It’s always a good time to donate materials to the Archives & Special Collections, but as we get to the end of the school year, we want to encourage student organizations to start going through everything they’ve produced in the past year and think about transferring documents to the A&SC. Donating items to the A&SC helps us document student life, ensures that your materials will be preserved according to professional standards, and contributes to a historical record that will be of use to students and other researchers in the years to come.
Some examples of things to save from student organizations include meeting minutes, scrapbooks, event descriptions, budgets, event flyers, programs, and other media. We’re also interested in items that document individual students’ experiences, like diaries, journals, or correspondence from your time here; photographs of you and your classmates volunteering, engaging with the Tacoma/campus community, attending official or unofficial student events, and participating in the performing arts; or any other items that you think uniquely document your Puget Sound experience. While this list is by no means exhaustive, there are some items that we do not collect or already have in abundance, such as yearbooks, newspapers, clothing, and awards. It is important to note that once materials are transferred to the A&SC, they cannot leave the Archives, so make sure that you keep anything that you need on a regular basis.
If you’re interested in transferring materials to the A&SC, contact Archivist and Special Collections Librarian Adriana Flores at aflores@pugetsound.edu .
The Archives & Special Collections is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM or by appointment.
By Julia Masur