The Pomona College Archives serves as the final repository for the historical records of Pomona College. Its primary purpose is to document the history of the College and to provide source material for administrators, faculty, students, alumni, and other members of the College community, as well as scholars, authors, and other interested persons.
Mission
The mission of the Pomona College Archives is to collect, preserve, describe and make accessible records and materials that document the history and development of Pomona College and its associated programs, activities, events, persons, and groups. The Archives serves as the repository for official and unofficial records that have enduring and significant historical, administrative, or informational value.
Collections Development
The records of Pomona College are extensive. The Archives must rely on the cooperation and support of administrators, deans, directors, faculty, students, and alumni to ensure that materials of historical value are collected and preserved. The Archives will assist with College-wide records management and collect material in the following categories from all administrative and academic units of the College:
Official Records, Papers, and Publications of Pomona College
Official records include the records or papers generated or received by the various academic departments and administrative offices of the College in the conduct of their business. These records include:
- Minutes, memoranda, correspondence and reports of the Board of Trustees
- Records of the President's Office, including correspondence, administrative subject files and reports
- Correspondence, subject files and reports of the offices of the Administration
- Correspondence, subject files and reports of deans, directors, and administrators of the College
- Minutes, memoranda and reports of all major academic and administrative councils and committees
- Departmental records, including: minutes, reports, correspondence, and syllabi
- Accreditation reports and supporting documentation
- Annual budget and audit reports
- Records of the Registrar, including timetables, class schedules, enrollment reports, graduation rosters, and other reports issued on a regular basis
- Alumni records, including minutes of the alumni association and committees
- Records of student organizations
- All publications, newsletters, and booklets distributed in the name of Pomona College, including catalogs, bulletins, yearbooks, student newspapers, College directories and faculty/staff rosters, faculty and administration newsletters and publications, alumni publications and ephemeral material
- Photographic prints, negatives, slides, audio and video film, tapes, and reels, oral history interviews, and optical and compact discs documenting the development of the College
- Maps, prints, and architectural drawings documenting the physical changes and development of the College
- Reports of research projects, including grant records
- Artifacts relating to the history of Pomona College
The official administrative records of Pomona College (correspondence, reports and subject files) designated as archival should be inactive and no longer used in the current activities of the originating office. Records should be forwarded to the Archives according to retention schedules after consulting with Archives staff for the orderly transfer of non-current materials. An inventory of records transferred should accompany material. The originating office may place restrictions on access to non-current records in addition to those that apply to administrative, Board of Trustees, employee and student records as described in the Access Policy.
Personal and Professional Papers of Pomona College Faculty
The Archives seeks to acquire, organize and provide access to the personal and professional papers of Pomona College faculty as a means of documenting the internal life and culture of the College community. The Archives seeks documentation of the careers of the Pomona College faculty in the following formats:
- Correspondence: official, professional and personal
- Biographical material: resumes, bibliographies, bibliographic sketches, chronologies, genealogies, newspaper clippings, and personal memoirs
- Photographic prints and graphic materials
- Records of lectures, speeches and discussions
- Lectures notes and syllabi
- Research files
- Departmental or committee minutes and records
- Drafts and manuscripts of articles and books
- Diaries, notebooks, and memorabilia.
The Archives recognizes the rights of faculty and private donors to impose reasonable restrictions on materials to protect privacy and confidentiality. Restrictions on access should be for a fixed term and determined at the time of donation. The Archives encourages minimal access restrictions consistent with the legal rights of all parties.
Unofficial Papers and Publications about Pomona College
The Archives will solicit and collect records and papers that are neither official College records nor faculty papers, but that relate to the history of Pomona College. Examples include:
- Professional and personal papers of the members of the Board of Trustees, if related to College business
- Professional and personal papers of alumni relating to their Pomona College experiences.
- Photographic prints and graphic materials relating to Pomona College
- Diaries, scrapbooks, and memorabilia relating to Pomona College
- Papers, records and published items on Pomona College and its role in the history of higher education
- Papers, records and published items pertaining to Pomona College as a major institution