Your experiences and memories are an important part of the history of our community! We welcome donation inquiries from current and former students, alumni, and friends of the College.
If you’re interested in donating materials to the College Archives, please review the brief lists below, then contact us at librarycollectiondonor@stolaf.edu. Please do not leave items at the Archives Offices (or with NAHA) unless you have corresponded with a member of our staff, and they have arranged to receive the items from you. It’s important that we document information about our donors, the materials they are offering, and the history of the object — this information makes your gift more accessible to researchers, and provides meaningful context to the collections. Be prepared to spend a few minutes with our staff, and to fill out a Deed of Gift form.
Items we typically acquire:
- Artifacts (objects and textiles) related to the institution, or to your time here
- Special format materials documenting the history of St. Olaf College, including, but not limited to:
- audio and audiovisual materials, and (soon) audiofiles
- still photographs, slides, negatives, films, and (soon) digital images
- oral histories and their transcripts
- maps, blueprints, etc.
- scrapbooks, notebooks, photo albums, diaries, notebooks, letters, etc
- tickets, fliers, and other ephemera
Items we do not acquire:
- yearbooks (see our complete digital collection)
- college catalogs (see our digital collection)
- back issues of the Manitou Messenger (see the digital collection)
- triplicate publications (we strive to keep two copies when available, but no more)
- publications better suited to the Rolvaag Library Collection, Rolvaag Special Collections, or NAHA
- artwork better suited to a museum collection
- most clothing
- moldy or damaged items
For questions pertaining to the donation process:
Student Associate for Collection & Donor Support
x 507-786-2190 | librarycollectiondonor@stolaf.edu