Archive and Special Collections

Scope 

The University Archives collects inactive records of administrative, academic and student activities. These records often include materials produced, solicited or received by the Board of Trustees, University President, Provost, Vice Presidents, College Deans and Directors, Academic Departments and Programs, Universal Centers, Student Organizations, and other administrative and institutional offices. The activities of Rosary College and Dominican University have also historically included numerous study abroad programs and community outreach. Materials are actively solicited from these programs, which include Villa Schifanoia, Fribourg, London Semester Abroad, among others. The Archives also seeks to be the repository for evidential materials as well, and currently collects ephemera audio recordings, video and multimedia recordings, scrapbooks, diaries and promotional materials. 

Examples of such materials include, but are not limited to the following:

• Annual budgets and audit reports
• Agenda and minutes of meetings
• Annual reports
• Correspondence and memoranda 
• Committee and task force reports
• Enrollment reports
• Faculty CVs and publications
• Film and broadcast recordings
• Inventories 
• Statistical summaries
• Press releases
• Student organization charters and by-laws

Materials Collected

As with most University-based special collections of rare documents, codices and manuscripts, our goal is to collect material which supports the curricula and intellectual goals of our scholastic programs. For a religious institution, this also includes material coincident with the mission of guiding religious community. 

Dominican University's Special Collections are focused upon six primary collection areas:

• Historic Catholic and Dominican religious texts
• Books related to the history of librarianship, the written text, manuscripts, incunabulum, printing arts and typographic arts
• Early scientific and astrological literature 
• Books related to Chicago history, Chicago-area collections and ancillary materials
• Material related to the lives and works of our alumnae and faculty
• Material related to our foreign programs, historical and contemporary 

Artwork

When considering the acquisition of artwork, Dominican University's Special Collection is focused upon six primary collection areas:

• Artwork created by the Sinsinawan Dominican Sisters
• Artwork created by our faculty, staff, students and alumni
• Artwork with a Catholic focus, or identity, especially works relating to Father Samuel, Saint Dominic, Saint Catherine of Siena, or of any Catholic figure or possessing a theological focus of special interest to the community
• Medieval and Renaissance era European artwork and related materials
• Artwork which is emblematic of an era, style, movement, or social milieu
• Documents, manuscripts and related materials which identify the provenance of an artwork or which relates to the creation, sale, ownership or meaning of an artwork.

Dominican University actively seeks artwork and related materials which support our curricula and academic programs and are of enduring, demonstrable value to our educational commitments. 

Languages 

Archive collections are primarily in English, but we also have items in Latin, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Gaelic, Greek, Burmese and Portuguese. 

What We Do Not Collect

Dominican University does not collect materials of contentious or disputable provenance. We do not collect materials which require substantial investments by the University in its upkeep, restoration or maintenance without a suitable endowment for the continued care of such materials. We reserve the right to refuse the donation of materials which fall outside of our collecting scope. This may also include

• Records of specific financial transactions
• Unmarked drafts and reports which have been published
• Form letters which are unsigned, or not addressed to specific individuals
• Duplicated materials and commercial mass-market documents

All materials should be transferred in the order in which they are created and maintained by the office or department. A completed transfer form or deed of gift must accompany any materials delivered to the Archives.