Student Organizations and Archives 

The Archives holds materials related to campus, local, and state history as well as the history of education. We have files, photographs, clothing, A/V, and more. While the University has generally been well documented through the records of the administration, faculty, schools and academic departments, records that document the student experience are underrepresented. One way students can help fill this gap in the University’s history is by donating the records of their organizations to the Archives. 

Benefits of Donating Materials to the UNK Archives 

Student organizations officers and members are only with the organization for a short time. Depositing materials regularly in the Archives removes the burden from individual members of making sure materials are passed to their successors and maintained over time. 

Other benefits include: 

• Long-term preservation of materials 
• Online finding aid that describes the organization and shows what the Archives has 
• Ensures future members will have access to resources when planning outreach and fundraising initiatives, researching alumni and questions about past events and projects, and wanting to utilize historic material to promote the group 

What to Transfer to the Archives 

When choosing what to transfer to the Archives consider how the material helps others understand your organization and its work. Think about what future organization members would be interested in. The Archives can also offer short-term embargos, where others can’t view materials for a set period of time.  

Records Commonly Transferred to the Archives 

• Constitutions, charters, and by-laws 
• Minutes and reports of meetings and committees 
• Membership lists 
• Organizational histories 
• Publications and publicity material:  newsletters, brochures, event programs and booklets 
• Event and event planning material 
• Officers’ files: correspondence and memorandum (incoming and outgoing) and subject files concerning projects, activities, and functions 
• Scrapbooks 
• Audio-visuals: photographs, videos, and more
• Social media: download, screenshot, or screenrecord any important social media posts. Deposit along with any original photos, videos, etc. you used in the post. 

Items Generally Not Transferred to the Archives  

• Duplicate and blank forms 
• Detailed financial records, canceled checks, bank statements, and receipts 
• Plaques and trophies 

How to Transfer Materials to the Archives 

The Archives happily accepts materials in both physical and digital form. See What to Transfer to the Archives for guidelines.  

Digital Materials 

Organizations can transfer digital records either on a physical device like a thumb drive or electronically. The Archives may need to convert certain files to different formats for accessibility and/or long-term preservation. Early consultation with the Archives is strongly encouraged! 

Preferred Formats 

• Scanned Images: TIFF, PNG, GIF, BIIF, and PDF 
• Data and Databases: XLS, XSLS, ODX, DB, FP7, MDF, and MDB 
• Digital Photographs: TIFF, JFIF, JPEG, and BMP 
• Web:  HTML, TIFF, and PDF 
• Email: including email attachments 
• Audio-visual: MP3, AVI, WAV, MP4, MPEG-4, and AAC. Before deposit, please contact the Archives to discuss formats. 
• Text:  DOC, DOCX, ODF, ODT, TXT, PDF 
• Presentation Materials: PPT and ODP 

Have something in a different format? Get in touch and we can discuss. 

Storage Device Delivery 

Preferred physical devices for the delivery of records in electronic format include: 

• USB Flash Drive or Thumb Drive 
•  Hard-drive 
•  Memory card 
• CD-ROM 
• DVD-R/W for audio; DVD-R/W for film is currently accepted on a limited basis. Please contact the Archives for further information. 
• Floppy disk 

Please place media in an envelope with creator name, dates, and a description of the contents.   

Electronic Deposit 

Smaller files can be emailed to the University Archivist at weissell@unk.edu or the Processing and Outreach Archivist at haddonj@unk.edu  

Cloud (Google Drive, OneDrive, Sharepoint) storage: email weissell@unk.edu for further information. 

When in doubt, don’t delete! 

Physical Materials 

Before making the final decision to donate your records, notify your organization’s membership about your archiving plans and get everyone on board. We’re happy to come talk to your organization and/or arrange an Archives tour.  

Box materials. If you need boxes, the Archives may be able to provide them. Deliver to the Archives or coordinate a pick-up with the Archives. 

Please transfer material in the order in which it was maintained. A brief inventory identifying the types of records included should accompany the transfer and be emailed to the archivist with whom you’re working. 

Deed of Gift 

Working with an archivist, complete a deed of gift. This legally transfers the materials to the Archives and helps make sure the Archives can take appropriate actions to preserve and share your organization’s materials.  

Future Transfers 

Create a routine of transferring inactive records to the Archives at the end of the semester, year, or leader’s term of office, whatever makes sense for your organization. This ensures the preservation of your organization’s materials. 

Get started by contacting Processing & Outreach Archivist Jenny Haddon at haddonj@unk.edu