Collection Policy for Personal Papers of Faculty, Staff, and Alumni
Mission: The University of Illinois at Chicago, University Archives is the
official repository for records with permanent historical value from the University
of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). In addition to the records of the colleges, departments,
and campus units at UIC, the University Archives also includes selected professional
and personal manuscripts of faculty, staff, students, and alumni that may be
given to the University for preservation and use. The Archives preserves and
makes these documents available to aid in research on the history of the institution
and on the development of academic disciplines. The personal papers of faculty
and staff provide a rich source for historical research.
Acquisition Guidelines: Due to limited space, the University Archives cannot
accept the personal papers of all faculty, staff, and alumni. Priority will
be first given to collections that substantially supplement the official records
of the University. The second priority will be to collections that support
the acquisition programs of the Special Collections Departments.
Collections that document the evolution of specific scholarly disciplines
or the participation of faculty, staff, and alumni in events or organizations
outside of the University of Illinois will be considered on a case-by-case
basis.
Specific examples of material commonly found in the personal papers of faculty,
staff, and alumni are found in Appendix A of this policy.
Privacy: Due to federal and state privacy laws, the University Archives may
restrict portions of collections that appear to contain student records, medical
records, or other records or research material containing personally identifiable
information. If a collection contains any of these records, please notify the
archivist prior to transferring the collection so that adequate measures can
be implemented to protect the privacy of third parties whose records may be
in the collection.
Cooperation with other institutions: The University Archives will work with
other Chicago-area repositories to find the most appropriate home for the personal
papers of faculty, staff, and alumni. The repository will not collect out of
scope material that would more appropriately fit into the collections of neighboring
repositories.
Statement of Deaccessioning Policy: The University Library reserves the right
to deaccession collections of personal papers that do not meet current collection
criteria subject to donor agreements, University regulations, and state law.
The following guidelines will assist faculty and staff in identifying those
portions of their files that may be appropriate for transfer to the Archives.
Items likely to be of archival interest include:
- Biographical information: resumes, vitae, bibliographies, memoirs, genealogies,
published and manuscript biographical sketches;
- University official correspondence and files: outgoing and incoming letters
and memoranda relating to departmental and University business, committee minutes,
reports, and files (see privacy statement below);
- Professional correspondence (outgoing and incoming) with colleagues, publishers,
professional organizations, and former students;
- Teaching material: one copy of lecture notes, syllabi, course outlines,
reading lists, examinations, and correspondence with students (see privacy
statement below);
- Publications: one copy of the final product of all articles, books, reviews,
speeches, or works of art;
- Audio-visuals: photographs, films, and sound and video recordings;
- Personal and family correspondence, diaries, photographs. (see privacy
statement below)
Items that generally should not be transferred without prior consultation
with the Archivist include:
- Detailed financial records, canceled checks, and receipts;
- Routing correspondence especially non-personally addressed mail and routine
letters of transmittal and acknowledgement;
- Grade books and class rosters;
- Duplicates and multiple copies of publications, course materials; all other
material: keep only the original and heavily annotated copies;
- Typescripts, drafts, and galleys of publications and speeches unless the
final publication or presentation copy is unavailable;
- Books, research papers, journal articles, and reprints written by other
persons;
- Research notes and data if a summary of the data is available and transferred;
bibliographic notes and notes on reading. Because of wide variations in the
nature of research data, it is best to consult with the Archivist before discarding
research notes and data (see privacy statement below);
- Artifacts and memorabilia. The Archives does not collect non-documentary
objects except in cases of great importance and manageable physical size and
condition. Please call the Archivist to discuss options for preservation of
such objects.
Materials should be transferred in the order in which the faculty or staff
member maintained them. A letter briefly identifying the materials and describing
the activity to which they relate should accompany the transfer.
Privacy: Please notify the University Archivist if the papers contain medical
records; student records to include student assignments with identifiable names;
data collected through intervention or interaction with the individual; identifiable
private information; or personnel/search files. While these records frequently
contain useful historical information, they may also be covered by federal
or state privacy laws and may require special handling.
This list is intended as a general guide. Because of broad variations in personal
papers, it is advisable to consult with the Archivist to determine how your
own files relate to these guidelines. Exceptions often are made after a review
of the conditions under which the documents were generated and their potential
usefulness. Please telephone the Archivist by phone at 312-996-2742 or by e-mail
at lib-spec@uic.edu.
WHEN IN DOUBT, DO NOT THROW IT OUT!
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