Giving to the Archives
The Center for Archival Collections (CAC) welcomes donations of historical materials and financial gifts in support of our work. If you are interested in making a financial contribution, please visit our online giving page. In the designation box, type “Center for Archival Collections.”
We collect materials that align with our Collection Development Plan, which focuses on:
- The history of BGSU
- The Northwest Ohio region
- The U.S. Great Lakes and connecting waterway
- Higher education and student affairs organization
- Select areas in literature, printing history and book arts
We accept both physical and digital materials, including (but not limited to) unpublished documents and manuscripts, photographs, rare books, publications, newspapers, ephemera, and audiovisual recordings. Potential donations are evaluated based on their alignment with our mission, historical value and long-term preservation needs.
General Donation Guidelines
- Duplicates: We typically retain only one copy of a document or publication.
- Three-dimensional items: Due to storage and preservation constraints, we rarely accept artifacts such as plaques, trophies or framed items. In some cases, we may photograph them and return the originals.
- Ongoing donations: For organizations with existing collections, regular updates (e.g., annual or biannual) are encouraged to maintain continuity.
- Record types of interest: Administrative records, correspondence, reports, photographs, publications, meeting minutes, scrapbooks, diaries and other materials of lasting historical value.
- Digital records: We welcome records in electronic formats and can advise on delivery options. We may not be able to accommodate uncommon file formats or storage media.
Please reach out before sending any materials. Staff will assess your donation and guide you through the process.
Collection-Specific Donation Guidelines
The HCGL documents the U.S. Great Lakes region and its connecting waterways, especially from 1860 to the present. We collect materials on:
- Commercial shipping and shipbuilding
- Navigation, maritime law and fishing
- Labor history and port culture
- Shipwrecks, yachting and freshwater ecology
Typical materials include manuscripts, maps, photographs, architectural drawings and published works.
The NSAA houses records from national, regional, and state student affairs and higher education organizations, as well as collections created by prominent professionals in the field. These collections document the histories of organizations in the field and provide researchers with perspectives on how the profession has evolved over time and the role specific organizations have played in it.
The CAC's Northwest Ohio Collections contain primary source materials that document the history of the northwest Ohio region from 1820 to the present day. Areas of emphasis include:
- Civil War, agriculture, education, labor and religion
- Local government, organizations, businesses
- Personal and family narratives
Types of materials sought include organizational records, personal and family papers, photographs, diaries, letters, audio and video recordings, rare books, ephemera, and maps.
We collect unique materials that support literary and book history research, with focuses on:
- Mid-20th century to contemporary American poetry
- Beat Generation publications and BGSU Creative Writing alumni
- Artists’ books and the material history of the book
Note: Early imprints and small press books from the 18th–20th centuries remain an important part of the collection.
The University Archives documents BGSU's institutional history from 1910 to today. We accept records from:
- Academic and administrative units
- Faculty and student organizations
- Alumni, faculty and staff
Types of material sought include minutes, correspondence, subject files, reports, committee materials, budgets, statistics, membership lists, publications, photographs, audio and visual media, newsletters, promotional material, and more. See more detailed information in the University Archives Collection Development Policy.
Updated: 11/02/2026 01:17PM