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Donating Your Materials to the Carnegie Mellon University Archives

What we collect from CMU Alumni and their Families

The University Archives house papers from alumni of Carnegie Mellon.

We selectively collect papers from alumni to document the social and intellectual life of students during their time at the university and their contributions and careers after graduation.

We cannot collect records from every graduate of Carnegie Mellon but our goal is to preserve papers reflective of the diverse experiences and strengths of our community.

What We Collect

  • autobiographical and biographical material
  • correspondence, letters, memos and emails
  • diaries and journals
  • records from student organizations and activities
  • event programs, posters, invitations and ephemera
  • audio and video recordings
  • photographs and slides
  • ungraded course materials including syllabi, notes, and assignments
  • scrapbooks
  • websites
  • materials that document career after graduation
  • artifacts and memorabilia
  • oral histories

Preparing Your Records

 

Before sending your records, please contact us. We will answer your questions and explain the donation process in more detail.

Create an Inventory

If you are able to create an inventory for the materials, that's ideal, but not neseccary. Depending on the size and format of the donation, this can take the form of a list of boxes or files, or a detailed account of every item. This inventory will help us create a detailed description for the collection, which will serve as a guide as we begin the process of preserving your donation.

 

Analog Material

Pack them in sturdy boxes or containers (banker-sized boxes are preferred). Label each box with a rough account of the contents (eg. VHS Videotapes of Buggy) and number each box sequentially. As you are packing the material, try to retain the original order as much as possible.

An archivist will work with you to move or ship the boxes to our facility. If you need assistance packing the materials, the University Archives can provide support in most cases.

 

Digital Material

We have several methods available for digital material. 

Storage Device

We prefer USB flash drive or a hard drive, but also accept devices such as CD and DVD as well as floppy disks and other obsolete media. We recommend using a hard drive if donating large quantities of media files, including photographs and video.

Electronic Delivery

We accept files via email, BOX, and Google Drive. If using BOX or Google Drive, we will create the folder for you.