Millersville University Archives & Special Collections

Records Management Guidelines

The University Archives consists of nineteenth through twenty-first century documents, photographs and artifacts produced by Millersville University of Pennsylvania or its predecessors: the Lancaster County Normal Institute (1855), the Lancaster County Normal School (1855-1859), the First Pennsylvania State Normal School of the Second District (1859-1927), Millersville State Teachers College (1927-1959), and Millersville State College (1959-1983). As archives consist of the evidence of the ongoing activity of an organization or institution, the Millersville University Archives contains documents published by the university as well as materials produced by university administrators, faculty, staff, students and alumni. The collection includes theses, administrative reports, department and committee records, student publications, photographs, printed records, and the correspondence of former presidents, deans, and other university officials.

The University Archives was founded in 1972 and was established by the President’s Advisory Council as the location for records of “administrative, legal, and historical value to the University” in 1988. The University Records Management Task Force recommended the establishment of a records management program at Millersville in 2007. The Hershey Document Management System was purchased in 2009 and implementation in pilot offices on campus has begun.

The Archives regularly receives materials from offices across campus and serves as the repository for all non-current, inactive, official university records that have sufficient historical and administrative value to warrant their preservation.

The following guidelines describe materials which are to be sent to the Archives:

• Constitutions and by-laws, departmental and organizational minutes and proceedings, lists of officers of university corporate bodies and organizations
• Office files, such as correspondence and memoranda (incoming and outgoing) and subject files concerning projects activities and functions
• Records relating to course development, curriculum changes
• Historical files documenting policies, decisions, committee and task force reports (departmental and university), questionnaires
• Publications: two copies of all programs, newsletters, brochures, posters and announcements issued by the university or its subdivisions. The archives should receive publications and regular mailings from departments and offices on campus, in paper or electronic form
• Audio-visuals: photographs, films, sound and video recordings
• Personal papers of students, faculty, and staff which relate to the university’s work

Records which are not commonly retained by the Archives, but which may be retained by the office of origin, include:

• Records of specific financial transactions
• Routine letters of transmittal and acknowledgement
• Non-personally addressed correspondence or memoranda (except for one copy from the issuing office)
• Requests for publications or information after the requests have been filled
• Replies to questionnaires if the results are recorded and preserved in the archives or in a published report

Items which may be discarded directly from the office of origin when they are no longer necessary include:

• All blank forms and unused printed and duplicated materials
• All other duplicate material; keep only the original copy and annotated copies
• Papers, reports, working papers and drafts which have been published

Check with Human Resources about any materials related to personnel matters at the university. In addition, the Archives does not accept materials with identifying information for individual students (social security numbers, etc.).

This list is intended to be a general guide. If there are questions about record types not listed here, please contact Archives & Special Collections, (717) 871-7134.