If you are not the creator of the materials, the repository may ask you to explain how you have the authority to donate them. The repository will provide its full name as the recipient. The repository may wish to be more specific in describing the materials, or append a more detailed listing of the materials to the agreement. In this section, the donor formally agrees to transfer legal ownership and physical custody of the materials, including future donations, to the repository. It will manage and care for them, employing the best professional judgment of its staff and according to accepted professional standards and its mission and objectives.
Repositories prefer to accept materials through transfer of ownership.
The cost of storing, preserving, and making collections available for research is so high that repositories generally can only afford to do so for materials they own. As the professional staff of the repository reviews the materials you donated, there may be reason to reformat some or all of them. Long-term preservation of fragile materials, for instance, is a primary reason for microfilming or copying papers for use by researchers. Unless you note to the contrary in the gift agreement, when you transfer legal owner-ship of your materials to the repository, you agree that the staff may make reformatting decisions. The repository representative will discuss with you the means by which your collection can be transported to the repository.