Faculty papers have constituted an important part of the institutional memory of Penn State, documenting the intellectual, administrative and teaching contributions from Penn State’s academic community. The University Archives is committed to continuing to document this important aspect of the institution’s history, but due to resource constraints, we are not currently accepting unsolicited offers of faculty papers.
What to Expect When You Donate Faculty Papers
Some preparation is required when considering a donation. Before reaching out about donating your faculty papers, please consider the following:
- We will want to better understand the research value of your papers. What makes them important? What do they document? How do you expect future researchers may utilize them?
- We will want to know how much material there is – e.g. number of boxes, or drawers in a filing cabinet.
- We will want to know how the material is organized. Are files in order, with clear titles, descriptions and dates? We will ask you to prepare an inventory as part of any donation.
- We will want to know what types of records are present. We are primarily interested in textual works (especially correspondence, unpublished writings, speeches, journals, reports, research files), but will also consider other relevant formats like photographs, audio and video recordings, etc. We are also interested in records that might explore multiple roles that faculty have – as researchers, instructors and administrators.
- We will want to know if any digital material is present, and whether such files are originals or copies of paper files.
- We will want to know the condition of the materials. We cannot accept materials that have been damaged or impacted by mold or pests.
- We will want to know if there are any materials of a private nature you would feel uncomfortable being made publicly accessible. If so, do not donate it.
Once these questions have been resolved, we will work with you to prepare the transfer. We will share a template to prepare your inventory, and in certain cases we can provide supplies (e.g. archival folders and boxes). For digital materials, we will share an online location for loading files. All donations to the University Archives will require the completion of a signed deed of gift, which conveys custody (but not necessarily copyright) to the University so that we may responsibly steward and provide access to the collection.
Materials that will not be collected
The following types of records will generally not be accepted:
- Published works (generally can be found in circulating collection or library databases)
- Routine correspondence
- Grade books and class rosters
- Student records, including exams, student papers, graded assignments, recommendation letters
- Personnel records, including faculty dossiers, annual evaluations, letters of recommendation, and search committee files. (CVs and dossier narratives are acceptable.)
- Materials that contain personally-identifiable information (PII), e.g. financial records, checks, receipts, travel forms, medical records, social security numbers (SSNs), passports
- Multiple copies of the same item
- Blank forms
- Artifacts and memorabilia like trophies, framed items, award plaques
- Research copies of archival material preserved at other libraries and archives