Office records of campus administrative and academic units
Guidelines on types of records to send to the University Archives

The IU Libraries University Archives is the official repository for the records of Indiana University that have long-term historical, legal, fiscal and administrative value. The mission of the University 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 University 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. Records commonly transferred to the University Archives include, but are not limited to, the following material:

  1. Constitutions and by-laws, minutes and proceedings, transcripts, lists of officers of University corporate bodies;
  2. Office Files: correspondence and memoranda (incoming and outgoing) and subject files concerning projects, activities and functions;
  3. Historical files documenting policies, decisions, committee and task force reports, questionnaires;
  4. Publications: three record copies of all newsletters, journals, brochures, monographs, programs, posters, and announcements issued by the University or its subdivisions;
  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, kinescopes, 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 researchers. Early consultation with a staff 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.

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 University Archives at 812-855-1127 or e-mail the University Archives at archives@indiana.edu.

IF RECORDS ARE NOT LISTED ON A RECORDS DISPOSITION SCHEDULE, DO NOT THROW THEM OUT! PLEASE FIRST CONTACT THE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES!