Texas Tech University Archives
Below is information regarding the acquisition of and access to faculty papers.
Acquisition of Faculty Papers
The University Archives acquires, processes and makes available for patrons the personal and professional papers of Texas Tech faculty, several of whom are also senior administrators within the organization.
The decision to accept faculty papers into the University Archives holdings is determined by the size and extent of the collection and the faculty member's:
- reputation and output as a scholar
- involvement in the academic, social and administrative life of the university
- involvement in related discipline organizations and institutions
- willingness to allow unrestricted access to the papers
Below are the types of materials sought after in each faculty collection. Please note that only 1 copy is needed of each type:
- Curriculum Vitae and other forms of biographical information
- Research and personal diaries and notebooks
- Final research results and reports
- Oral history interviews and other forms of sound recordings
- Off-prints and other scholarly publications produced by the faculty member, including speeches, presentations, technical reports, and unpublished articles
- Correspondence with colleagues
- Documents relating to the faculty member's professional and research organization involvement
- Grant proposals
- Photographs of the faculty member, including those of his colleagues, campus activities, research activities and equipment
- Memorabilia such as news clippings, scrapbooks and videos documenting the faculty member's professional and community work
- Committee and departmental meeting minutes and agendas
Below are the types of materials NOT sought after in each faculty collection, due to limited storage space and retention times set by the university's records retention schedule:
- Raw research data [consult the University Archivist first before disposal]
- Personal financial records such as bank statements and cancelled checks
- Teaching materials written by the faculty member such as lecture notes, course outlines, course syllabi, guidelines for research papers, lab manuals, and workbooks
- Travel vouchers and receipts
- Time sheets
- Student grades of any kind
- Medical records
- Trophies and plaques [consult the University Archivist first before disposal]
- Junk mail
- Miscellaneous reference materials such as popular magazines and newspapers [unless there is an article on or written by the faculty member]
Currently, there are several collections of faculty papers residing in the University Archives. Most are listed under the name of the donor, who is generally the faculty member. Click here to go to the manuscript finding aids.