Title: ELCA Archives Move to New Location
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

June 21, 1999

ELCA ARCHIVES MOVE TO NEW LOCATION
99-161-LS*

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Archives and Records Center of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) recently moved to a new
location in suburban Elk Grove Village, Ill., according to Elisabeth C.
Wittman,director for archives of the ELCA. The move began May 26 and was
completed June 11.
     The archives were located formerly in the Village of Rosemont,
also a suburb of Chicago. The Rev. Lowell G. Almen, secretary of the
ELCA, said the village sought the property for development and purchased
it from the ELCA last fall.
     "The decision of the Village of Rosemont required that a new
location be found," Almen said. "A building formerly used by a printing
company was located that had adequate space for archival offices,
research facilities and climate-controlled storage."
     The move made it possible to create a more suitable space for a
denominational archive, Wittman said. The new facility is better
equipped with security and temperature control, she said.
     "The archives are much more secure as well as accessible to
researchers in the church and beyond," said Wittman.
     Other new features of the new building include a room for
researchers to use, space for volunteer workers and an audiovisual
viewing area.
     "Computer equipment was upgraded to provide connections between
the churchwide office and the archives building as well as to serve a
growing need for online communication and access to records," Almen
said.
     The archives contain documents for the ELCA as well as predecessor
church bodies, said Wittman. The Helen M. Knubel Archives of Cooperative
Lutheranism are housed there. This collection includes records of
inter-Lutheran agencies and organizations such as Lutheran World Relief and
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, said Wittman.
     "The archives document a record of a journey of faith," said
Almen.
     The mission of the archives is to keep records for historical and
legal purposes, said Wittman. "The new building makes it possible for us
to carry out that mission," said Wittman.

[*Lisa Smith is a senior at Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa. This summer,
she is an intern with ELCA News and Information.]

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html