Donating Special Collection to the UASC

University Archives and Special Collections

The University Archives and Special Collections Department may acquire by gift, bequest, loan, trade or purchase any record, regardless of physical form or characteristic, which has any bearing on the history of Tyler, Smith County, and the region of East Texas through negotiation with the persons giving, lending or selling the records. The final decision to acquire materials for the UASC will be held by the University Archivist, and all donors of manuscripts and bibliographic materials will be asked to sign a deed of gift. In certain cases, the Department of Special Collections may also collect books and artifacts deemed "rare" in cases of gifts or bequests.

Notwithstanding intrinsic or informational values of special collections materials, acquisition of such items will take account of the authorized acquisition mandates of other archival institutions and special collections repositories, resources required to make the material available for research purposes in a reasonable period of time, the extent and terms of any restrictions, the legal rights of the donor to place the records in the UASC, their relationship to the strengths and weaknesses in the existing holdings, and/or the availability of appropriate storage facilities and the physical condition of the records in relation to the probability of being able to conserve them for a reasonable period of time.

The UASC reserves the right to collect unique items of broader cultural or historical significance on a case-by-case basis. Items of interest in this category include some fine examples of nineteenth-century publishers' bindings, a seventeenth-century illuminated manuscript, and an eighteenth-century German Elector Bible with engravings of Martin Luther and various German electors.

Persons wishing to donate materials to Special Collections at the The University of Texas at Tyler's University Archives and Special Collections Department should contact the University Archivist at 903.565.5849 or email us.