A. Policy

The UCI University Archives, located in Special Collections and Archives, Langson Library, Room 525, is the designated repository for UCI records with historic or long-term value. Retaining, preserving, and making UCI’s historical records accessible supports UCI's commitment to instruction, research, and public service.

The University Archives does not collect all university records. It collects inactive records documenting the university's decision-making processes, the functions of the university, and the essential cultural history of the campus, such as administrative records, general publications, and records concerning student organizations, UCI support groups, and other affiliated groups.

Records must be offered to the University Archivist as instructed in the University of California Records Retention Schedule (Schedule) if they are designated as “subject to University Archives review” or for transfer to University Archives at the end of a specified period.

B. Definitions

The University Archives is a department of UCI Libraries and its collections consist of selected inactive campus records that have enduring administrative, legal, historical, or research value and document UCI’s history, including its people, events, plans, and accomplishments, which may:

• be in any format, including: paper-based materials, audio recordings, microform, film, digital files, websites, email, maps, photographs, and architectural drawings;
• be unique (only one copy exists); and
• in rare cases, contain personally identifiable information or need to be restricted (typically, records of this nature are not accepted, however, there are exceptions if such records are also historically valuable).

Broad categories of records in the UCI Archives include:

• Administrative Records: May include but is not limited to: program administration records such as academic plans, policies, program establishment/consolidation/disestablishment; communications of historical importance; annual financial reports and statements with enduring value; photographs, posters, and video of significant events, individuals, and campus scenes; curriculum records such as course descriptions and proposals; records that document student life, including athletics.
• General Publications: Academic catalogs, handbooks, program announcements, directories, commencement and stage production programs, art exhibition catalogs, research publications, newsletters, miscellaneous brochures, posters, UCI press releases, newspaper clippings, and other publications about the campus.
• Student Organizations: Significant student organization correspondence, minutes, newsletters and publications created by the organization, flyers, scrapbooks.
• UCI Support Groups and Other Affiliated Groups: Records from groups such as Town and Gown, UCI Foundation, Friends of the Libraries, UCI Arboretum, etc.

C. Responsibilities

UC records managers and archivists work together to establish disposition schedules that identify records of enduring value for permanent retention, for transfer to archives, or for consideration for disposal; these schedules are found in the UC Records Retention Schedule. The Schedule is applicable to all units both administrative and academic. In addition, the Archives collects materials that have permanent historical value even though they are not officially designated for archives in the Records Disposition Schedules.

1. Unit Responsibilities:
   1. Records remain in the custody of their office of origin until they are no longer actively needed for business purposes.
   2. In all cases where an archival instruction appears in the Schedule, units in possession of such records must contact the University Archivist to discuss their disposition.
2. University Archives Responsibilities:
   1. Depending upon the wording of the instruction in the Schedule, University Archives:
      1. May, at its option, accept and retain records “subject to University Archives review”, accept and retain a portion of the records, or not accept the records.
      2. Must accept records with a specified retention period other than “permanent” that are to be transferred to University Archives at the end of the stated period.
      3. Must accept “permanent” records for transfer to the University Archives after the specified period.

D. Procedures

1. Transferring Materials

   Prior to transferring any records to the University Archives all units must contact the University Archives to discuss the records and if appropriate allow University Archives to evaluate them.

2. Accessing Materials

   Records transferred to the University Archives are made accessible to patrons in the UCI Libraries Department of Special Collections & Archives reading room. University Archives materials can be accessed by all registered researchers. Typical users and uses of archival records include:

   • University administration
   • Faculty and student research
   • Non-UCI researchers, alumni, and the general public
   • Historical topics related to the university
   • Curriculum development and instruction
   • Public relations and public information
   • University development
   • University publications
   • Exhibition programs.

   Patrons are not allowed to access restricted materials, which typically contain confidential information that is restricted according to state and federal laws. Many records housed in the Archives are public records, and access to them is therefore governed by the California Public Records Act.