook for clerks and custodians of records. 2nd edition. Quaker Books, 2004. ISBN: 0 85245 363 9.
The staff at Friends House Library can also advise on matters relating to meeting's records and meeting libraries. Contact: The Library, tel: 020 7663 1135 ; email: library@quaker.org.uk. Friends House, Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ
