Donating and Transferring Material

• What We Collect

  Archives & Special Collections seeks to preserve and make accessible the records, papers, artifacts, and stories that document the significant intellectual, cultural, administrative, and social history of the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) and the individuals, families, and organizations representing the diverse population of the region. 

  We actively collect in the areas of  

  • UNC inactive official records 
  • UNC history and student life 
  • Regional history and diversity 
  • Education 
  • Performing and visual arts  
  • Faculty papers 
  • Alumni papers 

  UNC is also the designated repository for the writings and publishing legacy of James A. Michener. Archives & Special Collections collects materials produced by James A. Michener, associates, scholars, and collectors of Michenerana that will further scholarship about him, his activities, and his works. 

  We actively collect a range of materials including photographs, maps, printed books, manuscripts, personal narratives, diaries, letters, and organization records. We reserve the right to accept donations without restrictions, to turn away gifts prior to donation, and to appropriately dispose of materials that, after receipt, are deemed unsuitable to the collection. 

  For more information on the collecting areas of Archives & Special Collections, please see our Collection Development Statement. 

• How to Donate and Transfer Material

  Archives & Special Collections is interested in collecting materials significant to the history of the region and the university. If you have materials that you are interested in donating, please contact us. 

  UNC Archives & Special Collections 

  Phone: 970-351-2854 

  library.archives@unco.edu  

  Archives & Special Collections actively collects UNC’s inactive official records and publications of lasting and historical importance, and material documenting the daily activities and special events of students at the university. For more information on transferring these materials to the University Archives, please see Transferring Records to the University Archives.

• What Happens to Materials Once They've Been Donated?

  On arrival, donated materials receive any necessary preservation treatment and are re-housed into appropriate archival storage containers as necessary. Materials are then inventoried and made available for research in accordance with Archives & Special Collections access and use policies. In some cases, materials will be made available online.

• Copyright and Privacy

  When donating material to Archives & Special Collections, the donor agrees to convey physical ownership of the materials to Archives & Special Collections upon delivery.   

  Researchers using material from Archives & Special Collections often wish to quote in their publications from the materials they have examined. We ask donors to include copyright in their gifts in order to save researchers the difficulty of identifying, locating, and securing from numerous copyright holders permission to quote, as well as to save donors the need to answer such requests. Copyright should be discussed with a member of the Archives & Special Collections prior to the donation of the gift. 

  Sensitive material or restricted material should be discussed with a member of Archives & Special Collections prior to donation. Although Archives & Special Collections strives to make all records open to the public, it will agree to close a portion of a collection for a finite period in order to protect the privacy of a donor and third-party confidences. 

• Tax Deductions and Monetary Appraisal for Tax Deductions

  University personnel cannot provide estimates on the monetary value of collections.  If the donor wishes to receive a receipt for charitable donations from the UNC Foundation, a gift-in-kind acceptance form needs to be requested, filled out, and returned to uncf.finance@unco.edu.

• Additional Resources

  For more information about donating archival material please visit the following resources provided by the Society of American Archivists. 

  • A Guide to Deeds of Gifts 
  • Donating Personal/Family Papers
  • Donating Organizational Records