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College Archives Collection Policy



Hello to everyone on the list:

I recently began formulating a policy and procedural manual for the college
archives that I work at.  (I'm the only archivist there, by the way)  My
employers have previously told me several times that they do NOT want the
archives collecting any of the following materials:

student papers (student writings [ie yearbooks, newspapers, etc] are ok)

faculty manuscripts, lecture notes, etc.

Likewise, my employers have repeatedly emphasized that they are not
interested in having a records management program because they feel that it
would make them responsible for all the records in the college, and they
don't want any part of that.

I recently got a hold of a copy of Bill Maher's "Management of College and
University Archives", and the text emphasized the importance of student and
faculty papers, as well as a records management program, to any and all
college or university archives.

My questions to the members of the list are thus:

1. Is it vital for all college and university archives to collect the above
mentioned papers and to have a recors management program?

2. If the answer to question 1 is yes, how do I convince my employers of
the importance of collecting such records?  Right now, all they want me to
collect are records pertaining to the founding and administration of the
college (ie. policy manuals, board of trustee minutes, committee meetings,
etc.).

3. Considering the actual archives itself is rather small (think of an
oversized closet), is it perhaps reasonable for them to only want to
collect documents pertaining to the founding and administration of the
college at this point?

Any help will be appreciated.  I think it would be great for any responses
to my inquiry to be posted here on the list so everyone could learn from
them.

Thanks a lot.

-Martin Firestein

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