Donate to Archives & Special Collections
Money donated to Archives goes toward collecting, preserving, and making University
and Upper Cumberland history accessible. We use preservation materials, software,
and people to help users access our materials. This is an expensive venture for the
library, and we could always use assistance in making this possible!
University Archives - Collection Scope Tennessee Tech University Archives collects materials of legal, fiscal, and historical
significance to the University and documents the University’s personnel, administration,
programs, and operations. These records and materials of permanent historical value
document the programs, people, and decisions made at the University. The archives
collects materials from the academic departments, offices, research centers, and campus-wide
initiatives of the University based on the University’s Records Retention Policy.
It also collects University publications, including newsletters and newspapers, serials
and journals published by the University, University histories, scrapbooks, administrative
and academic committee files, blogs, websites, and e-newsletters managed by the University.
Archives collects University promotional materials and ephemera such as programs,
tickets, fliers, announcements, posters, postcards, and memorabilia. Tennessee Tech University Archives collects materials documenting student life, social
events, and campus life, including materials for clubs and intellectual and cultural
events. This includes the student body, theaters, and organizations affiliated with
the University. These records include club records such as minutes and bylaws, photographs,
printed materials, correspondences, scrapbooks, and ephemera such as programs, tickets,
fliers, journals, announcements, posters, social media, blogs, websites, and e-newsletters.
Alumni papers are included in the archives on a case-by-case basis. Faculty papers included in records collection are lecture notes, reading lists, handouts,
classroom materials, correspondence, committee and community service records, grant
proposals reports, curriculum vitae, photographs, lab notebooks, research notes, policy
documents, multi-media, and publication lists. It does not collect research collections found in other libraries and archives (copies
of original materials held elsewhere), federal records, drafts where a final version
exists, reference copies, published works that would be in the general library collection,
large museum items, materials suffering from mold or extreme damage, student records,
equipment, plaques, and trophies. We do not collect over three copies of any materials. For questions regarding the collection policy or to donate your materials, contact
us at archives@tntech.edu. Special Collections - Collection Scope Tennessee Tech University Special Collections collects rare and original materials
that support researchers and users utilizing primary source materials and rare books
that relate to the Upper Cumberland Region, especially materials about Cookeville,
TN, Tennessee Tech University, and prominent alumni. It acquires materials about
the Upper Cumberland region, focusing on businesses, organizations, groups, clubs,
politics, churches, cultural and natural history, social life, arts, and medicine.
It collects the papers of individuals working and living in the Upper Cumberland
Region, including politicians, civic leaders, activists, philanthropists, naturalists,
artists, photographers, media personalities, scholars, and alumni. The collections
include all formats, including manuscripts, sound recordings, oral histories, photographs,
digital records, films, pamphlets, brochures, diaries, and correspondence. We collect
these materials in analog and born-digital formats. It does not collect research collections found in other libraries and archives (copies
of original materials held elsewhere), published works that would be in the general
library collection unrelated to Middle Tennessee, large museum items, materials suffering
from mold or extreme damage, equipment, plaques, and trophies. It also does not collect
federal records held by the National Archives or any federal government agency. We
do not collect over three copies. We do not collect materials with extensive access
restrictions. The current facility’s temperature and humidity are monitored and controlled and the
materials are non-circulating and maintained in secure stacks. Materials for which
we do not have the money or required resources to care for will not be accessioned. If your or your affiliates’ records fit within the standards of the collection policy
or have a question regarding the policy, contact us at archives@tntech.edu. For more information on donating your papers or organization’s records to the archives,
see the Society of American Archivists’ suggestions regarding donations here: Donating Personal/Family Papers Student Organization Records - Collection Scope Archives collects student organization records to preserve the organization’s unique
story and document student life on campus for researchers. Having records stored in
one central location also enables future organization members to learn what the organization
has done previously. Students and faculty advisors can donate records to the Archives at any time, but
most find it best to donate at the end of the semester and/or during leadership changes.
This helps prevent losing records when students graduate or forgetting the context
of records over time. Archives collects the following records: The Archives is committed to protecting people's privacy and personally identifiable
information. Archives will work with you to determine if the records with sensitive
information can be redacted or if the record should not be transferred. To donate records:
Donating Organizational Records
Archives do not accept plaques, trophies, canceled checks, receipts, reference copies,
or published materials that do not document the University or Upper Cumberland