Documents which generally should not be donated without prior consultation with the University Archivist include:
- Detailed financial records:
canceled checks, statements, and receipts;
- Routine correspondence:
especially non-personally addressed correspondence and routine communication of transmittal and acknowledgment unless that correspondence is about professional work;
- Grade books, class rosters, and student work:
student work is the property of the student and may not be transferred to the UIC Archives without a signed deed of gift from the student;
- Duplicates and multiple copies:
articles, publications, and course materials; note: keep only the original and heavily annotated copies;
- Drafts and galleys of publications and speeches:
unless the final publication or presentation is unavailable or the draft documents are a major shift from the final version or they are extremely annotated;
- Work by other people:
books, research papers, theses and dissertations, journal articles, and reprints;
- Research notes and data:
bibliographic notes and notes on readings; and
- Artifacts and memorabilia:
the University Archives does not collect non-documentary objects except in cases of great importance. Accepted items must be of a manageable physical size and condition.
This list is intended as a general guide. Broad variations in personal papers exist. A consult with the University Archivist is recommended to determine how your files relate to these guidelines. Please contact the University Archivist.