What We Collect
The McDaniel College Archives collects and houses records of historical value that document:
- The intellectual, cultural, administrative, and social life of the College from 1866 to the present
- Faculty/staff and faculty organizations, students and student organizations, prominent alumni and alumni organizations, and College administration
- Programs initiated by students, faculty/staff, College offices/departments, and administration that reach out beyond the College community
- The College’s curriculum and academic programs
These records may be papers/manuscripts, electronic files, photographs, video tapes, audio tapes, publications, memorabilia, ephemera, and similar types of materials.
The McDaniel College Archives also collects and houses the following records:
- Western Maryland College records, including publications, created by or for the College in the course of College business from 1866-2002
- McDaniel College records, including publications, created by or for the College in the course of College business from 2002 to the present
Types of records collected by the Archives may include:
- Academic records
- Administrative records
- Annual reports
- Catalogs (Undergraduate and Graduate)
- College-related personal papers of administrators, faculty, and staff
- Ephemera from College activities
- Event programs for graduation, commencement, performances, lectures, awards ceremonies, etc.
- Fraternity and sorority campus chapter papers, publications, and artifacts
- Meeting minutes from College committees
- Memorabilia from alumni, faculty, and staff relating to the College
- Oral histories from administrators, alumni, faculty, students, and staff
- Photographs and production materials documenting the College, events, and people, including photographic prints, scripts, film, audio/video cassettes, and electronic files
- Publications produced by the College, alumni, students, faculty, or staff
- Scrapbooks kept during years at College or produced by classes for reunions
- Personal and professional papers and materials of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and administrators which document a specific era in the history of the College
- Material related to the College’s core curriculum
- Published books on the history of Western Maryland College and McDaniel College
- Published works in which materials from McDaniel College Archives are cited
What We Don't Collect
Due to space limitations and preservation and accessibility concerns, the Archives will no longer accept the following types of materials:
- Artwork, other art objects, furniture, or other oversized objects
- Large deposits of newspaper clippings
- Award plaques or trophies
- Duplicate copies of serialized items already held in the College Archives (yearbooks, student publications, alumni magazines, and college catalogs)
- Items in extremely poor or hazardous condition
- Items unrelated to the College's history apart from our designated collecting areas (see Special Collections)
Exceptions to each of these areas will be considered at the discretion of the archivist and/or library director.
Updated: January 2023
