WCC NEWS: WCC archivist reflects on refining history, preserving memory

 

Anne-Emmanuelle Tankam-Tene, after serving for 15 years as the World Council of Churches (WCC) archivist, is taking a new role as an archivist for the City of Geneva. Photo: Fr. Andria Saria/WCC 21 May 2026 Over 15 years, Tankam-Tene, working closely with colleagues, has contributed to building up a collection of digitised WCC publications, freely accessible on a dedicated page. “Preserving archives or publications only makes sense if we make them accessible to as many people as possible,” she said. “The collection of digitised publications on the internet archive page is a resource much appreciated by our researchers, our colleagues and ourselves, as it enables us to refine our understanding of the history of the ecumenical movement.” Tankam-Tene was also involved in preserving the WCC’s physical archives, which build the institutional history of the WCC since the early 20th century, including the organisations that preceded the founding of the WCC.  "I am pleased to have gained a better understanding of them over the years, as well as greater control over them,” she said. “When I arrived, there was a great deal of material we knew nothing about!” The relocation of the archives forced the WCC to examine them and to donate or discard what was not essential to the preservation of the institutional memory.  “Over the last 15 years, there has been a clear shift to digital,” reflected Tankam-Tene. “Although we are still a long way from a paperless office for day-to-day operations, nobody files paper documents anymore, with a view to transferring them to the archives,” she said. “This presents numerous information management challenges, with significant risks of data loss for the institutional memory and all the uncertainties associated with the long-term preservation of digital archives.” Tankam-Tene is seeing the same shift to digital among users as among producers: researchers increasingly expect to be able to access sources online without having to travel, and to be able to perform full-text searches within archival collections.  “This presents challenges not only in terms of the resources required to digitize analogue content, but also in terms of controlling access to the data and its further use,” she said. “When research is carried out on site, it allows for direct interaction with the researcher.” In other words, the archivists knows who the researchers are and what their project is all about. “Data that is freely accessible online no longer allows for this exchange or this form of control,” said Tankam-Tene. “This is even more critical today, given the development of artificial intelligence models and their voracious appetite for data." As she transitions into her new role, she looks back with fondness and a sense of accomplishment. “Although I am leaving the WCC with a heavy heart after all these years, I am looking forward to the new opportunity offered to me,” she said. See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland