Donating Records

What do we collect? For the WLA, we collection materials related to individual women and women's organizations very broadly defined. We are especially interested in the subject areas of women in politics, the arts, sciences, education, philanthropy, and business. In addition, we strongly welcome the donation records related to second and third wave feminism, women's social justice activism and community building as well as collections related to Catholic women, both lay and religious, Catholic theology, and feminist theology. Mundelein College Alumnae are strongly encouraged to think of adding their own papers to the Mundelein College Records Collection.

At present, the WLA has zero processing backlog which means that we can give each newly arrived collection immediate attention including preservation, arrangement, and description. We also work to make the collections visible to researchers by promoting on our website, catalog records, and our facebook page.

For more information including a basic facts, an informational brochure, and/or a meeting with the WLA director please contact the Director, Women & Leadership Archives.

Donating Materials: An Overview

Donating personal or organizational records is often a deeply personal process which can take from a few hours to a few years to complete depending on the concerns and materials involved. It is simply different for everyone. But, how to start the process? For most people, that is with a general conversation with a professional archivist about what materials they have and what it means to donate materials. Very often the donation process is shrouded in mystery which leads to the perception that it is exceptionally complex. This is not true. Typically, an archivist will be able to help you along the way, including identifying your rights as a donor, evaluating the material, arranging the pick up or shipment of the material, and the legal transfer.

But what to donate? Each archival repository is different and are limited by space and resources. Within these limitations, however, there is usually a great deal of diversity in the types of records that can be accepted in a collection. The following are not exclusive lists, but are typical of some of the materials that can be found in an archives. Also listed are some of the typical (and not-so-typical) formats of material found in archives.