Preserving Historically Significant ESI
About the University Archives
The University Archives is responsible for
Appraising university records.
Providing access and references services for archival university records.
Storing archival university records in an environmentally stable and secure area.
Ensuring long-term preservation for archival university records.
Records held by the University Archives have been used for scholarly and personal research pertaining to departments, strategic initiatives of the University of Texas and historical trends in U.S. higher education at large.
Selection criteria
University records consist of material created, received, or accumulated by a unit or employee of The University of Texas at Austin in the conduct of University business. Examples of records include but are not limited to: correspondence, maps, still images, moving images, databases, source code, and project files (Ex. Photoshop, CAD and more).
The University Archives program considers "historical records" or “archival records” to be those materials which are inactive and substantive in content regardless of format.
Inactive records have no current administrative use for the unit that generated them. Substantive records refer to records that show what your department, committee, or office contributes to the University.
The University Archives does accept confidential files—as long as they fit the criteria of permanent records—and can provide secure storage and restrict access.
Archivists select content for the University of Texas Web Archive based on the following criteria:
Materials relate to the history, administration, or culture of the University of Texas at Austin
Materials relate to a subject area of distinction for the University of Texas at Austin as the flagship university for the state of Texas
Materials are rare or unique and support the research and teaching needs of the University
Materials complement the existing collection’s strengths or areas of subject emphasis
Material, produced by the University traditionally in print, but that are now only published digitally
Examples of records that meet these criteria include:
Reports, especially annual and biennial reports.
Planning documents, including specifications created for the implementation of enterprise-level software applications (whether purchased or developed in-house)
Source code and/or executables for software applications developed in-house
Curriculum development materials, accreditation reports, course syllabi, reading lists, and course schedules
Policy and procedure documents
Budgets
Correspondence and memoranda (incoming and outgoing) concerning policies, procedures, and operations of the unit
Organizational charts and job descriptions.
Records of grant and research projects (final reports, publications)
Committee records, including meeting minutes
Audio-visual materials, especially identified photographs and moving images.
Statistical documentation of departmental activities
Official histories