University Archivist and Records Management
How to Donate
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.
Do You Want My Old Yearbook?
The short answer? It depends. While we never want pass on material that represents the student experience on campus, the reality is that yearbooks 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.
Developing our Collection
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, records of alumni and student organizations, university publications, and faculty and alumni papers, this archives seeks to preserve the evolution of the institution, from the Tehuacana, Waxahachie, and Woodlawn campuses to the present Skyline campus.
Collection Strengths
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; Courses of Study Bulletins; student publications such as the Mirage yearbook and the Trinitonian newspaper; and university publications such as On Trinity Hill, news and the Trinity Magazine. There is also a sizable amount of photo prints, negatives, and images from the university’s communications office.
Collecting Focus
The University Archives actively seeks material related to student life and campus culture that goes beyond the Trinitonian and the Mirage. The archives is interested in student organizations material, both official and unofficial; underground or alternative newspapers and zines; photos and audiovisual material of campus events; and non-traditional/atypical ephemera and memorabilia.
To build an archives that reflects the scope of impact that the institution has had beyond the campus, the University Archives seeks material from alumni and other former campus community members (faculty, staff, and administrators). The archives is interested documentation that reflects the personal and professional endeavors of these members.
Materials We Seek
The types of materials the University Archives collects include, but are not limited to:
- Reports, surveys, committee records, and minutes
- University publications, promotional materials, and catalogs
- Photographs, negatives, and slides
- Audio and video recordings
- Oral histories
- Documentation of student life, including student organizations and student publications
- Archival records of departments, offices, and centers
- Papers of faculty, staff, and alumni
- Serials, newspapers, and newsletters
- Scrapbooks
- University websites, blogs, e-newsletters, and social media