Student Organizations Records Toolkit: The Records

When deciding what is important to keep, think about the purpose of the item.

• Does the item provide context to your organizations creation or contributions to the SU community?
• Would this item be of interest to future organization members, students or researchers?
• Does this item relate to other materials in your collection?

The following are common records that you should preserve in your collection:

• charters and founding documents
• bylaws
• organizational histories
• photographs or audiovisual recordings of the group, members, events, meetings, tournaments
• budgets or handbooks
• committee reports
• general meeting notes or minutes
• resolutions
• member or officer rosters
• website
• flyers or posters
• programming

Items you don't need to keep in your collection are:

• artifacts like trophies or award plaques
• financial items such as receipts and bank statements
• more than 2 copies of publications

• Try to include as much information as possible. While you may know the members of your organization, future members may not. 
  • Information to add - full names, dates, locations and descriptions of event
• Keep your records in a single place. Designate a secretary or historian to gather materials, store it and pass it on to a successor as appropriate.
• Remember to think about any non-physical items as well - digital records, photographs, videos.

• Keep all your items in one place
• Store physical items in a dry area away from dust, extreme temperature changes, and sunlight when possible. 
  • For example, a box in a closet rather than a grocery bag in a damp basement or hot attic.
• When possible, keep 2 copies of digital content in separate places in case disaster destroys one. Practice LOCKSS - Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe! This could include a copy on an external hard drive and a copy in a Google Drive or Dropbox folder. Remember that digital items can pose software and access problems as well. Don't rely primarily on an SU account as you may not have access to it in the future.

What's the point of collecting and preserving your organization's history if your materials can never be seen by other members? 

Providing access is up to your organization. Some of your materials may be more sensitive and your organization may not want them completely open to the public. As an autonomous student organization and the creators of these materials, that is your right. 

If you would like to make your collection available to future SU students, please consider donating them to the University Archives. You can find the few simple steps a transfer takes under the "Donation" tab. 

No matter how you choose to make your student organization's materials accessible, consider developing a routine of transferring your items, either to your organization's secretary/historian or to the University Archives.  These transfers should take place once you no longer need immediate access to the records. Transfers could occur yearly, at the end of the semester, or after the end of your leader's term in office, whatever works best for your organization.