Faculty Papers: What is Typically Collected

• Correspondence: Substantive letters, emails, and professional communication related to research or institutional service.
• Teaching Materials: Lecture notes, course syllabi, curriculum development files, and presentations.
• Research Documentation: Grant proposals, final research reports, data, field/lab notebooks, and drafts or copies of published articles, monographs, and books.
• Biographical & Professional Records: Curricula vitae (CVs), bibliographies, biographical sketches, honors/awards records, and service on departmental or university committees.
• Media & Artifacts: Photographs, audio-visual materials, and oral histories.

Materials Generally Excluded

• Student Records: Grade books, class rosters, student papers, student evaluations, letters of recommendation, and advising files.
• Redundant or Low-Value Items: Blank forms, spare letterhead, duplicate copies, and general reprints/pre-prints widely available elsewhere.
• External Organization Records: Committee work or correspondence belonging strictly to an outside professional or national organization rather than the home institution.
• Administrative Personnel Files: Official tenure review or confidential HR files managed separately by the university administration.

Key Appraisal & Acquisition Standards

• Significance & Impact: Repositories often prioritize faculty with national/international recognition, major awards, pioneering research, or deep local/regional historical impact.
• Deed of Gift: A formal legal agreement transferring ownership, copyright stipulations, and access/restriction terms from the faculty donor to the archives.
• Original Order: Archivists strive to maintain the creator’s original filing structure to preserve contextual relationships among the documents.