Archives: Transferring & Donating Materials to the Archives

• Transferring College Records
• Donating Personal Papers
• Taking Care of Records

Transferring College Records to the Archives

The Archives is charged with collecting and preserving the records of administrative units as well as academic or instructional departments and programs. Records which have been identified by the Records Retention and Disposition as "permanent" are transferred directly into the Archives from the creating department, office, or program. Some of these records may be stored temporarily in the Records Center for later transfer.

Types of College Records with Archival Value

• Correspondence about policy, programs, and major events that record the history of the department or office; includes related files and attachments;
• Reports, surveys, and planning documents;
• Policy statements;
• Procedure manuals and guidelines;
• Meeting agendas, minutes, and reports for staff, advisory, and other committees or groups;
• Professional association and organization records that document faculty or staff involvement;
• Press releases and newspaper clippings;
• Publications and articles;
• Photographs, slides, audio and video tapes;
• Brochures, pamphlets, posters;
• Grant final reports;
• Program accreditation records;
• Celebration and special event records.

The institutional records of a college office, department, or program are transferred to the Archives by means of a Transmittal Form.  Permanent records should be transferred to the Archives when they are no longer used in the daily operation of the office and are seldom referred to.  Records can be sent to the Archives at any time, but typically when new filing systems are set up, at times of administrative reorganization, when there is a change in personnel or location, or at specified intervals.

Donating Personal Papers to the Archives

The Archives accepts donations of personal papers or manuscripts that document the careers and contributions of individual board members, faculty, administrators, staff, students, and alumni of the college. Records of organizations that are related to the college and its mission are also accepted. 

Types of Personal Papers with Archival Value

• Correspondence with colleagues, professional organizations, and former students; includes related files and attachments; 
• Teaching materials:  lecture notes, syllabi, course outlines, examinations, reading lists;
• Publications: articles, books, reviews, works of art and music, speeches, professional papers, presentations; 
• Program development records;
• College committee minutes, correspondence, or reports; 
• Honors and awards;
• Resumes or vitae; 
• Photographs, slides, video and sound tapes.

Donating Personal Papers to the Archives - Procedures

When individual faculty, administrators, board members, students, or staff donate their personal or professional papers to the Archives, this donation is documented with a Gift Agreement .  Personal papers or manuscripts may be sent to the Archives at any time but often are donated at the time of retirement, leaving college service, or change in responsibilities or location.

Taking Care of Records

When records are received by the Archives, they are processed according to professional archival standards.  The records will be:

• Arranged in logical groups that maintain the integrity of the records as they were received;
• Preserved in acid-free folders and boxes; 
• Stored in secure storage areas;
• Described in finding aids in both paper and electronic format and on the Archives website;
• Made available for reference and research.