Collecting Policies

The University Archives’ collecting policies specify what types of records should be transferred to the University Archives. The policies are organized according to the activities performed at Yale, rather than by the offices that perform those activities. 

 

Each policy defines specific topics of interest and a list of the types of records that the University Archives wishes to document that activity. It is important to note that these listings of record types are not exhaustive. Any records may be considered archival if they document the topics of interest listed in the collecting policy. For questions about topics of interest or record types, please contact the University Archives at archives@yale.edu. 

 

The collecting policies apply to records of all formats, including paper records, computer files (e-mail, word-processed documents, spreadsheets, databases, and materials in imaging systems), photographs, audiovisual materials, and publications (e.g., newsletters, calendars of events, books, newspapers), and websites (only publicly accessible websites on the yale.edu domain may be archived). While the nature of different formats may require different methods of transfer and long-term care, the value of a given record is based on the information and evidence it provides, not on its format. When arranging a record transfer, University Archives staff will indicate how records of varying formats should be transferred.