How Are Historical Records Acquired by the Archives Center?

The Archives Center of the National Museum of American History depends on gifts and contributions from private sources to enrich and add depth to its holdings. Gifts of financial support help to strengthen the Archives Center's collections and its services to the Institution and to the public. Gifts are made directly to the Archives Center.

The Archives Center generally accepts only those materials that it intends to retain for its collections. When a gift is accepted, the Institution becomes the owner of the material with the accompanying right to determine its future use and disposition. Because of the high cost of processing and storage, the Archives Center does not accept materials that are clearly duplicative or fall outside of its institutional mission.

The Archives Center reminds all potential donors that the research value of their family papers and records may be diminished if sensitive material is removed, or if the original order is disturbed. Sensitive material should be discussed with the archivist during the negotiation of the gift or loan. While repositories desire to make all papers and records freely accessible to researchers, they normally will agree to close a part, or all, of a collection for a specific period to protect the privacy of the donor or others.

The Archives Center normally asks donors to include copyright in their gifts of papers and records to spare the researcher the burden of writing numerous copyright holders for permission to quote, and to relieve the donors of the need to answer such letters. Copyright should be discussed with the archivist before donation.

It may be possible for some donors of papers and records to claim tax deductions for the value of their gifts. The value of gifts of personal papers donated by their creators currently is not tax deductible, although the value of such gifts by their heirs or estates may be allowed. Donors wishing to use the value of papers as a deduction in a tax return should discuss this with the archivist, museum registrar, and their tax advisor at the time of negotiation of the gift. An appraisal will be required, but the Archives Center's staff cannot provide this appraisal. However, the archivist may be able to provide the names of professional appraisers.

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