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Collection Guidelines

Our Mission

The Archives is dedicated to preserving records that document the history, organization, policies, activities, and people of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and the University Hospital at Downstate, in addition to our predecessor institutions Long Island College Hospital and Long Island College of Medicine, making those records available to researchers. We are in the process of creating for a Digital Collection utilizing the SUNY Digital Project-DSpace.

The following list can help determine whether documents are of permanent legal, fiscal, administrative or historic value. The department will accept the material listed below, regardless of format, as per the acquisition policy of the Archives.

  • Inaugural & Anniversary Records
  • Inviteesʼ lists
  • Planning committee material
  • Production scripts
  • Programs
  • Press releases
  • Presidential records
  • Departmental Publications
  • Faculty Handbooks
  • Annual reports
  • Faculty Senate minutes
  • College Council minutes
  • Commencement and dedication programs
  • Statistical data
  • Master plans
  • Accreditation reports
  • Implementation/evaluation of campus wide programs
  • Materials related to the function and overall running of the Office of the President
  • SUNY Master Plan Records
  • Campus input to Master Plan Records
  • University-wide records (SUNY superceded-retain permanently)
  • Special Campus Events
  • Meeting minutes
  • Correspondence
  • Consultant reports
  • Brochures
  • Posters
  • Programs
  • Photos
  • Publications
  • Participant lists and Biographical Information
  • General Materials
  • Official minutes and hearing proceedings (governing body, board, commission, committee)
  • Meeting agenda when not included in minutes
  • Legal opinion or directive
  • Procedure manual
  • Opinion survey records (official copy)
  • Internal investigation/non-fiscal audit records (reports and recommendations)
  • Annual reports
  • Final reports
  • Special reports
  • Program plan (annual, special, long-range)
  • Official memoranda
  • Campus Announcements
  • Records of the Vice Presidents, Directors, and Chairs
  • Committee records
  • Annual budget
  • Annual audit reports
  • Alumni records (minutes, publications)
  • Admissions reports
  • Office of research reports
  • University development reports
  • Student organizational records
  • Official university publications
  • Departmental publications
  • Newsletters
  • Booklets
  • Flyers
  • Brochures
  • Catalogs
  • Posters
  • Special Bulletins
  • Yearbooks
  • Student newspapers
  • University directories
  • Faculty/staff rosters
  • Alumni magazines
  • Photographs
  • Slides
  • Negatives
  • Videos (Note: a separate video guideline exists for Educational Technologies)
  • Audiocassettes
  • Motion pictures
  • Oral histories
  • Microfilm (back up)
  • Maps and plans
  • Memorabilia and Artifacts
  • Newspaper Articles
  • Registrar's Office (SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Registrar retains its own materials: below is a guideline)
  • Degree application cards
  • Student transcripts
  • Course grade books
  • Course catalogs
  • Commencement programs (listing graduates)
  • Transcript supplement-oversees (should be made part of permanent transcript)
  • Public Safety Records (SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University University Police retains its own materials)
  • Campus Safety Records – Annual Security Report
  • Incident data Summary Records
  • Arrest records & folders
  • Incident & investigation Records

Materials in the Archives are available to all members of the SUNY Downstate community and to the public, except for certain departmental collections that are restricted in whole or in part.

This includes both University administrative data, faculty and staff collections.

Records Transfer Procedure

The records of permanent value that should be transferred to the University Archives listed should be transferred to the Archives on a yearly basis and the original order of these documents (order in which records were created and used) should be maintained.

Archive staff should be contacted prior to transfer date to discuss amount and type of records being transferred as well as to set a pick-up or delivery date.

Each box should be numbered in pencil and include a letter stating the following: name of transferring agency or department; record series title/name; brief description of use; inclusive dates; estimated volume, brief description of contents; name of person authorizing transfer; and access restrictions.

Upon receipt, a letter of acknowledgement will be issued by the department.