Research Guides: Archive Services: FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Archive Services, a department within the Library, is responsible for collecting and maintaining records related to Rowan-Cabarrus Community College with historical value. ‘Records’ can be anything! Course catalogs, reports, event programs, memos, photographs, videos, newspaper clippings, and even items such as an ID card or uniform can all be donated to the archives! Together, these items form the institutional memory of our college.
Most of what we collect is guided by the retention schedule for NC community colleges, but we collect more than required in order to better document the history and culture of our college over time.

Archives have unique materials that are not published. Because these items can be impossible to replace, they cannot be checked out like books. They must be used in the library with the supervision of Archive Services staff. You cannot browse in the archives, but staff are happy to retrieve items for you. Items within the Archives are typically arranged by provenance, or who created them, while items in the library are arranged by subject.

Keep the Archives in mind as you’re cleaning out files or offices! We’re happy to help every step of the way – interpreting the retention schedule, sorting through and disposing of materials, and providing boxes for transfer to the Archives. If you don’t want to donate, we can scan and return your materials. Staff are also happy to assist with historical research in our collections for both personal and professional projects. If you have other ideas for collaboration, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Staff are happy to provide instruction or collaborate on class projects using historical primary sources. Classes may use archival materials in the library, we can bring reproductions or a limited amount of original material to your classroom, or items may be digitized for online classes. Groups are welcome to come through for a tour of the Archives, but at this time, there is no room for instruction in the space. Contact us to chat about how we can work together!

Archive Services is in the North Campus Library, on the second floor of building N105. The Archives are currently open by appointment to faculty, staff, students, and public individuals or groups. We may establish walk-in hours if there is interest from the campus community, but for now, you can make an appointment here.
Materials are divided into collections based on where they came from, and each collection is described in an inventory called a finding aid. These are posted online to allow you to search for relevant material. They also provide contextual information to help you make sense of what you find in the collection. As collections are processed, more finding aids will be available. Reach out if you can’t find what you need: staff can search unprocessed materials for useful information.
Digitized materials are stored in different places depending on their format (videos, photographs, scrapbooks, etc.). You can find links to each of these here.