Advice and information about donation of association archives

Review the archive before the handover

We work continuously to organise archives that have been sent to the Library, but it is a great help if the archive has already been organised before the handover as this means the material can be used by researchers and other users more quickly.

Anyone actively working at the association has important knowledge of the archive's content and can add relevant information. This could involve identifying letter writers, dating letters and other documents or putting the documents in the order they are intended to be read.
The information can be recorded in a separate list, on envelopes or on file covers for the documents (paper folded around the bundle).

It is also important to remove paper clips, Sellotape, rubber bands and plastic pockets. All of these materials will eventually damage the material.
To keep documents that span several pages separate from each other, you can fold an A4 piece of paper around one edge of the document.

Disposal

Disposal is an important part of the preparation process. You can dispose of the following:

• Duplicates and copies of documents. It is sufficient to have one copy of each document in the archive; if there is an original, then the original should be saved
• Books and magazines that do not concern the association. Exceptions are books containing important notes and newspaper clippings that refer to the association
• Advertising and printed matter not produced by the association
• Minutes of meetings and circulars from other associations
• Requisitions and waybills
• Unfilled forms
• Verifications (receipts) can be disposed of after seven years (do not send verifications to the University Library)

Additional material can also often be disposed of. If you have questions about how to dispose of documents, contact the Library.

Organisation

Items are to be organised according to the following model, known as the General Archive Scheme:

• A) Minutes of meetings
• B) Outgoing documents (outgoing correspondence)
• C) Diaries (rarely found in associations)
• D) Registers and ledgers
• E) Incoming documents (incoming correspondence)
• F) Subject-ordered documents (documents relating to one and the same subject)
• G) Accounts
• J) Maps and drawings
• K) Photographs
• Ö) Other documents

The purpose of this model is to enhance searchability for researchers and other users.

Organise in series

1. Roughly organise the archive according to the main divisions of the General Archive Scheme – see above.
2. Divide each main group into subsections and give those their own heading.

Example:
A) Minutes of meetings

• A1 Minutes of annual general meeting
• A2 Board meeting minutes
• A3 Other meetings’ minutes

Within each group, the documents should be arranged chronologically, with the oldest material first. Each subdivision is to be given a number that follows the letter of the main group. They are numbered from one upwards under each main group. There must be no gaps in the number sequence. If necessary, you can add another level, in which case use lowercase letters.

Example:
A) Minutes of meetings

• A1 Minutes of annual general meeting
• A2 Board meeting minutes
• A3 Other meetings’ minutes

• A3a Minutes of the Expert Committee
• A3b Minutes of the Remuneration Committee
  

Digital materials

We also accept digital materials to a limited extent. This could include text files or digital photographs stored on hard drives or other data carriers (such as CDs or floppy disks). In order to ensure the best possible conditions for preserving the materials, we need to review the materials together with you, the donor, before the handover.

Pack and list

When you have sorted the documents into a series, put them in a file folder (e.g. folded paper) and then place them in boxes. Write the contents on the file covers as this will make it easier to find them in the archive. As you put the documents in boxes, write down what each box contains. The list of all the boxes' contents will be used as the archive’s list. The archive is now ready to be handed over to us at Uppsala University Library by agreement.

Items not to be included in the archive

The Library does not accept donations of objects, statues, statuettes, oil paintings, coins or medals.

For objects and works of art, especially those relating to Uppsala and the University, please contact the Uppsala University Museums (Gustavianum Uppsala University Museum, the Museum of Evolution, the Medical Museum, the Coin Cabinet and the Art Collections).