University Archives Frequently Asked Questions
The authority for Special Collections & Archives to collect records of historical value is derived from Chancellor’s Office Executive Order 1031, section IV, stating that each campus must:
- Formally designate an official campus custodian(s) for each type of record who will be responsible for:
- Assuring that the campus is operating in compliance with the California State University records/information retention and disposition schedules.
- Identifying records/information that may have historic or vital value for the campus.
- Ensure that the designation of a vital record/information is consistent with the campus’ business continuity plans.
- Establish procedures regarding the modification of retention and disposition schedules, as needed, to incorporate records unique to each campus. These schedules must be published by the campus and copies are to be provided to the Office of the Chancellor, upon request.
Further, from Delegation of Authority EO1031: Retention and Deposition of CSUN University Archives and Records Memorandum from Dianne F. Harrison, President, CSUN dated November 1, 2018:
The Dean of the Library (or his/her designee) is hereby charged with assuring that CSUN is operating in compliance with the California State University records/information retention and disposition schedules, and with identifying records and information that may have historic or vital value for CSUN. Each year, the Dean (or his/her designee) will take the lead in convening campus stakeholders to ensure campus records of historical value are appropriately transferred to the University Archives.
As a part of these duties, the Dean or designee will establish procedures to modify the retention and disposition schedules to incorporate records unique to CSUN in the official University Archives. These schedules will be available to the campus community, with copies provided to the Office of the Chancellor upon request.
Personnel and budget for the University Archives are already part of the library's operating budget.
Your cost will be limited to staff and/or student assistant time required to pack materials, create box lists, and fill out appropriate paperwork (we will review this paperwork later in this document.)
Records created or received in the course of work for CSUN belong to the University. Transferring them to the University Archives does not change ownership, only custodianship. Unfortunately attempts to collect university records have historically been neglected, and the collecting of university records has been dependent upon the interest, time, and energy of those transferring materials to the archives. This approach has resulted in the loss of archival materials pertaining to the history and development of the university over the past sixty years resulting in gaps in the record.
The library has a professional staff whose education and work experience make them uniquely qualified to care for historical records in multiple formats. All archivists at CSUN have earned Master of Library Science degrees and have been working in the archival field for several years.
Although materials will be unavailable to researchers before archival processing occurs, they will be available to staff and faculty from the office of origin. Materials will be made available in the Special Collections & Archives reading room located on the second floor of the library during our regular operating hours .
The initial outlay of time for the first material transfer varies depending on how much material is transferred. Subsequent transfers generally take less time. Subsequent transfers generally take less time. When packing physical records, please maintain their filing order. Special Collections & Archives can provide boxes and/or file folders if you need them. Digital records can often be trasnferred online or via external hard drives.
Transfers must be accompanied by a completed Records Transfer Authorization form, and a list of the transfer's content.
Please take special note of the “Restrictions” sections. This is a mandatory field.
Statutory restrictions refer to those imposed by law, such as:
- Medical information subject to HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)
- Educational information subject to FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) requirements
- Personnel records under the California Public Records Act
Examples of other commonly restricted information includes but is not limited to social security numbers, passport numbers, financial account numbers, and other Personally Identifiable Information (or PII).
Please also note that this form should be signed by the Head of the College, Department, or Administrative Unit.