Status and Authority The Union Archivist reports to the Director of St Mary’s Convent, Handsworth and the Mercy Union Leadership Team.
Mission The Archive of The Union of the Sisters of Mercy of Great Britain (hereafter GB) exists to record the history and activities of The Union of the Sisters of Mercy GB. The Archive promotes a study of Mercy heritage for renewed inspiration and works towards the dissemination of information about Mercy heritage to members of the Mercy congregation and to a wider public.
Aims The aims of the Archive are: to advise Sisters of Mercy on the protection and management of historical documents within Mercy Convents; and to acquire, protect, preserve, and make available to researchers and others, as needed, the documents and other artefacts in its holdings. It also seeks, where applicable, to use Mercy archives for display in St Mary’s Convent, Heritage Centre, Handsworth.
Acquisition policy The Archive is the place of deposit for The Union of the Sisters of Mercy GB. It seeks to acquire records belonging to or relating to The Union of the Sisters of Mercy GB [and their Foundress, Catherine McAuley], and associated ecclesiastical personages; legal and administrative documentation of Convents of Mercy; Mercy schools; hospitals; nursing and care homes and Mercy missions, as will support and illuminate documented Mercy Heritage.
Maintenance and preservation The Archive of The Union of the Sisters of Mercy GB cannot provide a storage environment that consistently conforms to PD5454:2012 Guide for the storage and exhibition of archival materials. However, regular monitoring of storage area takes place and action taken wherever possible to keep a balanced environment avoiding excessive fluctuation in temperature and relative humidity. Archives will be arranged, described and catalogued to a recognised professional standard. The archives are kept within a secure store and access is restricted to the Archivist and, at times, the convent Director.
Access Unless otherwise agreed at time of acquisition and subject to any legislative exemptions that may apply, archives acquired by the Union Archive will be made available for use by The Union of the Sisters of Mercy GB and other researchers, in conformity with documented access procedures and its own access policy. Information contained in accessible archives may be copied at the request of users but subject to the discretion of the Union Archivist, when necessary, in consultation with Congregational Leader(s). Copying will take place subject to standard reprographic procedures and in conformity with copyright legislation.
Processing of data – GDPR and DPA The Union of the Sisters of Mercy GB maintains an archive to serve the needs of the congregation and for wider purposes. We archive to secure the permanent availability of recorded memory; to enable research and investigation; enable long-term accountability; discovery of personal, community and organisational memory and to enable educational use. The Archive of The Union of the Sisters of Mercy GB works under the provisions of General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 (UK). Data is processed and material archived under article 89 (GDPR) and sec. 19 in the Data Protection Act 2018: Processing for archiving purposes in the public interest. Access to material in the archive is provided only in line with our own closure periods, designated at the time of accession and cataloguing, and with consideration of the need to avoid substantial damage or distress to a data subject. If a complaint is received indicating that a data subject has suffered distress, the archive service will consider the following: reclosure/takedown; adding a supplementary statement to the record or amending/adding metadata to a catalogue description. The right to erasure under data protection law is not absolute and does not apply if processing is necessary for archiving purposes in the public interest. We would consider requests on a case-by-case basis.