Donations
We build much of our collection through generous donations and welcome inquiries about donating items relevant to our collecting areas. Materials of interest include the following:
- Official records of North Park University and the Evangelical Covenant Church;
- Records of Chicago-area businesses, clubs, organizations, and persons active in Chicago’s Swedish-American community;
- Personal papers of families and individuals active in these institutions.
If you are interested in making a donation, please contact the archivist. We can only accept donations after consultation with staff and with the completion of the appropriate forms.
Record Transfers
We also build our collection through regular record transfers from the Evangelical Covenant Church and North Park University. The Archives seeks records of lasting historical value including the following types of records:
- Correspondence, memos, and subject files documenting projects, activities, and functions;
- Meeting minutes and reports;
- Files documenting policies, decisions, committees and task forces;
- Publications;
- Audiovisual material including photographs, films, and other recordings.
These are general guidelines; please contact the Archives with any specific questions or concerns.
Collection Development Policies
Mission
The mission of the Covenant Archives and Historical Library, which includes the North Park University Archives, is to support the activities and goals of the Evangelical Covenant Church and North Park University. This support is accomplished through identifying, collecting, preserving and making accessible those records of enduring value which document the above institutions. The collection is for the use of the Covenant Church, the University, and the general public.
Statement of Authority
The Covenant Archives was created by official action at the Evangelical Covenant Church’s Annual Meeting held at North Park in 1935. The Archives has been housed at North Park since 1953. The denomination retains ownership of the materials. The Archives is part of and administered by the University Library.
Collection Development Policy
The Archives will actively collect and make accessible records based upon their support of the above mission and the missions of the parent institutions. All recorded information, regardless of format or characteristics, made or received and maintained by an office, organization, or person will be considered for the collection. The collection will be developed by the expertise of the professional staff as well as through the recommendations of the Evangelical Covenant Church’s administration and the Commission on Covenant History, and North Park University administration.
Records of the Evangelical Covenant Church will be actively collected and made accessible according to the following general guidelines, with the implied precedence:
- Administrative records of Evangelical Covenant Church departments, Boards, and Commissions.
- Personal papers and collections documenting clergy, missionaries, educators and other leaders carrying out the mission of the ECC.
- Publications issued from ECC or authored by Covenant persons.
The following records will be collected and made accessible only if the institution ceases to exist or is unable to care for their own records: ECC Conferences and Regional Institutions; ECC Camps; Individual member Churches; Benevolent Institutions; Educational Institutions other than North Park University; International Churches Associated with the ECC; Other Covenant organizations.
The Archives will not collect or maintain the documentary record of the Covenant Church of Sweden or Norway, or non-Covenant organizations or persons. Artifacts are not sought for the collection but will be considered by the professional staff on a case-by-case basis.
Collection guidelines based on policy endorsed by the Commission on Covenant History, January 26, 1999.
Mission
The mission of the Covenant Archives and Historical Library, which includes the North Park University Archives, is to support the activities and goals of the Evangelical Covenant Church and North Park University. This support is accomplished through identifying, collecting, preserving and making accessible those records of enduring value which document the above institutions. The collection is for the use of the Covenant Church, the University, and the general public.
Statement of Authority
The Covenant Archives was created by official action at the Evangelical Covenant Church’s Annual Meeting held at North Park in 1935. The Archives has been housed at North Park since 1953. The denomination retains ownership of the materials. The Archives is part of and administered by the University Library.
Collection Development Policy
The Archives will actively collect and make accessible records based upon their support of the above mission and the missions of the parent institutions. All recorded information, regardless of format or characteristics, made or received and maintained by an office, organization, or person will be considered for the collection. The collection will be developed by the expertise of the professional staff as well as through the recommendations of the Evangelical Covenant Church’s administration, the Commission on Covenant History, and North Park University administration.
North Park University records will be actively collected and made accessible according to the following general guidelines, with the implied precedence:
- Administrative records of North Park University
- Personal papers and collections documenting faculty, students, and administrators carrying out the mission of North Park University.
- Publications issued by North Park University
Collection guidelines based on policy endorsed by the Commission on Covenant History, January 26, 1999.
The mission of the Swedish-American Archives of Greater Chicago (SAAGC) is to support the activities and goals of the Swedish-American Historical Society and North Park University by identifying, collecting, preserving and making accessible the documentary record of the Swedish-American community in Chicago. The SAAGC is a research collection for the use of the Society, the campus community, and the general public.
Statement of Authority
The Swedish-American Archives of Greater Chicago (SAAGC) was established in 1968 by the Swedish Pioneer Historical Society (renamed in 1983 the Swedish-American Historical Society). The Society retains ownership of the collection. In 1986, North Park University through its Center for Scandinavian Studies became the legal trustee of the SAAGC. The SAAGC is part of and administered by the North Park University Library.
Collection Development Policy
The SAAGC will collect documentary materials based upon their support of the above mission and along the following guidelines and priorities. All recorded information, regardless of format or characteristics, will be considered for the collection. Records and resources will be appraised based on historical, informational, legal, fiscal, administrative, and/or intrinsic values. The collection will be developed by the expertise of professional staff as well as through recommendations from the Society and North Park University’s Center for Scandinavian Studies. The SAAGC will collect within a general time frame of 1846 through the present:
- The records of greater Chicago area Swedish-American organizations, associations, and businesses, and those involved with the Swedish-American community.
- The personal papers of greater Chicago area Swedish-Americans or those involved in the community.
- Primary source material supporting the understanding of the Swedish immigrant experience in greater Chicago.
- Published materials: (Swedish or English language)
- Publications issued in greater Chicago.
- Publications documenting the Swedish-American experience in greater Chicago.
- Collections supporting the manuscript collections.
Material outside of this scope, (including those documenting Scandinavia, the general immigrant experience in America, and Swedish-Americans in other geographic areas), will generally not be accepted. The professional staff will make every effort to refer donors with out-of-scope material to an appropriate repository and will cooperate with other local and national repositories with related collecting missions. Collections will be accepted by legal deed of gift only. Because of space, conservation, and research considerations, artifacts are not sought for the collection but will be considered by the professional staff on a case-by-case basis.
Approved by the Board of the Center for Scandinavian Studies, North Park University, April 13, 2000
Approved by the Board of the Swedish-American Historical Society, April 29, 2000