The preservation of original records represents a significant commitment of resources by the University. Staff and space constraints mean that all offers of material must be carefully evaluated. It may be that records more appropriately belong in another collection. The University Archives welcomes the opportunity to review potential donations of records and provide advice. In general, publications are not suitable for preservation in the University Archives, with the exception of those that are heavily annotated.
Archives are primarily concerned with unique material.
Reprints of scholarly articles and monographs may be found by researchers in libraries more easily than in collections of personal papers. Similarly, final manuscripts of publications have little research value. However, drafts and other documents which reflect the creative thought processes contributing to the development of the completed work have more value and archival significance. To properly process archives requires a significant investment of materials and labour. This can only be done where the University owns the material.