About

Donation Guidelines

The Department of Special Collections, Archives and Preservation is grateful for the generosity of our donors who support our ongoing collections use and care. If you have visited our department, attended a campus tour, or received research assistance from one of our archivists and would like to make a monetary donation to support our work, thank you! Designate in the comments that the gift is for the Department of Special Collections or the Preservation Lab or please contact us for assistance.

If you would like to donate unique manuscript and archival materials that enhance or complement our existing collections, please read the guidelines below first. We do not accept collections or records unsolicited or without an archivist’s consultation.

Our repository collects materials in several areas so potential donors should review these collecting areas to ascertain if the topic of the materials is an appropriate fit. If it is, donors should also review the instructions below to gather any necessary information for archivists and be mindful of items that are not suitable for archival donation. If you donated material in the past, you may not have answered these questions. Since collecting needs continue to evolve, we ask you to review this donor checklist now.

The University Archives serves the University at Albany by ensuring permanent records are preserved for long term reference.

The University Archives can accept any records defined as permanent retention under the SUNY Retention Schedule or the New York General Retention Schedule. The University Archives focuses on records that document the major policy-making or decision-making processes of the University.

The University Archives does not collect faculty research materials or materials created by alumni after they have left the University.

Paper records must be boxed with labeled folders and must come with a digital inventory of folders in DOCX, XLSX, or PDF.

Potential donors outside the University should only donate materials that are inactive, if you believe there may be a possible personal or organizational future use for any of the prospective materials then those materials or collections do not warrant donation at this time. In addition, as a public institution, all are welcome to view and use collections in our repository. Do not donate any sensitive materials that you may be uncomfortable with being available for public consumption.

If you believe you have material that is a potential fit for donation after reviewing all these guidelines, then contact us to begin a conversation and begin to determine if we are the correct repository for your collection.

All donors must be prepared to provide the following information:

  • Have you donated material to our department before or is this an additional donation for an existing collection?
  • Is the material all paper or are there born-digital documents? If there are born-digital materials, what types of files are there?
  • How much material is there? How many boxes?
  • What type of material do you have? Examples include correspondence, meeting minutes, photographs, annual reports, diaries, event files, legislation, audio, and video.
  • How is the material stored and where is it located?
The Department does not accept the following items
  • Detailed financial materials such as tax returns, monthly bank statements, canceled checks, or investment statements.
  • Large quantities of duplicate materials. Our department only needs one copy of each item. It is fine to provide a small number of duplicates scattered throughout the collection, but we do not need 10, 20 or 50 exact copies of the same item. Duplicates can also include an analog version and its born-digital rendering. When both are available, we prefer to receive born-digital records when feasible.
  • Privileged attorney-client records unless the donor was the sole client and agrees to waive privilege.
  • Human resources, grievance files, or personnel records.
  • Sensitive personal information, including financial data, protected health records, or any identifiers that could lead to identity theft.
  • Photocopies or scans of records as opposed to the originals (if the original was paper or analog).
  • News clippings, full newspapers, printed copies of downloaded news articles, photocopies, or scans of news articles as these materials are readily accessible online. The only exception is news articles from hometown or smaller publications that are not readily available online or through library databases.
  • Plaques, commendations, or awards. Please provide documentation about these honors instead.
  • Unidentified or undated photographs. Please provide general information about the images such as the year the image was taken or the event.
  • Oral histories, interviews, or transcripts of these primary sources without the signed consent or release forms for the participants.
  • Books with exceptions for books written by or featuring the donor organization or individual.

This list is not inclusive, and, depending upon the collection, archivists may determine that other materials are also not appropriate for archival donation or retention.

Monetary and material gifts to the Department may be tax deductible. Archivists, however, are not tax law experts so please consult with an accountant or other financial advisor on all matters relating to donations and tax implications. The date of the gift is the day it is received by the Department, bearing our regular hours and holiday closings in mind. The Department’s standard memo of agreement notes that the date of the transfer of title is the date when the actual materials are transferred.

An appraisal is not necessary for donation. Some donors may wish to obtain one. As the Department cannot provide an appraisal of donated material for legal and ethical reasons, donors are encouraged to seek a qualified appraisal prior to donation should they wish to obtain one. Donors must cover the cost of the appraisal and should speak with their financial advisor about whether this is tax-deductible. The Department cannot recommend individual appraisers. Donors may consult the American Society of Appraisers or the Appraisers Association of America. The Department also maintains a list of area appraisers available upon request.