University Archives
& Special Collections
Donor Information
The Dalhousie University Archives
documents both the history of Dalhousie University and a wide variety of activities
within Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canadian society. The Archives' holdings include
the official records of the University as well as significant manuscript holdings
related to current and former Dalhousie Faculty, Theatre, Literature,
Business, Labour, Medicine, Shipping, as well as a variety of other areas of study.
Private manuscript collections donated
to the Archives become the property of Dalhousie University and the Archives
is responsible for maintaining and processing the material and making these
materials available to researchers. Certain confidential or sensitive material
may be temporarily closed at the donor's request. For further information on
the donation process, areas of active acquisition, issues of copyright and access, and monetary appraisals/tax
receipts for gifts-in-kind, please contact Michael Moosberger, the University Archivist, directly.
Departmental Transfers of Records
It will be helpful both to your office and to the Archives if you could designate one person to deal with the Archives on matters relating to the transfer. If possible, choose the person who has dealt with the Archives before and is familiar with the process.
1. Contact the Archives for a consultation on your inactive records. Archives staff will identify records of permanent value that should be transferred to the archives.
2. If the files designated as archival have not been culled previously to remove extraneous material, ask Archives staff about what to discard if you are uncertain.
3. Packing procedures for transfer are extremely important. Please note the following:
- Material must be contained in file folders which are clearly labelled. There should be no loose material.
- Do not use hanging folders for transferring files.
- Packing material in binders wastes space. Material in binders should be removed and placed in file folders.
4. The Archives uses standard records storage shelving and therefore requires that organizations transferring records to the Archives pack their material in standard one cubic foot records storage (bankers) boxes. Please do not use photocopy paper boxes as they are awkward to handle and do not stand up to wear and tear. The required bankers boxes can be purchased by your organization or the Archives will provide used boxes, if they have an adequate supply of them on hand.
5. Once the files have been boxed, prepare a file listing noting box numbers. This list should contain the accurate file title and opening and closing dates of the file. The listing should also clearly state the office from which the records are coming from; the date on which the listing was compiled and the name and contact information of the individual to be contacted if any questions arise concerning the transfer.
6. Transfer the file list to the Archives as an attachment to an e-mail message. That way the Archives has the data in electronic format and can manipulate it to produce finding aids. Hard copies of the file list formatted as individual box lists can be placed inside the boxes. Please do not attach the list to the outside of the box. The list will be vulnerable to damage or removal and it is preferable that details about the contents of the box not be widely available.
7. Once boxing and listing is completed, send the boxes via truck messenger to:
Dalhousie University Archives
c/o Killam Library Shipping
6225 University Avenue
Halifax, NS B3H 4H8
8. Once the transfer is completed the Archives will accession the transferred records and assign an accession number to them. The accession number will be sent to you with a revised file list if re-boxing has been necessary. Please keep the accession number and file list in your files for reference purposes in case you need access to any of the files that you have transferred.
9. For additional information concerning the transfer of unit records to the University Archives contact: Michael Moosberger, University Archivist at (902) 494-5176 or by e-mail at Michael.Moosberger@dal.ca
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