All May be Saved to the Uttermost

Methodist Archives and Universities

Philip ThornborowLiaison Officer for Methodist Archives

An archive of Methodism1799 Vital records and a basement1848 Fireproof safes and widening scope 1882 Custodian and Committee1923 Back to square two1932 And there’s more: Methodist Union

1956 Serious thought1961 A Methodist Archive and Research Centre1975 Where and how?

1977-1978 Salvation

Why outsource?

• Methodism = A discipleship movement, shaped for mission

• Standards of care

• Support for users

• Professional expertise

• Scholarship in context

Points of tension• Access

• Managing expectations

• Whose collection?

• Changing funding

• What’s the value?• Mission and supporting Methodist learning• Eighteenth century studies and Nonconformist theology• Colonial and postcolonial studies• The back story of American Methodism

Thirty years on• Changes in Universities and Archives

• Changes in communication

• Changes in the audience

• Changes in Methodism

• Structure (Methodist Church House)

• Committees

• The Fruitful Field

The way ahead• New deals

• Aims of the Methodist Heritage Committee

• http://www.methodistheritage.org.uk/ (About us. Our advice)

• http://methodist.org.uk/ (Our reports)

• Collection development

The way ahead (2014-2016)

• Training

• Databases and websites

• MAYC and transfers

•Annual work plan • 2014 Getting back on track

• 2015 Cataloguing Thomas Coke material ?

• 2016 Methodist Women in Britain collection

Wesley’s four “all”s

All need to be savedAll may be savedAll may know that they are savedAll may be saved to the uttermost.