Donating Materials
What materials does the Archives accept?
The Archives is primarily interested in materials in any format (paper, audio, visual, etc) that is relevant to the history of the University from its beginning in 1846 to present. For three-dimensional artifacts, we determine eligibility on a case-by-case basis.
Acquisitions must be in good enough condition to merit use or be transferable to an acceptable preservation medium. Items in poor condition will not be accepted unless affordable provisions can be made for their conservation. The value and uniqueness of the item will be considered as well as the capability of the Archives' facility to preserve such materials.
The Archives will not accept materials that it cannot afford to accession, process, store, and provide sufficient access to patrons (unless provisions are made for such costs).
Are there guidelines I need to follow?
- Contact the archives to see if we need the materials. If you can’t wait for a response, go ahead and send them, but please email to let us know they’re coming.
- Clearly label the materials with what department and/or person they are from.
- Include all background information that you know about the materials, i.e. summary of contents, what time span they cover, how and/or why they were created, any persons involved, etc. The more context we know about the materials, the more valuable they become.
- See also Guidelines for Transferring Files (.pdf).
Are there materials that you need in particular?
We are interested in any and all materials that pertain to University history, so if you think you have something like that, let us know! We will work together to determine what they are and if we need them.
In particular, there are some items we are especially interested in:
- Publications: For several of our publications, we are missing issues. If you have Illiums, Echoes, Catalogs, Taylor Magazines, etc that you wish to give away, please contact us. We may need them!
- Campus Life: Residence Hall traditions, personal anecdotes regarding Taylor in general or how a professor influenced you, etc – all the human interest stories that convey what it’s like to work, live, and study at Taylor University.
- For a complete listing of other types of materials we collect, please see “What Do I Send to the Archives?” (.pdf)
Keep in mind that what we know and take for granted today (e.g. what buildings exist on campus, what a typical dorm room looks like, that chapel is three times a week, etc.) may not exist or be common knowledge in 50 years. For example, one question we can’t answer is why “Trojans” are our mascot and why purple and gold are our colors!
If you have further questions about donating materials, please contact the Archives.