Archives Committee:
How Can I Help? We are always looking for assistance: filing and indexing papers and materials, updating and maintaining records of information as to assemblies and those who have served on the Area 10 Committee, transcribing longtimer interviews, preparing displays for viewing at Assemblies and State Conventions. The Archives Committee seeks individuals with a certain passion for their sobriety, for preserving the history of AA in Colorado or for being of service where service is needed. Efforts are underway to develop practices and procedures specific to Area 10 Archives relating to requests for research. Research requests, forms, and longtimer interview release forms, are being developed and will be posted as soon as practicable. In the meantime we will be following as closely as possible the guidelines posted at the G.S.O. web site pertaining to Archives access and confidentiality. ….Thank you and see you at the Area 10 Archives!
Longtimer Interviews – Area 10 Archives is preserving personal histories of the longtimers in Colorado through interviews which ask questions aimed at recording individuals’ impressions of how Colorado AA was, what happened, and what we are like now. The interviews do not reflect the individual’s history so much as the individual’s view of AA in Colorado. The transcripts are a partial picture of our history from individuals’ perspectives. The complete picture of our history is not contained in these documents. All interviews are transcribed and stored in a format that protects the anonymity of the person interviewed, as well as anyone whose name might have been mentioned in the session. Longtimer interviews are excerpted from time to time and shared in service meetings in such a way as to shed light on particular issues while preserving anonymity. The interviews are the intellectual property of Area 10 with expressed permission obtained by those interviewed to be used by AA members who are authorized by the Area with delegated authority to use the materials for the purpose of assisting the Area to conduct its affairs or meets another accepted criteria for release. It is the responsibility of the Area Archives Chairperson to authorize access of these materials to AA members whose purpose satisfies the purpose of assisting the Area to conduct its affairs. The interview format was developed to reach the heart of how the Group’s message was in the past carried to the newcomer and how this may be different today, how we have handled disagreements over issues that could have lasting impact on the fellowship as a whole, how our approaches have in some cases changed over time, and to what extent the Traditions and Concepts have guided our process in sorting through these affairs.
Group Histories – We also strive to keep good information about the Groups that make up Area 10. We have a Group History Form that can be filled out by any Group that wishes to have its history available for others to see or for their own members to look back and reflect on.
The District Archives Chair How can the Area Archives Committee serve the Groups and Districts, specifically? We ask that all Districts send to Archives a copy of their District meeting minutes, which is then filed in the District’s folder. Any time a District holds an inventory, the inventory results can be sent to us as well. If the District holds a workshop, please send us a flyer. We also like to be invited to attend service workshops sponsored by Districts or Groups so we can carry the message of what we do for the members of our fellowship. Groups are welcome to send us their records. Some Districts are fortunate and have a file cabinet and/or storage area within their District for storing their own archives. It still remains for a District Archives Chair to maintain the files and records and for the Groups to contribute to those records.
from GSO… “Like any other A.A. service, the primary purpose of those involved in archival work is to carry the message of Alcoholics Anonymous. Archives service work is more than mere custodial activity; it is the means by which we collect, preserve and share the rich and meaningful heritage of our Fellowship.” Reprinted from A.A. Guidelines, Archives, page 1, with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, or you would like more information, please contact:
Area 10 Archives Chair at archives@coloradoaa.org
Monthly Meetings:
- Where: The Repository – 8101 Colfax Ave., Lakewood, CO 80214
- Virtual access: email archives@coloradoaa.org for ID and password
- When: The 4th Saturday of the month from 10am to noon with the exception of March and November which will be canceled. December will be Zoom only.