Library Guides: Archiving Student Life at Iowa State University: Collecting Your History

Be Sure to Document Your Activities

Creating records of your student activities while they happen helps to ensure your impact at Iowa State is not forgotten. Records like meeting minutes, membership rosters, posters, and photos serve as a testament to how you have influenced change on campus and help to illustrate the unique Iowa State student experience.

Be sure to

Write things down (on paper or on the computer)
Take photos and videos
Label your records (who, what, when, and where)

Choosing What to Save

When choosing what records to keep and which to discard, ask yourself:

Does this record demonstrate what my organization does or who we are?
Could this record be of interest to past, current, and future members of my organization or others like students, staff, faculty, alumni, and the public?

You should keep the record if the answer is yes to either question. But if the answer is no to both of these questions, then you should discard the record when you are done using it.

Why not save everything?

Saving too much can be overwhelming for you, us, and future researchers. When we save things that don't merit retention, we have to sift through extra materials to get to what tells your story at Iowa State. It also causes strain on our capacity to collect, preserve, and provide access.

What to Save

Student Organization/Activism Records	Student/Alumni Records
Governance records: Constitutions, charters, by-laws, annual reports, articles of incorporation, mission statements, policies, and procedures Organizational histories Administrative files: agendas, minutes, handbooks, member lists, and registers Incoming and outgoing communications Financial records: summary statements and reports Publications: newsletters, journals, and announcements Promotional materials: flyers, posters, brochures, and event programs Photographic materials: digital images, prints, negatives, and slides of the group, members/alumni, meetings, spaces, and events/activities Audiovisual materials: recordings of activities, events, and meetings Scrapbooks and photo albums Websites and socials	Biographical material: Resumes, vitae, biographical and autobiographical sketches, chronologies, genealogies, and newspaper clippings Journals, diaries, appointment books/calendars, scrapbooks, and letters Course materials: syllabi, course notes, and assignments Student/Professional organization/committee/board records: (See Student Organization/Activism Records) Student activities: programs, posters, flyers, invitations, and tickets Incoming and outgoing communications: Academic communications with faculty, staff, administrators, fellow students, friends, and family regarding your education and life as an ISU student Professional communications with colleagues, publishers, and professional organizations regarding your work and career Photographic materials: prints, negatives, slides, and digital images documenting student life and professional activities Audiovisual materials: recordings of student life and professional activities Scrapbooks and photo albums Websites and socials

Student Organization/Activism Records

Student/Alumni Records

Governance records: Constitutions, charters, by-laws, annual reports, articles of incorporation, mission statements, policies, and procedures
Organizational histories
Administrative files: agendas, minutes, handbooks, member lists, and registers
Incoming and outgoing communications
Financial records: summary statements and reports
Publications: newsletters, journals, and announcements
Promotional materials: flyers, posters, brochures, and event programs
Photographic materials: digital images, prints, negatives, and slides of the group, members/alumni, meetings, spaces, and events/activities
Audiovisual materials: recordings of activities, events, and meetings
Scrapbooks and photo albums
Websites and socials

Biographical material: Resumes, vitae, biographical and autobiographical sketches, chronologies, genealogies, and newspaper clippings
Journals, diaries, appointment books/calendars, scrapbooks, and letters
Course materials: syllabi, course notes, and assignments
Student/Professional organization/committee/board records: (See Student Organization/Activism Records)
Student activities: programs, posters, flyers, invitations, and tickets
Incoming and outgoing communications:
- Academic communications with faculty, staff, administrators, fellow students, friends, and family regarding your education and life as an ISU student
- Professional communications with colleagues, publishers, and professional organizations regarding your work and career
Photographic materials: prints, negatives, slides, and digital images documenting student life and professional activities
Audiovisual materials: recordings of student life and professional activities
Scrapbooks and photo albums
Websites and socials

Artifacts/Three-Dimensional Objects

SCUA may be interested in memorabilia. However, as an archival repository and not a museum, we do not prioritize the collection of artifacts. Those that we do collect must document an important aspect of the student experience or the university's history. They must also have unique physical characteristics, hold high research value, and/or have the potential for use in exhibitions, other outreach activities, or instruction. Plaques and trophies rarely meet these characteristics.

What to Discard

Student Organzation Records

Student/Alumni Records

Routine communications: meeting notices, dues reminders, etc.
Blank forms
Detailed financial records: bank statements, receipts, canceled checks, etc.
Multiple copies
Confidential or personally identifiable information: FERPA, HIPPA, and PII

The Bomb yearbook unless s proven ownership by a prominent alumnus
Published material: articles, monographs, unannotated copies of other scholarship (exception for Iowa State University departmental or student organization publications like magazines, newsletters, etc.)
Medical or legal records
Detailed financial records: bank statements, receipts, canceled checks, etc.
Multiple copies
Confidential or personally identifiable information: FERPA, HIPPA, and PII

A Note on Sensitive Information

It is part of SCUA’s mission to provide access to our collections, so we ask that you do not donate any records to us that you wouldn’t want the public to see. Examples of sensitive information include Student IDs, Grades, SSNs, Race, Ethnicity, Nationality, Gender, DOB, Emergency Contacts, Addresses, Phone numbers, Email Addresses, etc.

If private records are donated to SCUA, we can

restrict them for a period of time
redact the information (meaning it would be removed from the files electronically or physically)
remove the materials from the collection

What about Electronic Documents?

Generally, we prefer to collect the format considered the original or the final copy for distribution. See some examples below:

A paper document that was scanned: we prefer the paper document
An email newsletter: we prefer the digital newsletter rather than a print-out
A newsletter that was composed on a computer but printed and mailed to subscribers: we prefer the paper version

Please send the record copy (the original or official copy for reference and preservation) of a document rather than duplicate copies. In our digital age, this often means the digital file from your computer or phone.

Please let us know if you have electronic records. We want to discuss them with you!

Your Student Life Archivist

Rebecca Wells

she/her/hers

Email Me

Contact:

Special Collections & University Archives
403 Parks Library
701 Morrill Road
Ames, Iowa 50011-2012

(515) 294-6676