The short answer? It depends. While we never want pass on material that represents the student experience on campus, the reality is that yearbooks and freshman beanies are the most donated items to the University Archives. Our goal is to collect the broadest scope possible and in order to do so we must focus our attention to other types of material. However, if your yearbook contains something unique (perhaps inscription from a notable alumni or it details an untold event) please do reach out to us about retaining the copy.
Please contact Special Collections and Archives at archives@trinity.edu if you are interested in donating material. An archivist will be in touch with you to go over the material in more detail. Be prepared to discuss the scope of the material, formats of the material, and the collection size in boxes and linear feet. If the material is deemed a fit for the repository, the archivist and donor will then go over the transfer process and the deed of gift which acts as the donor agreement.
The University Archives documents the intellectual, cultural, and organizational history of the university since its founding in 1869. Through official and non-official administrative and departmental records, faculty and alumni papers, records of alumni and student organizations, and university publications, this archives seeks to preserve the evolution of the institution, from the Tehuacana, Waxahachie, and Woodlawn campuses to the present Skyline campus.
The types of materials the University Archives collects include, but are not limited to:
The University Archives has extensive records relating to the presidential tenures of Everett, Laurie, and Calgaard. The archives permanently retains Board of Trustee meeting minutes, official Course of Study Bulletins, and student publications such as the Mirage yearbook, the Trinitonian newspaper, and university publications such as On Trinity Hill, news releases, and the Trinity Magazine. There is also a sizable amount of photo prints, negatives, and images from the university’s communications office.
The University Archives actively seeks to collect materials from under-documented members of the Trinity community, including women, individuals of color, and the LGBTQ community. The University Archives encourages institutional departments and units to work with the repository to develop workflows that ensure ongoing archival transfer of records identified as having permanent historical, evidential, and informational value to the Trinity community.