Prepared, March 28, 1994

INTRODUCTION

The intention of the President and the Board of Trustees in 
endorsing this charter is to provide for the orderly transfer 
of College records from active to inactive status when they 
lose legal, fiscal or operational value;  the physical 
preservation under appropriate security of records of 
historical value for use by authorized researchers;  and the 
orderly disposal with appropriate authorization of records 
that have no significant historical value.  This archival 
portion of a college records management program will insure 
the corporate memory of the institution.


MISSION OF THE COLLEGE ARCHIVES

The mission of the Lycoming College archives is to appraise 
for usefulness, collect, organize, describe, make available, 
and preserve records of historical, legal, fiscal, and/or 
administrative value to this institution.  This includes 
providing adequate facilities for the retention and 
preservation of such records; promoting the use of the archives 
by the college community as staffing and resources allow; and 
serving as a resource and laboratory to stimulate and nourish 
creative teaching and learning.

DEFINITION OF AN ARCHIVAL RECORD

Any paper, correspondence, completed form, bound record book, 
photograph, film, sound recording, map, drawing, machine-readable 
record, magnetic tape, or any other document, regardless of 
physical form or characteristic, which has been generated by 
or received by Lycoming College, and is used as evidence of the 
school's historical, legal, fiscal, and/or administrative 
activities.  This definition will be amplified further in the 
archival collection development policy.

POLICY

I.  The Library Director of Lycoming College should be 
designated as the custodian of the Lycoming College Archives.  
A librarian appointed as the College Archivist who reports to 
the Director of the Library shall have the following 
responsibilities which will be carried out in the time allocated 
to the archives function:  
1) to systematize the storage and disposal of inactive records;  
2) to select and prepare for permanent housing records of 
historical value;  
3) to answer questions and, following officially approved 
guidelines, make archival material available to authorized users; 
4) to publicize the value of the College Archives as an 
educational resource for the academic program at Lycoming College. 

II. The librarian designated as College Archivist is advised by 
The Archives Advisory Committee composed of a representative 
from the Faculty Library Advisory Committee, the Dean of the 
College, a representative of the Lycoming College History 
Department, a representative from the College's Office of 
the President. 

III.  All documentary materials created, received, and 
maintained by College officials and employees in conducting 
the official business of the College are College records and 
are the property of Lycoming College (refer to the definition 
of an archival record).  The personal papers of faculty and 
administrators are not subject to these regulations or the 
archival collection development policy and remain the private 
property of the individual.  They will, however, be accepted 
as valuable donations to the archival collection.

IV.  A collection development policy will be developed by the 
Archivist in coordination with the Archival Advisory Committee.  
Records published on a routine basis (e.g. catalogs, bulletins, 
announcements, reports, alumni publications, etc.) will be sent 
automatically in duplicate to the Snowden Library.  Similar 
arrangements shall be made for the transmittal of student 
publications.  Each college office should have a designated 
employee who will collect current publications for
archival purposes.  

V.  The Archivist will develop implementing guidelines for 
the successful organization and operation of the College 
Archives and these will be subject to review by the Archives 
Advisory Committee.
Snowden Library