The primary mission of the Indiana University South Bend Archives is to collect, organize, make accessible and preserve records documenting the campus’ origins and development and the activities and achievements of its officers, faculty, students, alumni and benefactors. Documenting IUSB student organizations and student life are major objectives of the Archives.

The following guidelines will assist student organizations 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 and proceedings, questionnaires;
   
4. Publications: two record copies of all newsletters, journals, brochures, monographs, programs, posters, and announcements issued by the organization or its subdivisions; the Archives should be placed on organization’s mailing lists to receive all future publications;
   
5. Audio-visuals: photographs, digital images, films, and sound and video recordings;
   

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 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;
   
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.
   

These lists are intended as general guides. If there are questions about records not listed here or questions about the retention or disposal of specific record series, please telephone the Campus Archives at 520 – 4392 or e-mail the Archivist, Alison Stankrauff, at astankra@iusb.edu .

When ready to transfer records, please review and follow the procedures outlined in the Procedures for Transfer of Campus Records .

WHEN IN DOUBT, PLEASE DO NOT THROW IT OUT! CONTACT THE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES!