Special Collections and Archives

Donation Guidelines

PROCESS FOR DONATING

Special Collections faculty work closely with donors to identify materials appropriate for our collection. When possible, donors are encouraged to provide an inventory or overall summary of the collection for review. Whenever possible, and especially in the case of large donations, faculty require some form of condition assessment, whether that is a viewing of the full collection or with a representative sample. If you have material that you feel would be of interest to the collection, please contact Patrick Crowley (crowleyp5@southernct.edu) to discuss your collection and how Buley Library Special Collections can support and employ it in the educational mission of SCSU.

After the faculty and the donor have agreed in principle that the materials are appropriate for Special Collections and that they are in a condition to be integrated into the collections, they will arrange to have the materials transported to Buley Library where materials will be accessioned and stored for processing, arrangement, and description by faculty and staff.

Legal transfer of the materials from the donor to the University occurs when the donor reviews and signs an Acknowledgement of Objects Received (or Deed of Gift) agreement. The agreement formally transfers ownership of the materials to the University. Unless otherwise arranged specifically in the Deed of Gift, Buley Library reserves the right to responsibly reallocate material donated to us in accordance with best practices of the field so as to best serve the library (e.g. readily available and recently published material may be integrated into general collections; items which show evidence of mold or mildew that may endanger the given or other collections may be weeded, etc.).

The University cannot invest materials and labor in the care of collections which it does not own. Therefore, we cannot accept materials on deposit or loan.

COPYRIGHT

Copyright generally belongs to the creator of written and other original material (such as photographs and music), and can be legally transferred. To enable scholars to quote readily from collections, donors are encouraged to transfer any copyright which they possess in to the University. Transfer of also makes it possible for the Buley Library to create digital access so they can be used worldwide.

VALUATION

Southern Connecticut State University cannot make valuations or appraisals for donations. Internal valuations are made to Southern Connecticut State University for insurance and donor recognition purposes. A donor’s appraisal will support the charitable contribution deduction claim on IRS returns.

COLLECTION STORAGE AND CARE

To ensure their protection and preservation, collections are stored in secure areas, and rarely leave Special Collections. Staff members retrieve collections for use in a supervised reading room.
Staff will arrange and describe collections according best practices. Descriptive guides/finding aids are created for archival, manuscript and realia collections to facilitate use.  Records for each collection will be placed on the Special Collections website. All books will be catalogued on the Library online catalog; when appropriate others may be described on the website as well.

MONETARY SUPPORT

Preserving valuable collections and creating online guides require space, preservation materials, and staff time to responsibly care for. Monetary support for supplies and extra processing staff can make a great difference in the time it takes to process a collection and the speed with which it is properly housed up to preservation standards. Donors who are able to do so are encouraged to provide financial support for the arrangement, description, and preservation of their papers or collections. Monetary contributions are also sought to support the acquisition, preservation, digitization, exhibition, and promotion of materials. If you are interested in making a monetary donation to support Special Collections, please contact: Lisa Bier, Acting Director, of Buley Library (203) 392-5771.

The information in this page is based, in part, on resources developed by Florida State University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.