Donate

The University of Wisconsin-Superior Special Collections & Archives (UWS-SCA) collects and acquires documents, audiovisual materials, imagery, digital objects, and other artifacts to provide for the teaching, research, and engagement needs of the University and its community. UWS-SCA focuses its efforts primarily on unique, rare, and primary source materials with significant and timeless informational and/or artifactual value to the University. Because the subjective worth of these artifacts varies between institutions, each with their own needs and priorities, this guide serves to inform potential donors in the types of materials appropriate for donation.

If you think have an item or items that would be of interest to us, send us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Remember, what you might think is junk may be treasure to us!

The UWS-SCA has three distinct collecting areas: University of Wisconsin-Superior (UWS) history, Lake Superior Maritime history, and Douglas and Washburn counties history. We collect many types of materials related to these interests, but depending on our existing holdings or the historical value of the artifacts, may decline accepting certain forms and items into our collections. Please note that financial compensation is not offered for material donations.

The University Archives focus on four distinct collecting areas.

1. Student activities (this includes students orgs, alumni, athletics, etc.)
2. Intellectual life (Academic department materials and faculty publications)
3. Administrative (EDI offices, the Provost, etc.)
4. Community outreach and engagement (events, speakers, programs, etc.)

Examples of materials of interest:

• Ephemera (stickers, programs, tickets, scrapbooks, pennants, etc.)
• Audiovisual materials / Photographs (filmed and recorded events, print and digital images) 
  • Pre-1970 panoramic class photographs are highly sought after.
• Student publications and zines
• Flyers and posters
• Newsletters
• Attire (uniforms, patches, buttons, etc.)
• ...and other artifacts and documents that showcase the history of the school

Examples of items we are not interested in:

• Yearbooks
• Plaques, awards, and trophies (though we may want to capture a digital image)
• Student classwork (with the exception of theses, capstones, honors projects, and the like)
• Issues of the school newspaper (Peptomist, Stinger, and The Promethean)
• Student and employee records (see the Registrar and HR accordingly)
• Research materials not created by the donor (e.g. journals and articles used in scholarly work)
• Heavily damaged materials (exceptions may be made for desirable/rarer items)

But always, If you're unsure whether an artifact or document is appropriate, please contact us to ask. We want to make sure that we're not potentially losing an important piece of university history!

Note that many administrative documents fall under the purview of Records Management and should be stored and disposed of in the proper location and on the appropriate schedule. Please email for more information.

The Lake Superior Maritime Collection at the JDH Library contains a vast array of materials that tell the story of maritime history of the communities surrounding Lake Superior, including the Twin Ports of Duluth and Superior. Information and images about ships, the shipping industry, and shipwrecks are all part of this collection.

If you have unique materials or items that you think may fill a gap in our collections, let us know and we can assess our needs. Please note that we do not collect mass market media (books, DVDs/VHS tapes, etc.) about the region or maritime life in general nor do we collect government documents or maps.

The UW-Superior Area Research Center (ARC) is one of 14 ARCs statewide and provides access to collections of local historical material such as naturalization, tax, and property records owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS). The UW-Superior ARC serves Washburn and Douglas Counties and holds only records from these regions. We do not accept direct donations of materials related to this collection area. Please contact the WHS and they will decide whether to preserve, catalog, and distribute the materials to the appropriate ARC.