University Archives & Special Collections

University Archives - Collection Scope

Tennessee Tech University Archives collects materials of legal, fiscal, and historical significance to the University and documents the University’s personnel, administration, programs, and operations.  These records and materials of permanent historical value document the programs, people, and decisions made at the University. The archives collects materials from the academic departments, offices, research centers, and campus-wide initiatives of the University based on the University’s Records Retention Policy.  It also collects University publications, including newsletters and newspapers, serials and journals published by the University, University histories, scrapbooks, administrative and academic committee files, blogs, websites, and e-newsletters managed by the University. Archives collects University promotional materials and ephemera such as programs, tickets, fliers, announcements, posters, postcards, and memorabilia.   

Tennessee Tech University Archives collects materials documenting student life, social events, and campus life, including materials for clubs and intellectual and cultural events. This includes the student body, theaters, and organizations affiliated with the University. These records include club records such as minutes and bylaws, photographs, printed materials, correspondences, scrapbooks, and ephemera such as programs, tickets, fliers, journals, announcements, posters, social media, blogs, websites, and e-newsletters. Alumni papers are included in the archives on a case-by-case basis.  

Faculty papers included in records collection are lecture notes, reading lists, handouts, classroom materials, correspondence, committee and community service records, grant proposals reports, curriculum vitae, photographs, lab notebooks, research notes, policy documents, multi-media, and publication lists.  

It does not collect research collections found in other libraries and archives (copies of original materials held elsewhere), federal records, drafts where a final version exists, reference copies, published works that would be in the general library collection, large museum items, materials suffering from mold or extreme damage, student records, equipment, plaques, and trophies.  We do not collect over three copies of any materials. 

For questions regarding the collection policy or to donate your materials, contact us at archives@tntech.edu.

Special Collections - Collection Scope

Tennessee Tech University Special Collections collects rare and original materials that support researchers and users utilizing primary source materials and rare books that relate to the Upper Cumberland Region, especially materials about Cookeville, TN, Tennessee Tech University, and prominent alumni.  It acquires materials about the Upper Cumberland region, focusing on businesses, organizations, groups, clubs, politics, churches, cultural and natural history, social life, arts, and medicine.  It collects the papers of individuals working and living in the Upper Cumberland Region, including politicians, civic leaders, activists, philanthropists, naturalists, artists, photographers, media personalities, scholars, and alumni. The collections include all formats, including manuscripts, sound recordings, oral histories, photographs, digital records, films, pamphlets, brochures, diaries, and correspondence. We collect these materials in analog and born-digital formats.

It does not collect research collections found in other libraries and archives (copies of original materials held elsewhere), published works that would be in the general library collection unrelated to Middle Tennessee, large museum items, materials suffering from mold or extreme damage, equipment, plaques, and trophies.  It also does not collect federal records held by the National Archives or any federal government agency.  We do not collect over three copies. We do not collect materials with extensive access restrictions.

The current facility’s temperature and humidity are monitored and controlled and the materials are non-circulating and maintained in secure stacks.  Materials for which we do not have the money or required resources to care for will not be accessioned.

If your or your affiliates’ records fit within the standards of the collection policy or have a question regarding the policy, contact us at archives@tntech.edu.

For more information on donating your papers or organization’s records to the archives, see the Society of American Archivists’ suggestions regarding donations here: 

Donating Personal/Family Papers
Donating Organizational Records

Student Organization Records - Collection Scope

Archives collects student organization records to preserve the organization’s unique story and document student life on campus for researchers. Having records stored in one central location also enables future organization members to learn what the organization has done previously.

Students and faculty advisors can donate records to the Archives at any time, but most find it best to donate at the end of the semester and/or during leadership changes. This helps prevent losing records when students graduate or forgetting the context of records over time.

Archives collects the following records:

• Constitutions, reports, rosters, charters, handbooks, meeting minutes, and by-laws
• Publicity materials, such as flyers, newsletters, posters, invitations, brochures, and event programs
• Social media and websites
• Photographs and scrapbooks
• Digital video
• Artifacts, such as t-shirts, buttons, stickers

Archives do not accept plaques, trophies, canceled checks, receipts, reference copies, or published materials that do not document the University or Upper Cumberland

The Archives is committed to protecting people's privacy and personally identifiable information. Archives will work with you to determine if the records with sensitive information can be redacted or if the record should not be transferred.

To donate records:

1. Talk with the members of your organization about donating records.
2. Compile and review your materials to select records based on the criteria described above.
3. Contact archives@tntech.edu to coordinate your donation.