October 2022: Caring for Your Lodge’s Records

The Henry Wilson Coil Library and Museum of Freemasonry is home to thousands of Masonic books, archives, and objects that, taken together, tell the story of Freemasonry in California and beyond. But amassing that collection has been the work of generations. And that means having an eye for what is, and isn’t, extraneous. “It’s important to understand that there are different types of records,” Evans says. “There are the records a lodge creates as part of their everyday business, like membership rolls and tiler’s books, and then there are objects and curiosities it collects over the years.” This differentiation is important, because as nonprofit entities, Masonic lodges have a greater responsibility to preserve one type of record over the other.

To help lodge officials understand those distinctions, Evans has created a Retention Schedule that lodges can refer to that lists what types of records need to be kept and for how long. (The retention schedule is located in iMember, under the “Resources” tile, titled “Inventory and Records Retention Information.”) Evans has also written a guide explaining what kinds of records should be kept, and how to do it. Some records, like annual and semi-annual financial reports, are considered permanent records and should be kept forever. Other types of records, like bank deposits, must be held for at least seven years—but can be tossed after that. “This schedule was produced as a way of answering the question of how long documents need to be kept,” Evans explains.

The retention schedule only deals with official documents, though—not things like letters, photographs, or other lodge paraphernalia. In that case, it’s up to the members of the lodge what to keep or not—although as an archivist, Evans tends to favor organizing and preserving those things. Taken together, they represent the lodge’s material culture and help tell a more complete story of its past. “Generally speaking, I would recommend holding on to the lodge’s ephemera,” Evans says, citing things like “the event brochures, menus, photo albums, and scrapbooks. Those tell the story of your lodge.”

Once you’ve organized the clutter and determined what records need to be kept and which can be tossed, it’s important to store them properly. This can be a fairly significant effort, but one that’s well worth the cost.

There are two important rules to follow when it comes to archiving material: First, keep things out of direct sunlight, which causes material to fade, crack, and disintegrate, and away from damp, which can cause mold to grow. The other bugaboo is pests or rodents, which can chew through just about anything. Wherever your lodge stores its records should be dry, cool, and clear of food, plants, or anything else that may attract insects or critters.

In general, Evans says, store archival material in cardboard boxes rather than plastic bins. Though sturdier than cardboard, plastic containers don’t allow for proper air circulation and can lead to mold growth. Label boxes with a list of its contents so you know what’s in them without having to rummage through them, and then store them safely away. “In the end, I’m just an email away if lodges have any questions about what should or shouldn’t be tossed and how to properly store those records that need to be kept.”

For a much more detailed explanation of storage methods and resources, consult this guidebook produced by the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library. For questions regarding your lodge’s archives, contact Joe Evans, collections manager of the Henry W. Coil Library and Museum of Freemasonry, at jevans@freemason.org.