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Candler Faculty and Staff Guidelines for Transfer of Records to the Archives
The Archives and Manuscripts Department of Pitts Theology Library is the repository for all non-current, inactive records of the Candler School of Theology which have sufficient value to warrant their preservation. The Archives preserves and makes these documents available for research on the history of the school and on the development of programs and academic disciplines. The following guidelines will assist staff in identifying records that are appropriate for transfer to the Archives.
Records commonly transferred to the Archives include:
- Constitutions and by-laws, minutes and proceedings (the originals are preferred), transcripts, lists of officers of University corporate bodies.
- Office files: correspondence and memoranda (incoming and outgoing) and subject files concerning projects, activities and functions.
- Historical files documenting policies, decisions, committee and taskforce reports, questionnaires.
- Publications: two copies of all programs, journals, monographs, newsletters, brochures, posters, and announcements issued by Candler or its subdivisions.
- Audio-visual materials: photographs, films, and sound or video recordings.
- Personal papers of students, faculty, and staff which relate to the school's work.
Records which should not be transferred but scheduled for disposal after consultation with the Archivist and University Records Manager include:
- Records of specific financial transactions.
- Routine letters of transmittal and acknowledgment.
- Non-personally addressed correspondence such as "Deans and Directors" memoranda (except for one record copy from the issuing office).
- Requests for publications or general information.
- Replies to questionnaires if the results are recorded and preserved either in the Archives or in a published report.
- Papers, reports, work papers and drafts which have been published.
Items which may be discarded directly from the office when they are no longer needed for administrative purposes include:
- Blank forms and unused printed or duplicated materials.
- All other duplicate material: keep only the original copy and annotated copies.
- Registration forms for meetings, workshops, institutes or other special activities held at or coordinated by Candler.
- Artifacts and memorabilia. The Archives does not collect non-documentary objects related to the school's history except in cases of great importance and manageable physical size and condition. Please call the Archivist to discuss options for preservation of such objects.
Materials should be transferred in the order in which the records were created or maintained. A transmittal form briefly identifying the materials and describing the activity to which they relate should accompany the transfer. This form transfers the legal custody of the records to the Pitts Theology Library Archives and Manuscripts Department, establishes the library's legal right to provide access to the records, and provides the office that transferred the records with documentation on the location of the records in case staff need to access the records at a later date.
This list is intended as a general guide. Exceptions are sometimes made after a review of the conditions under which the documents were generated and their potential usefulness. If there are questions about records not listed here or questions about the retention or disposal of specific records, please contact the Archivist at (404)727-1222.