Policies

The Archives of the Archdiocese of Seattle provides assistance for requests relating to the history of the Catholic Church in Western Washington, reference access to general archival holdings, and answers any questions and concerns relating to preservation of the history of the Archdiocese.

Before requesting records and other research, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the following policies. This will expedite most inquiries.

Records Retention Schedule for Parishes & Faith Communities Policies describing the lengths of time various classes of parish records must be kept and what is to be done with them when these periods have expired. These policies supercede the records retention schedule in "Many Gifts, One Spirit."	View
Records Retention Schedule for Archdiocesan Catholic Schools Policies describing the lengths of time various classes of Archdiocesan school records must be kept and what is to be done with them when these periods have expired. These policies supercede the records retention schedule in "Many Gifts, One Spirit."	View
Records Retention Schedule for the Chancery Policies describing the lengths of time various classes of Chancery records must be kept and what is to be done with them when these periods have expired.	View
Electronic Records Migration Form The form used when migrating parish or school records from hard drives, external storage devices, email accounts, smart phones, etc. to another storage device.	View

Sacramental Records Diocesan policies governing the recording, maintenance, and care of sacramental records at parishes.	View
Archives and Records Management Diocesan policies governing the management of records as well as the creation of archives and records management programs at parishes, schools, and faith communities.	View

Policies for Researchers Includes general guidelines, photo handling procedures, use and access restrictions, duplication fees, and quotation and publication requirements.	View
Sacramental Records Policy and Request Policies concerning access to records of baptism, first communion, confirmation, marriage, etc. housed in the Archives. Also includes instructions for requesting records.	View
Transcript/Student Records Policies governing the issuance of student transcripts from closed Archdiocesan educational institutions, including seminaries and elementary and high schools.	View
Acquisition Policy Policies outlining what materials the Archives will acquire and the conditions which affect their acquisition.	View
Deaccession Policy Policies governing the formal removal and disposition of records and other materials from the permanent holdings of the Archives	View