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Archives and Special Collections

Donations of Archives and Rare Books

We welcome offers of donations to the University of Exeter Special Collections.

Unfortunately we are not able to accept every offer of donation. The guidance below explains more about what we collect and our decision-making process. 

General principles for donations

  • The library is not able to accept unsolicited or anonymous donations. All donations should be agreed by staff before deposit, and any unsolicited donations which are not relevant to the collections may be sold or otherwise disposed of.
  • Donations will be evaluated in line with our Collections Development Policy prior to acceptance.
  • Donations to the library are primarily acquired by gift or bequest. Loans will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances, and no items will be accepted on 'permanent loan'.
  • Where it is not appropriate for us to take in the material, we will suggest a more suitable repository.
  • Donations become the property of the library and may be disposed of following collection management reviews at a later date. 
  • Acceptance of a donation does not constitute an agreement to accept further additional donations. Each donation will be assessed on its merits, and we reserve the right to stop accepting material from a depositor at any time.
  • We are unable to provide valuations.

We do not collect: 

  • Duplicates of documents held with us or elsewhere.
    • If you have duplicated items, please select the ‘best’ copy for deposit with us
    • An exception to this is if you have an annotated copy and the annotations add to the historical context/importance of the record.
  • Photocopies / printouts – archives should be unique and original. Ideally, the archive should be deposited in the original format in which it was created, other than in exceptional cases where the original is known to have been destroyed.
  • Financial records from the last 7 years.
  • Records which pose a risk to our existing collections through pest or mould infestation.
  • Artefacts or objects, other than in exceptional cases where they form an integral part of an archival record
  • Hazardous material (including material that contains asbestos, is explosive, flammable, poisonous, potentially carcinogenic or radioactive)

Process

Step one - Offer

  • Complete the donations form or email libspc@exeter.ac.uk
  • Provide as much detail as possible on the proposed donation, including:
    • The extent of donation (e.g. 3 boxes, 67 volumes)
    • A description of the material in the collection
    • Who created the records
    • The rough date period covered by the records
    • General condition of the material and if any records are particularly fragile or badly damaged
    • A list of the items by box (if possible)
    • Photographs of the material (if possible)
    • Any copyright issues or privacy concerns that you are aware of

 

Step two – Assessment

  • Donations will be evaluated in line with our Collections Development Policy.
  • Where is it not appropriate for us to take in the material we will aim to suggest a more suitable repository
  • For particularly large or complex collections an Archivist may request to visit to appraise the collection in person
  • We may decide to keep a representative sample of a large collection or series of records.
  • The Head of Heritage Collections has final decision over accepting donations

 

Step three – Transfer of ownership

  • Donations to the library are primarily acquired by gift or bequest. Loans will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances, and no items will be accepted on 'permanent loan'.
  • Donations by gift or bequest become the property of the library.
  • The terms on which we hold donations are defined in our deposit agreement
    • This agreement must be signed by the owner, or owner’s representative, prior to any physical transfer of the record.
    • Where the owner is making a deposit in person this may be completed on the day of transfer
  • Acceptance of a donation does not constitute an agreement to accept further additional donations. Each donation will be assessed on its merits and we reserve the right to stop accepting material from a depositor at any time.
  • A delivery date convenient for both parties will be agreed upon
    • If you are unable to deliver the records yourself staff may be able to collect the material, or may engage a courier to do so on their behalf
    • Small items may be deposited by mail, where appropriate

 

Step four – Processing

  • Cataloguing of the deposit at collection-level will take place as soon as practically possible.
  • More detailed catalogues and indexes will be compiled subsequently, according to set cataloguing priorities, under the supervision of an Archivist
  • A review of the collection will usually be carried out during cataloguing, though we may carry out a review of the collection at any point. Any material not selected for permanent preservation will be offered back to the depositor, or disposed of confidentially as indicated in the deposit agreement.
  • Copies of finding aids will be made available to the depositor on request. The content of the collection will be publicised in our online catalogue.

Tips on packaging material for donation

  • We'd recommend that cardboard bankers’ boxes are used to store records prior to donation where possible. The use of plastic bags or sealed plastic containers can trap moisture in the records and lead to mould growth.
  • If possible avoid using ‘Post-It’ notes or sticky labels to identify records as the adhesive can cause damage.
  • If your records are in poor condition, please do not use adhesive tape to repair them. Try to keep any fragments of damaged records together (perhaps by putting them all in an envelope) and label where they came from.
  • The use of elastic bands or bulldog clips to hold loose papers together is discouraged as these methods frequently cause tearing.

Financial donations

The stewardship of our collections requires significant investment. If you are willing to provide financial or other support for our work, it is especially helpful and welcome, and we are happy to discuss options.

See the University pages on:

- Making a donation

- Leaving a legacy in your will.

External advice on Literary Archives

Paper trails: Authors’ archives and papers - 19 September 2024

Recording of a Society of Authors event. Aimed at both authors thinking about their literary papers and authors using literary archives, SoA Contracts Advisors, Sarah Baxter and Tilly Zeeman offer tips about finding, approaching and donating to archives, as well as basic, practical advice about the preservation and depositing of physical and digital materials

 

Authors & their Papers - 2015

Guidance sheet produced by the Group for Literary Archives and Manuscripts in consultation with The National Archives. A word version can be downloaded on the linked site

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