Policies

All materials in the Albion College Archives and Special Collections are historically valuable and most cannot be found elsewhere. All items are maintained under security in closed, environmentally controlled stacks to aid in their preservation. The staff is committed to working with researchers to make their visit as productive as possible.

Handling Policies

In order to use the collections, researchers must abide by the following policies:

• Present photo identification and fill out the researcher registration form.
• Deposit all bags, briefcases, coats, parcels, umbrellas, etc. in the designated area.
• Review one item at a time.
• Refrain from eating or drinking.
• Handle materials carefully.
• Take notes in pencil only. We have extra on hand.
• Use gloves when handling photographic materials, or materials that are especially fragile.
• Refrain from marking, defacing, or altering items in any way.
• Keep archival and manuscript materials in original order. If you find material damaged or out of proper order, report the problem immediately to a staff member.

Additional Policies:

• Photocopying of the material is possible, at the discretion of the archivist.
• Digital photography is permitted. However, please refrain from using flash.
• Theft or mutilation of materials will result in prosecution. Failure to return materials in the condition in which they were lent will result in fines for repair, restoration, or replacement (if possible).
• Materials do not circulate outside of Archives and Special Collections.
• Permission to publish all or part of materials housed in the Archives and Special Collections must be requested in writing. For some collections, copyright must also be obtained from the copyright holder(s).
• Please cite materials as follows:
• For Archival Collections: [item], folder, box, [Collection #]: [Collection Title], Archives and Special Collections, Albion College Library, Albion College. Albion, MI.

It is the policy of Special Collections to provide reference assistance to the extent that we are able within the following guidelines:

• Researchers are welcome to perform their own research by appointment. Researchers must contact us at least 48 hours in advance of your visit. At times it may be necessary to wait longer for a visit, depending on the schedule and availability of materials. You can contact us to schedule an appointment by phone at 517.629.0487 or e-mail at [email protected]

• Staff is happy to complete research for anyone who is unable to visit us in person. Please note that depending on the nature of the research it may take up to a couple of weeks to complete.

The Archives has many resources that you can use in the classroom. Please contact the Archives to:

• Arrange a class visit to the Archives and Special Collections to view materials or do research
• Have the Archivist bring materials to your class for student use
• Provide an instruction session for your students on using primary source materials
• Discuss integrating primary source materials into your class curriculum

College Archives:

The role of the College Archives is to collect, preserve, and make accessible the records, manuscripts, artifacts and ephemera that document the history of Albion College.Most importantly, the College Archives aims to document the lives of all those who have touched and forever changed the face of Albion College–the students, faculty and staff.

The College Archives collections include, but are not limited to the following materials:

• Artifacts relating to the institution and student life
• Records and papers produced by individuals while actively connected with the school, such as the private papers, books and articles of faculty and staff members produced while working with or for the college, manuscript collections relating to the college, student or organization scrapbooks
• Photographic and audiovisual materials, maps, blueprints.
• Records relating to academic, honorary, service and social organizations
• Policies, reports (along with supporting documentation), minutes, memoranda, correspondence, and subject files created by the institution’s Board of Trustees, President, academic and administrative officers and committees
• Reports of self-studies and accreditation visits, annual budgets and audits
• Records created by offices related to admissions,registrar, institutional research, public relations and fundraising
• Records of all academic departments
• All publications about or distributed in the name of the institution or any of its sub-units.
• Transcripts of speeches/presentations for special events, such as commencement, Baccalaureate, lecture series, convocation, etc.

Special Collections:

For the Rare Books & Manuscripts Collection, we define “rare” by an item’s:

• Collectable or intrinsic value (e.g., demand is greater than supply, or it has local and/or historical interest)
• Scarcity
• Vulnerability to theft or mutilation
• First edition (“true” first, published in the country of origin)
• Limited edition (fewer than 2000 copies)
• Fine press edition
• Signed or dedicated by the author or another significant historical figure
• Condition (e.g., contemporary binding, example of fine printing or binding)

Unless stated otherwise, most of the collections were pre-existent in the library’s circulating collections before their value was determined. The College Library does not purchase books to enhance their collections except on rare occasions; therefore, future additions to the collections are only made only through gift or transfer from the library stacks.

The library will accept gifts of monographs, journals, manuscripts, and other materials appropriate to the collection. All gifts are final. By the act of the donation, the donor permanently relinquishes all rights to ownership and disposition. Therefore, the library may appropriately exchange, disseminate, sell, or discard those items that cannot be added to the collection. Before accepting gifts on behalf of the library, staff members must ensure that donors understand and agree to this condition. If there is any question about accepting a gift, the final determination rests with the College Archivist.

The donor must complete the Deed of Gift Form. Official acknowledgment of the gift is made by the Archivist. Guidelines for evaluation of gifts are the same as those for selecting purchased materials.

The library cannot make appraisals. It abides by the Statement on Appraisal of Gifts, approved by the Board of Directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries.

Gifts of money may be used by the library to purchase library materials, equipment, or services. Donors of monetary gifts may designate the use of those funds for specific purchases through agreement with the Director of Libraries.

In accordance with the donor’s request, appropriate recognition will be given to gifts retained in the libraries by affixing book plates, labels, or plaques to gifts showing the donor’s name and, if applicable, the name of the person in whose honor or memory the gift was made.The library will not set aside a special location for a particular gift of library materials separate from other materials on the same subject. The library will not accept restrictions on usage of the materials that are contrary to general library policy.

Any material that bears the ownership markings of another institution and does not have any indication of having been withdrawn from that institution’s collection will be returned to the proper institution when possible.

Reproductions or photocopies of copyrighted works will not be accepted unless evidence of compliance with the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and its prevailing interpretation is provided.

Please contact the Archivist first to make sure your gift fits into the collection development policy for either the College Archives, Rare Books collection, or West Michigan Conference United Methodist Church Archives before arranging to send your gift to Albion College. Once confirmation has been received, please print out the Deed of Gift Form, fill it out and send it in with your donation. If you have any questions regarding the form or how to make a cash donation, please contact the Library Director.