Donating Materials

TCU offices

In order to document the operations of the university and to preserve its history, Special Collections welcomes and encourages departments and offices to submit records to the university archives. The archivist will work with offices to determine which records are of enduring value and therefore most appropriate for inclusion in the archives. The following types of documentation are often selected for permanent retention:

  • Correspondence, subject files, and reports of all administrative offices
  • Correspondence, subject files, and reports of the deans, directors, and administrators of the schools, colleges, divisions, and programs of the university
  • Minutes, memoranda, and reports of all major academic and administrative commissions, councils and committees including the Faculty Senate and its committees
  • Departmental records, including minutes, reports, correspondence, and syllabi
  • Accreditation reports and supporting documentation
  • Annual budget and audit reports
  • Records of student organizations
  • Alumni records, including the minutes of the alumni association and papers, correspondence, and publications of prominent alumni
  • All publications distributed in the name of TCU including catalogs, yearbooks, student newspaper, newsletters, press releases, and event programs
  • Photographs, negatives, slides, audio and video film, tapes and reels, oral history interviews, and optical and compact discs documenting the development of the university
  • Maps, prints, and architectural drawings documenting the physical changes and development of the university

Please contact Roger L Rainwater with any questions.

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TCU faculty

Faculty papers play an important role in documenting the history of the university and are a welcome addition to the university archives. The following list provides a general idea of what types of material we would like to preserve in the archives:

  • Official, professional, and personal correspondence
  • Records relating to service outside the university including community, state, and national service
  • Biographical material including resumes, bibliographies, biographical sketches, chronologies, newspaper clippings, and personal memoirs
  • Photographs
  • Diaries, notebooks, and memorabilia
  • Lecture notes, syllabi, and copies of speeches and/or addresses
  • Audio or video tape recordings of lectures, speeches, and discussion
  • Research files
  • Published, monographs, articles, and reprints written by the faculty member
  • Drafts and manuscripts of unpublished articles and books
  • Departmental or committee minutes and records

For further information, please contact Roger L Rainwater.

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Personal papers/organizational records (non-TCU)

The archivist will work with donors to identify those materials of research interest which should be preserved. Although not all papers and records fall within the collecting scope of the archives, the types of materials listed below are often valuable.

Personal and Family Papers:

Letters, diaries, speeches/lectures, albums/scrapbooks, memoirs/reminiscences, photographs, professional files, genealogical information, films, videotapes and audiotapes.

Organizational Records:

Articles of incorporation/constitution/bylaws, correspondence, planning documents, architectural records, legal documents, diaries, minutes of meetings, reports, memoranda, newsletters and other publications, directories, financial documents, press releases, membership records, and research and subject files.

Because the research value of papers and records may be diminished if items are removed or rearranged, donors are encouraged to contact the archivist before discarding or rearranging materials.

For further information, please contact Roger L Rainwater.

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Transferring materials to the archives:

After working with donors to identify materials appropriate for preservation, we will make arrangements to have the papers or records transported to the TCU Library. At that time, we will ask the donor to review and sign a gift agreement legally transferring the materials from the donor to the archives.

If necessary to protect the privacy of the donor or others, restrictions on access to sensitive material may be negotiated during the transfer process.

For further information, please contact Roger L Rainwater.

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Reviewed May 25, 2012 by Special Collections staff.