Indiana University South Bend

Guidelines On Types Of Records To Send To The Campus Archives

The Campus Archives is the official repository for the records of Indiana University South Bend that have long-term historical, legal, fiscal and administrative value. The mission of the Archives is to manage and make accessible these information resources in support of administration, teaching, research and service. When ready to transfer records, please review and follow the procedures outlined in the Procedures for Transfer of Campus Records.

The following guidelines will assist administrators, faculty and staff in identifying those portions of their files that are appropriate for transfer to the Archives. This listing is based on the retention and destruction schedule approved by the IU Archives department in Bloomington. Records commonly transferred to the Archives include, but are not limited to, the following material:

1. a.) Key documents of departments, committees, divisions, programs of the campus: Constitutions and by-laws, b.) Meeting minutes and proceedings, c.) Meeting transcripts, d.) Lists of officers;
   
2. Office Files: correspondence, memoranda, and e-mails (incoming and outgoing concerning administration of the organizations themselves, projects, activities and functions of the organizations ) and subject files concerning projects, activities and functions;
   
3. Historical files documenting policies, decisions, committee and task force reports, questionnaires;
   
4. Publications: two record copies of all newsletters, journals, brochures, monographs, programs, posters, and announcements issued by the University or its subdivisions; the Archives should be placed on college, department, and office mailing lists to receive all future publications;
   
5. Audio-visuals: photographs, digital images, films, and sound and video recordings;
   
6. Personal papers of students, faculty, and staff that relate to the University's work.

Note: All information formats (e.g., published, typescript, audio-visual, and electronic data, such as computer disks and files) are appropriate for consideration for transfer. For documents in formats requiring any form of machine intervention, such as videotapes, and all computer files, consideration should be given to transferring the equipment needed to access the documents or, preferably, converting the documents to a format accessible to the Archives' users. Early consultation with the Archivist is strongly encouraged for all such materials.

Records which generally should not be transferred but scheduled for disposal after consultation with the Archivist include:

1. Records of specific financial transactions;
   
2. Routine letters of transmittal and acknowledgment;
   
3. Non-personally addressed correspondence such as "Deans and Directors" memoranda (except for one record copy from the issuing office)
   
4. Requests for publications or information after the requests have been filled;
   
5. Replies to questionnaires if the results are recorded and preserved either in the Archives or in a published report.