Kei Muri Māpara signs a deal for Recollect
In the July 26, 1930 edition of The New Zealand Methodist Times, the then Connexional Secretary, Rev. Rugby Pratt, who amongst his many duties was also responsible for the custody of early church records, reported that:
‘A card index has been compiled which is the forerunner of what the Custodian of Records hopes some day will be a properly arranged and classified catalogue of all the valuable documents dealing with our history.’
Almost 100 years later this dream is set to be realised, as the Board of Administration approved the purchase of a Recollect software subscription for Kei Muri Māpara in May this year, with the implementation phase of the project supported by a generous grant from the PAC Trust in late July. In August, myself and fellow Methodist Archivist Jennie Hood concluded a deal with New Zealand Micrographics (NZMS) who will provide the new system, which will act as both an online catalogue and also as a curated digital exhibition space for MCNZ’s precious archival taonga.
Kei Muri Māpara holds unique and historically important collections, amounting to about 1.5km of original records. Currently our collection holdings are listed on MS Excel spreadsheets and MS Word documents (about 155 separate lists and counting!) which are at high risk of data loss or corruption. Our digitised holdings, if online, are buried on the MCNZ website, and can be difficult to find and use effectively. Until now we have had no platform to effectively manage born-digital records considered to be of long-term value. Acquiring Recollect is a key step on our digital transformation journey, and we are excited to be working towards a November 2023 launch date for our new Recollect website.
Recollect is a specialist online collection management software and community engagement solution which was developed in New Zealand by NZMS for the Cultural Heritage and Archival sectors locally. Its usership has grown rapidly, and currently over 100 organisations across Aotearoa, Australia, and now North America are using the software – including similar organisations to ours, such as the John Kinder Theological Library in Auckland, and the Presbyterian Research Centre in Dunedin.
Our new Recollect site will allow researchers in Aotearoa and abroad to access our digitised holdings (such as Methodist newspapers and magazines, photographs, and Minutes of Conference), our indexes, and our catalogue in a user-friendly and attractive online environment. We already have significant additional digitisation projects underway, or in the planning phase, including digitising our unrestricted baptism registers (those over 100 years-old), and our glass plate negatives recording missionary activity across the Pacific.
Having a modern and robust online platform such as Recollect to help preserve and display our documentary heritage is imperative, and will help us, as archivists, to ensure that the rich and diverse multicultural fabric of the Church – past, present, and future – continues to be reflected and recorded for current and future generations.
In addition to supporting the wider Connexion with their requests for archived information, we archivists are also available to support the general public with their historical research enquiries, online or in person . Contact details, and comprehensive information about holdings and services can be found on the Methodist Archives website: