IPHC Archives is continually working to preserve this great denomination’s more than 100 years of history. This effort, currently headed by Dr. Kristen Welch and Rev. Cherie McDade, lends itself to being a part of other societies, and most recently, the Oklahoma Historical Society digital partnership was established.
According to its website, the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) was founded on May 27, 1893, “by members of the Territorial Press Association to preserve newspapers.” OHS has grown significantly since its founding with “numerous collections, programs, research centers, museums, historic homes, and military sites across the state.” OHS’ many partners include libraries, county and local historical societies, historical sites, and many others, totaling 31 partners. Dr. Welch explains why this collaboration is important: “The OHS research center gets over a million visits a year, and we want our history to be accessible, or we will be forgotten. Today’s graduate student expects immediate, online access. They do not have the time or financial resources to visit us, so we must work diligently to continue making our resources easily accessible. This new partnership means that when anyone interested in history does research on Pentecostalism in Oklahoma, we are more likely to come up. By making our history visible and accessible, we won’t get left out of the story of this state and its people, which includes many in the IPHC.”
To visit the Oklahoma Historical Society’s website, visit: https://gateway.okhistory.org/explore/partners/IPHCA/
Another exciting addition to the IPHC Archives webpage is “What’s Happening in Archives.” Since much work is still to be done, and Archives are constantly receiving new donations and collections, Dr. Welch has added this page to keep IPHC up to date. Learn more about what is happening here: https://iphc.org/gso/whats-happening-in-archives/
