Under the authority of WWU Policy POL-U4910.01, Managing University Archival Records, the University Archives is the official repository for the archival records of Western Washington University.

The purpose of the University Archives is to document Western Washington University’s history and the fulfillment of its mission by

• Preserving a continuity of evidence of official acts and decisions
• Ensuring Western’s accountability to itself, to its stakeholders, and to posterity
• Safeguarding Western’s archival records
• Providing a resource by which Western’s staff, faculty, students, and alumni can connect their work and interests with the institution’s history
• Sharing Western’s history with the local community and general public

The University Archives preserves records generally from the following categories:

• Governance, planning, and policy implementation
• Academic programs and activities
• Student governance, activities, and social life
• Development of campus physical environment
• Campus administration, services, and activities
• Development of Western’s external relationships

For more information about the kinds of records that are archival and how they are selected, see the WWU Archives Appraisal Guide.

Collections are maintained for the research needs of University administrators, faculty, staff, students and interested citizens. In addition, the collections provide graduate students in Western's Archival Administration & Records Management Program with hands-on experience in archival/records management processes.

Collection policy follows the mandated legal authority for the Archives & Records Management Program and the definition of public records stated in RCW 40.14, Preservation and Destruction of Public Records.

In cooperation with campus offices and the approval of the State Records Committee, Records Retention Schedules are established that identify the administrative, legal, fiscal and historical values of records. In addition to identifying potential archival records, Retention Schedules provide for the orderly transfer of the records to the Archives & Records Center.

Archival Preservation Standards

Preservation of the University's historical records depends on the efforts of the campus community. Office administrators, faculty and staff need to be mindful of the needs of future researchers and to consult with the University Archives & Records Center if in doubt about the archival values of records.

Standards for preservation of historical records for the University are established prior to transfer to the Archives & Records Center. Records are designated on office Records Retention Schedules as "archival," "potentially archival," or "selected files potentially archival." Schedules are approved by the office Records Coordinator, the University Records Officer, and the State Records Committee.

Records Transfer

Consult the Records Retention Schedule for records that have fulfilled administrative requirements in the office, but are identified on the schedule as "archival," "potentially archival," or "selected files potentially archival." Those records have historical value and should be transferred to the Archives & Records Center for permanent preservation when retention periods in the office have been fulfilled. Use the standard transfer procedure for Archives & Records Center storage (as described in Records Center Storage section).

Access and Research

Research access is by appointment. The Archives operates from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, although hours are subject to change due to limited staffing. Researchers planning to reference archival records should schedule an appointment in advance by contacting the University Archives & Records Center at (360) 650-3124.

The University Archives & Records Center is located in the Washington State Archives (Goltz-Murray) Building at 25th Street and Bill McDonald Parkway.

Visitors may park in the campus parking lot across from the Archives Building, but need to request a visitor's parking permit from the reception desk.

In addition to the collections of the University Archives & Records Center, historical materials related to the University are maintained by the following programs... see below.

The Campus History Collection includes the official publications of the various constituencies of the University--administration, faculty, staff, students and alumni. University catalogs and campus newspapers are typical examples of these publications. The History Collection is also comprised of photographs and audiovisual materials.

For convenience of the campus community, the Campus History Collection also makes available duplicate copies of frequently used University records, such as Board of Trustees and Faculty Senate meeting minutes and agenda, University budgets and facilities planning documents.

The Western Collection held by Special Collections contains articles, monographs, personal memoirs, musical scores, recordings, and graphics, written, edited, compiled, translated, or illustrated by Western faculty, administrators, staff and alumni, past and present.

The Center for Pacific Northwest Studies collections contain archival, cartographic, photographic and other materials. The Center seeks those materials that represent significant developments in the region that stretches from Alaska to Northern California, from the Pacific to the Rockies, but the Center maintains a special focus on northwest interior Washington, the Olympic Peninsula, British Columbia, and Alaska.

The Regional Center is a branch of the Washington State Archives. Its holdings include regional archives of governmental units in Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, Island, San Juan, Jefferson and Clallam counties. These records document such activities as state, territorial and county court actions, property transfers and taxes, education, and city and county governance.