Donating Your Collection

Donating to the UConn Archives & Special Collections

A Partnership in Preserving Your Story

Donating materials to the UConn Archives & Special Collections is a collaborative process. We rely on donors (and other contributors) to share their insights about their collections. Ultimately, the decision and responsibility to accept materials rests with the repository.

When a collection is accepted, we become stewards of its preservation, description, and accessibility. This is a serious and lasting commitment, and we make those decisions with care.

What We Do with Your Collection

When UConn Archives & Special Collections accepts a collection, we take responsibility for:

• Use by the Wider World: Our archives are free to use and open to any researcher, regardless of background, project, or educational attainment. We work very hard to ensure that archives are for everyone.
• Creation of New Knowledge: Ideally, the sources you provide will become the basis of new forms of knowledge and creativity. Researchers may produce traditional forms of scholarship, like articles, research papers, or books, or the outputs may be more creative – plays, films, poems, and other artistic works!
• Support for Research and Teaching: Facilitating use of your materials by researchers, students, and educators in scholarly study, exhibitions, and classroom instruction.
• Preservation: Caring for the physical and digital materials, addressing any conservation needs, and storing them in temperature- and humidity-controlled environments.
• Description and Access: Creating an online description — called a finding aid — to help researchers locate and understand your materials. Selected materials may also be digitized when we find that researchers express interest.

When your materials arrive, archivists assess their condition, prepare them for safe storage, and shelve them securely in our controlled stacks. When a baseline of preparation is complete, the collection becomes available to researchers in our reading room and a description of them is put online, in our finding aids system.

Our Collecting Scope and Decision Process

UConn Archives & Special Collections collects materials that support the teaching, research, and service mission of the University of Connecticut. Our collecting strengths include:

• Alternative and small press publishing
• Children’s literature and illustration
• Connecticut business, labor, and political history
• Fine press printing and artists’ books
• Human rights and social justice movements
• Literary collections and authors’ papers
• Nursing history and public health
• Railroad history and transportation
• Survey research and public opinion data
• University of Connecticut institutional records and history

Because archival stewardship is a long-term commitment of time, labor, and resources, we can only accept materials that fall within these collecting areas and that provide insights or information that are not already present in our collections.

We particularly welcome records that document groups and individuals who have been systematically under-represented in our archives.

Collections that do not fit within this scope are still valuable, and whenever possible we will refer prospective donors to another archives or special collections repository better suited to their materials.

Your Role as a Donor

Donating materials is a careful and sometimes complex process. We’ll guide you through each step, but there are a few important things to know as you prepare:

1. Take Stock of What You Have

You know your materials best. Providing an overview or simple inventory helps us understand the scope and significance of your collection. We will also want to know more about you and your story.

2. Review for Privacy and Rights Concerns

Before donation, review your materials for sensitive or private information — especially that of other people — and discuss any concerns with your archivist. We can work together to identify records that should remain closed for a limited time.

If some materials are too sensitive to be opened immediately, we can agree to a time-limited embargo (usually 10–20 years). You’ll help identify and clearly mark any restricted items so that our staff can honor your wishes precisely.

3. Decide What Should and Shouldn’t Be Donated (Archival Appraisal)

Archivists have developed a strong understanding of what kinds of historical materials tend to hold the greatest research value. In our profession, this work is called “appraisal” and we have benefited from more than 100 years of professional writing about archival appraisal best practices. Often, a sample of your holdings can meaningfully tell your story. We will work together to select only the materials that have the greatest long-term use.

Additionally, if certain materials are deeply personal or private and you never want them made public, you may choose to keep them. We can advise you on how to store or dispose of such materials responsibly.

4. Sign a Deed of Gift

Before transfer, both you and the archives will sign a Deed of Gift — a legal document that formalizes the donation. It ensures mutual understanding about ownership, copyright, and any restrictions. Once signed, your materials become the property of the University of Connecticut and, by extension, the people of Connecticut.

5. Prepare for Transfer

We’ll provide detailed packing instructions and can send boxes or supplies if needed. Similarly, we will provide detailed instructions for transferring electronic records like emails, documents on your computer, or copies of your social media accounts.

What Happens after Donation

Once the collection is received:

• Preservation review and rehousing – materials are checked and stabilized.
• Arrangement and description – archivists organize and describe the collection to create a finding aid.
• Access and use – researchers can request and use materials in our reading room; educators may integrate them into coursework.

By donating, you ensure your records are part of a living archive that continues to inform scholarship, creativity, and public understanding.

Tax Information

Many donors wish to take the value of their gift into account when filing their taxes. While UConn Archives & Special Collections cannot provide tax advice, we are glad to work with donors and the University of Connecticut Foundation to help facilitate required documentation.

Gifts to the University of Connecticut are generally considered charitable contributions for tax purposes. In many cases, donors may be eligible to claim a charitable deduction for noncash gifts (gifts-in-kind). One important exception is that creators — such as artists or authors — are generally prohibited under current law from deducting the fair market value of works they created themselves. Donors are encouraged to consult their tax advisor or the Internal Revenue Service for guidance regarding the deductibility of a specific gift.

Donors who wish to claim a charitable deduction for noncash gifts valued at more than $500 are required to file IRS Form 8283. For gifts valued between $500 and $5,000, a completed Form 8283 should be submitted to UConn Archives & Special Collections. Authorized University of Connecticut representatives will sign the form to acknowledge receipt of the gift and return it to the donor. University staff cannot complete tax forms on behalf of donors or sign forms that are incomplete.

For gifts valued at more than $5,000, donors must obtain a qualified appraisal and submit a copy of the appraisal along with the completed Form 8283. Appraisals may be conducted after materials have been transferred to UConn Archives & Special Collections. All appraisals must take place in the reading room during normal business hours and are subject to the same policies, procedures, and handling guidelines that apply to all researchers.

Signed forms are typically returned within two to four weeks of receipt, though processing times may be longer during peak tax season. IRS Form 8283 and instructions are available on the Internal Revenue Service website.

In accordance with IRS regulations, UConn Archives & Special Collections cannot provide appraisals or statements of market value and cannot recommend individual appraisers. The cost of an appraisal is the responsibility of the donor and may be tax-deductible.

Our Philosophy of Collecting

At UConn Archives & Special Collections, we believe collecting is a form of public service and a long-term act of stewardship. Every acquisition represents a commitment of professional labor and institutional resources.

We approach each potential donation with respect, transparency, and hospitality, but we also exercise professional judgment about what we can responsibly sustain. Saying “no” to a collection does not mean it lacks historical or cultural value — only that it falls outside our mission, priorities, or current capacity.

Our archivists bring professional expertise to every donor relationship. We recognize that donating materials often involves personal reflection and, sometimes, loss. We are committed to handling your records — and your story — with care.

Ready to Start a Conversation?

If you’re considering donating your materials, please contact us at archives@uconn.edu

We’ll arrange a conversation to learn more about your collection, answer questions, and help determine next steps.

Your contribution helps shape the historical record and ensures that future generations can learn from your experiences.