Donations
In addition to the papers of faculty members and the
records of University offices and departments, the WCSU Archives will consider adding
materials from students, student groups, WCSU alumni, as well as, personal
papers and effects that document the history of western Connecticut/Danbury area as a whole.
[See our Collections Policy].
Typical items welcomed by the University Archives include:
-
Records of student organizations (meeting
minutes, founding documents, reports, publications, flyers, photographs)
-
Publications (newsletters, programs,
flyers, yearbooks)
-
Artifacts (buttons, memorabilia)
-
Materials that describe or document your personal
experience at WestConn(scrapbooks, diaries, correspondence
with faculty, administrators, fellow students, and family; photographs,
audio-visuals)
Donations of these materials are considered gifts to the
WCSU Archives. Donors are asked to sign an agreement which formally
signifies that the materials become the actual property of the WCSU
Archives. The Archives only accepts materials as permanent gifts and cannot take
them as loans or on a temporary basis. As part of the Archives' permanent
collection, your materials will be organized according to archival principles,
stored in secure, climate-controlled conditions, and will be made available to
researchers on a non-circulating basis.
If you have materials that document time at WCSU or the history of Danbury and the surrounding area,
, please
contact us
!
Frequently asked questions about donations to the Archives:
What are the benefits of donating papers, records, and
other materials to the University Archives?
-
your materials are preserved in a secure,
climate-controlled environment, and that fragile items will receive
consideration for conservation treatment as needed
-
information about your materials will be made available
through descriptive inventories and will be accessible to researchers for
many years to come
-
access to the materials will be provided consistently
and professionally to onsite and offsite researchers by knowledgeable
staff
-
your donation will benefit future generations by
promoting research, perpetuating WCSU traditions, documenting local
history and creating new
knowledge.
Exactly what happens to materials after I donate them?
After the WCSU Archives receives a donation, you will
be sent a donor agreement to sign, transferring ownership to the archives.
Materials will be surveyed for their content, research value, any
preservation/conservation issues, and materials will be accessioned,
processed and stored accordingly. The accession record documents the receipt and general
content of the donation. A finding-aid (also known as a
descriptive inventory) then will be drafted that will be the means by which researchers
will find materials in the collection.
Will you take everything in my attic or basement?
The WCSU Archives may not be able to accept
everything offered, but we welcome the chance to review material; Based on
our collections policy, and storage capabilities, we may recommend another repository
for your materials.
Additionally, once the Archives takes in the materials you donate, we may
discover duplicate or unrelated items that we do not wish to retain. We will
discuss with you whether you would like these items returned, transferred to
another repository, or discarded.
What do I need to do to or how do I organize materials before I donate to the
Archives?
Optimally, materials should organized, inventoried or
described in some manner to simplify processing; however, exceptions can and
will be made. Please
contact us before
discarding, boxing, or reorganizing papers, records, and other materials for
donation.
After the Archives receives materials, we will organize them according to our
standards.
Who can access a collection I donate, and can I restrict
access to sensitive material?
The donor may specify access restrictions to a collection;
however, we encourage that whenever possible that donors allow researchers
access to as many materials as possible and as soon as possible.
Access to collections may also be restricted by the Archive based on the
condition of material or its format. It may also restrict access until
materials are fully processed. Sensitive
material should not be removed by the donor, but instead you should consult
the Archives about placing reasonable and equitable restrictions on
all or part of the collection for an appropriate, limited period of time.
Who owns copyright to my materials?
Assignment of copyright is often complex, and you will want
to work with the Archives' staff to clarify issues of copyright ownership.
Generally, copyright belongs to the creator of writings and other original
material (such as photos and music), but can be transferred legally to
others. Moreover, ownership of copyright is separable from ownership of the
physical item (the letter or photo). We prefer that donors give not only the
physical papers but also any copyright that they might own.
Can I take a tax deduction, and can you appraise my
collection?
In certain circumstances, a donor may be able to take a tax
deduction for the donation of a materials to an archive. Please discuss
this possibility with your tax accountants or attorneys before you donate
the materials. The staff
of the WCSU Archives and the Haas Library cannot and will not provide tax advice or provide lawful
appraisals of a collection for tax purposes. Donors are responsible for any
monetary appraisal of the materials and for determining any tax benefits
derived from a donation.
How do I donate records, papers, or other materials to
the WCSU Archives?
Call (203-837-8992) or
email us at the WCSU Archives to talk about what you would like to
give us. Once we determine that your donation would be appropriate for our
collection, we will arrange with you the best time and way to transfer the
items or boxes to the Archives.
We look forward to hearing from you!
For more information, please contact the WCSU Archives and Special Collections Library:
Western Connecticut State University/ Haas Library
181 White St.
Danbury, CT 06810
203-837-8992
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