A donor and the repository exchange letters that document the repository’s acquisition of material. Ideally these letters document the full exchange of physical custody, intellectual ownership, and legal title.

San Jose State University

Various methods used by archives to accession material.

- Oral Agreement
- Purchase Agreement
- Exchange of Letter
- Will
- Deposit Agreement
- Gift Agreement


Archival Accessioning Methods

Hunter, G. S. (2020). Developing and maintaining practical archives: A how-to-do-it manual (3rd ed.). ALA Neal-Schuman.


Developing and Maintaining Practical Archives

A verbal agreement that is legally binding. This offers the worst potential to be documented of all accessioning methods. Information obtained about the collection is potentially minimal, and the transfer is vulnerable to being challenged after the fact. 

Oral Agreements in Archival Accessioning

The acquisition of material by way of a purchase. This offers documentation in the form of either a bill of sale or contract. The party selling needs to have title of the material for this to be valid. 

Purchase Agreements in Archival Accessioning

Exchange of Letters in Archival Accessioning

The transfer of material upon the death of a donor that is documented by a will. Ideally a lawyer will consult with the repository while writing the will to make sure their needs are met. A repository is not obligated to accept material offered in a will. 

Will in Archival Accessioning

The acquisition of material in the form of physical custody without legal title. This is typically accompanied with a statement of intent to transfer title at a later time while the material is deposited for safe keeping. Deposits raise questions of insurance, responsibility for damage, and costs, and there is always the possibility that a repository ultimately does not retain physical custody or obtain legal title. 

Deposit Agreements in Archival Accessioning

A deed is signed over to a repository as documentation of the donation of material. The deed serves as a contract and establishes the access and restrictions of the donated material. Typically, repositories use a standardized and easily amendable deed to ensure that all necessary information about the transfer of material is documented. 

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