Collecting policy
Why we collect
The Archives is a part of the UAA/APU Consortium Library. The Library’s mission is to provide and maintain collections and resources that support the educational and research programs of the University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University. The library provides information services for the benefit of the university and research communities and the residents of the state of Alaska. The Consortium Library evaluates, acquires, organizes, and preserves knowledge and information. The Library emphasizes access to information and instruction on the knowledgeable use of information resources.
What do we collect?
A brief answer: personal, professional, and organizational papers from individuals or organizations with an Alaskan connection. We focus specifically on unique, one-of-a-kind materials that are not typically published nor are available through other resources. This can include diaries, letters, photographs, moving images, audio, scrapbooks, meeting minutes, and many other document types. We take in electronic records as well as more traditional media such as paper-based documents.
What types of materials do we already have?
The papers of Alaskan politicians and legislators, public policy institutes, civic organizations, businesses, doctors, nurses, social workers, lawyers, anthropologists, military personnel, academics, dancers, artists, journalists, photographers, and sometimes just your average Alaskan family’s home movies. If you browse through our collections list, you’ll see that our holdings represent some of the diversity that is Alaska. Our researchers represent that diversity, and so we want to be sure to collect materials that serve all of our researchers’ needs.
What do we not collect?
We have a few defined groups of records that we cannot take in. These include:
- Government records, unless they’re given to us with the blessing of the archives for whatever branch of federal, state, or local government that might be.
- Copied materials, where the originals are held by other archives or research institutions.
- Records that are permanently closed to access or that have access restrictions that affect our ability to provide equal access to all of our researchers.
- Collections with no relationship to Alaska — though in that case, we’ll be happy to put you in touch with another archives that may collect in that area, so please get in contact!
How do you donate?
Please start by contacting us first. If you are in southcentral Alaska, we may be able to visit you and look at your materials. If you are outside of the area to which we may be able to visit, we will be happy to discuss your collection materials over the phone, by email, or by videoconferencing. Generally we will need to have the legal owner of the materials sign a deed of gift donating the materials to the Archives prior to the arrival of the materials at the Archives. Depending on your location, we may be able to come pick up the materials or we will can arrange for a time for you to deliver them. If you have any questions about the donation process or packing collection materials for donation, we will be happy to discuss that with you.
Unsolicited materials
We may choose not to retain materials that are given to us without prior knowledge of the Archives staff. We thank you for contacting us regarding your materials donation in advance.