OUR POLICIES

Collecting Policy | reproduction and use | takedown policy | personally identifiable information | Harmful language

COLLECTING 

Mission Statement

Our mission is to serve as the institutional memory of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District (FHDA) by appraising, collecting, preserving, organizing, describing and sharing records and documents of significant historical, legal and administrative value to the district and its two colleges. In addition, we seek to develop practical application for the collections of the Archive and make records and documents accessible to administrators, faculty, staff, students and the community at large.         

Introduction

The Foothill-De Anza (FHDA) Archive, established in 1990, are defined as all institutional records and materials of significance or continuing value about Foothill-De Anza Community College District, Foothill College, and De Anza College from their inception to the present day.

The collection development policy for the FHDA Archive Collection is based on the Society of American Archivists’ Guidelines for College and University Archives. The FHDA Archive relies on the support and cooperation of FHDA administrators, faculty, staff, and students to ensure that records of permanent value are collected and preserved.

As the Archive cannot collect everything, guidelines determine what records are of enduring value and are worthy of permanent retention. Records and materials are collected in all media and formats; materials may be print, non-print, photographic, electronic, or artifacts.

Scope

The FHDA Archive Collection includes records, regardless of formats, which document the development of the District and Colleges and may include official and nonofficial papers, publications, records, artifacts, and other materials of district and college offices, records of administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other organizations affiliated with FHDA.

The Archive may also include institutional records that the District is required to maintain based on the FHDA Board Policy (BP)[1] and Administrative Procedure (AP) [2] 3410, covering Classification, Retention and Destruction of Records, when the timeframe set forth in the schedule for retaining the materials has expired or when the schedule directs that the materials be deposited in the FHDA Archive.

Responsibility

The District Archivist or their designee is responsible for collection development. Decisions on what items to add to the FHDA Archive collection are based on the purposes of the collection, the information needs and recommendations of users, and continued development of the existing collection. Materials are acquired through transfer from individuals, district and campus offices, systematic collection of relevant items, gifts or donations, and other materials as routed.

Criteria

The Archive will collect materials, regardless of format, based on the following criteria:

• Institutional materials of historical significance or continuing value that fall outside the scope of the FHDA board policy and administrative procedure 3410.
• Institutional materials of historical significance or continuing value that are included in the FHDA board policy and administrative procedure 3410 when the timeframe set forth in the schedule for retaining the materials has expired or when the schedule directs that the materials be deposited in the FHDA Archive.
• Non-institutional materials that provide contextual information about the history of FHDA, its employees, and its relationship to the community it serves.

Items that do not clearly fall within the criteria of the FHDA Archive Collection Development Policy will be considered for archive after review by the District Archivist and/or their designee.

Collection Areas/Formats

Collection areas can include (but are not limited to):

• Accreditation reports, visitations, and supporting documents
• Artifacts and memorabilia of historical or cultural significance to FHDA
• Audio and visual resources produced by or about the District, Colleges, its students, employees, programs, services, events, and facilities
• College records of administrative units, instructional departments, programs, services, and student activities
• Correspondence of historical significance or continuing value
• Maps, blueprints, and plans of the campuses and buildings
• Newspaper and magazine clippings highlighting FHDA students, employees, programs, services, events, and facilities
• Oral history interviews and transcripts
• Professional and personal papers (manuscripts) that document the careers and contributions of College administrators, staff, faculty, students, and others in the College community
• Publications created by or for the District or Colleges for the purpose of marketing or information
• Records of District and College committees and associations, including agendas, minutes, reports, and correspondence
• Reports produced by the various offices and organizations of the District and Colleges
• Student organization records
• Other areas as determined by the District Archivist and/or their designee

What We Don’t Collect 

Below are the areas and resources that we either do not collect or are no longer collecting. Materials we do not accept generally fall into three broad categories: materials better suited to other repositories (noted in parentheticals), short-term or active records, and materials duplicative of our current holdings. On occasion, there may be types of electronic records or born digital content that we are unable to accept. Please consult with the Archive staff prior to donating.

• Local history collections 
• Student files such as: transcripts, registration records, grades, degrees earned, etc. (Enrollment Services)
• Personnel files of employees (Office of Human Resources and Equal Opportunity)
• Raw electronic big research data (Institutional Research)
• State records that have not yet met their disposition according to their approved records schedule for short-term and/or inactive storage
• More than three duplicate copies of most serial publications and other items (determined on a case-by-case basis)
• Human and animal remains
• Plaques, awards, and trophies
• Materials from minors without explicit written consent from a parent and/or legal guardian 
• Large items that are better suited for museum displays
• Materials exhibiting mold or exposure to rodents/pests 
• Severely damaged or extremely fragile items
• Material unrelated to the District or Colleges outside of our collecting areas
• Materials to which access is restricted in perpetuity or for a period of time deemed by the District Archives staff to be beyond a reasonable limitation

Deaccessioning

Deaccessioning is an essential function and tool of collection development and curation. Material selected to be deaccessioned may be returned to the donor (based on donor agreements), gifted/transferred to a more appropriate repository, or discarded. In identifying materials for deaccessioning (whether organized and described or not) the Archives staff considers the following:

• Does the material in question fall within the scope of our collection development policy and collecting practices?
• Has the material deteriorated in such a way that it cannot be reproduced or is beyond being useful due to its condition? 
• Have the materials been subjected to poor environmental conditions, resulting in mold, water damage, fire damage, or show evidence of being exposed to rodents/pests?  
• Do any established externally imposed restrictions such as records retention schedules, disposition authorizations, or donor agreements apply to the material?

Retention and Preservation

The District Archivist and their designee will assess the long-term historical value of all items transferred or donated to the Archive Collection based on the criteria set forth in this document.

Preservation requires that some materials be migrated from one medium to another to ensure continued access. Digitization of selected materials housed in the Archives Collection is encouraged in order to provide safe and easy access to the materials without damaging the originals. However, digitized materials are not considered a replacement for originals, original materials will not be destroyed or de-accessioned if digitized for access.

Guidelines for Use

Only on rare occasions will original materials leave the Archive. Upon request to the District Archivist or their designee, the following persons will be permitted to remove original materials from the Archive:

1. The District Chancellor and/or President of the college, or their designee
2. Others who can provide written justification to the District Archivist or their designee for the need to borrow the original archives material.

Reference procedures will be designed to ensure the preservation of the records for future researchers. Access to the Archive will be on a time schedule determined by appointment with the District Archivist. Archival materials do not circulate and must be used in the Archive under supervised conditions. Responsibility for materials removed from the Archive will rest with the person who borrows the materials. Action relating to the recovery or repair of archival materials will be the responsibility of the District Archivist or their designee.

Donating to the Archives Collection

Any non-FHDA employee interested in donating to the FHDA Archive Collection should read and complete the Deed of Gift form that can be obtained from the District Archivist. This document formally establishes the transfer of ownership of archival materials to FHDA. The District Archivist or their designee will submit the completed Deed of Gift form to the Executive Director for the FHDA Foundation for approval according to the gifts in kind policy approved by the Board of Trustees. Following notification of approval by the Executive Director, the District Archivist or their designee will coordinate with the donor to establish physical transfer of archival materials. The Executive Director will send an acknowledgement of the gift to the donor.

[1] http://go.boarddocs.com/ca/fhda/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=9TTVQ281CA28

[2] http://go.boarddocs.com/ca/fhda/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=9TTVQ281CA28

Adopted August 08, 2022

REPRODUCTION AND USE

The FHDA Archive supports research, teaching, scholarship, publication, and artistic production involving the use of materials from our collections. We welcome you to use materials in our collections that are in the public domain [1] and to make fair use [2] of copyrighted materials as defined by copyright law [3]. 

All reproduction requests are subject to review. Material may be reproduced when, in the judgment of FHDA Archive staff, it supports the research, teaching and learning mission of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District and its two colleges, but:

• Will not duplicate an inordinate portion of the material.
• Is not prevented by U.S. copyright law.
• Does not infringe on restrictions imposed by the donor of the material.

Reprodction requests must be made in writing and constitute an agreement that you will not reproduce, transfer, distribute, broadcast, publicly display, offer for sale, or otherwise use or publish any material subject to copyright, or a portion thereof, in excess of fair use [2], as defined by copyright law [3], without the express permission [4] of the copyright holder.

Use, Copyright, and Attribution

WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials.

Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of fair use, that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

Many of the materials held by FHDA Archive may be protected by United States Copyright Law and/or by the copyright laws of other countries. Copyright law protects unpublished as well as published materials. While FHDA Archive owns the materials in our collections, we typically do not own the copyright to these materials, except where it has been explicitly transferred to the FHDA and/or its two colleges, or when the material was created by the FHDA and/or its two colleges.

The FHDA Archive cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material whose copyright it does not hold or material deemed to be in the public domain. Provision of copies of materials in FHDA Archive does not imply permission to utilize materials in excess of fair use. The researcher is solely responsible for determining the copyright status of materials and, if necessary, obtaining permission to use material from the copyright holder. Written permission from the copyright holder is required for publication, distribution, or other use of copyrighted items beyond that allowed by fair use.

The FHDA Archive cannot facilitate requests for permission on behalf of the researcher, and is unable to conduct copyright searches or counsel users in the application of copyright law. Upon request, we may provide available rights contact information, subject to the privacy needs of our donors. FHDA Archive does not warranty the accuracy of such information and shall not be responsible for any inaccurate information.

Digital Scanning for Research or Publication

Digital scans for publication are made as high resolution TIFF files according to the Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Cultural Heritage Materials: Creation of Raster Image Master Files from the Federal Agencies Digitization Initiative (FADGI) Still Image Working Group. 

Camera Use

The FHDA Archive welcomes researchers to make use of personal cameras to augment their research process and gather information. 

Some materials may not be photographed due to restrictions in donor agreements or may require written permission from the copyright holder before photographing.

Personal cameras and camera phones, silenced and with flash disabled, are permitted. No scanners, laptop cameras, video cameras, flash, lights, extension cords, audio recorders, or stools are allowed. Permission to photograph does not constitute permission to publish.

Photocopying

There is no self service copying in the Archive Reading Room; photocopying of materials is done in-house by FHD Archive staff as time and condition of the materials permit. Photocopying is performed at the discretion of FHDA Archive staff. Photocopies are made solely for the personal use of the individual researcher. Permission to photocopy does not constitute permission to publish.

Crediting Policy

All reproduced and published items (in print or electronic format) must be credited as follows: 

If copyright is held by Foothill-De Anza Community College District (FHDA) please credit as follows:

• © Foothill-De Anza Community College District. Courtesy Foothill-De Anza Community College Archives.

If copyright is held by another organization or individual:

• Courtesy Foothill-De Anza Community College Archives

You must not use the name of Foothill-De Anza Community College Archive, Foothill-De Anza Community College District,FHDA, Foothill College or De Anza College in any manner which creates any false association between you and the image, materials, Foothill-De Anza Community College Archive and/or Foothill-De Anza Community College District or that incorrectly implies any sponsorship or endorsement by Foothill - De Anza Community College Archive, Foothill-De Anza Community College District, Foothill College, De Anza College or any third party rights holder.

Foothill-De Anza Community College Archive may request a complimentary copy of any publication or reproduction using Foothill-De Anza Community College Archive material.

If you are the copyright owner and believe our website has not properly attributed your work to you or has used it without permission, we want to hear from you. Please contact archivist@fhda.edu with your contact information and a link to the relevant content.

Disclaimer

In receiving a reproduction from our holdings, you assume all responsibility for infringement of copyright or other rights in your use of the material, and agree to indemnify and hold harmless FHDA Archive, its agents and employees against all claims, demands, costs, and expenses incurred by copyright infringement or any other legal or regulatory cause of action arising from the use of these reproductions.

Reference

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain

[2] https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use

[3] http://www.copyright.gov/title17/

[4]https://www.copyright.gov/circs/m10.pdf

Notice and Takedown Policy for Digital Materials

PRIVACY AND PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION

Collections that include twentieth and twenty-first century archival materials may contain sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal, state, and/or global "right to privacy" laws, including but not limited to certain educational, medical, financial, criminal, attorney-client, and personnel records (Social Security numbers, bank account and credit card numbers, employment and medical records, etc.) Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to individuals without the consent of those individuals may give rise to legal claims and liability, for example, publication of defamatory content concerning an individual's private life, or publication of confidential and sensitive personally-identifiable information about an individual (such as social security number or health information).

FHDA Archive staff have taken care to identify and, in some cases, remove Personally Identifiable Information found within archival collections when undertaking archival processing work. However, privacy protected information may be revealed during use of the archival collections, particularly in those collections that are unprocessed or have been minimally processed. Researchers who find sensitive personal information in any collection should immediately notify an FHDA Archive staff member.

You agree to make no notes or other record of privacy protected information if found within the archival collections, and further agree not to publish, publicize, or disclose such information to any other party for any purpose if found within the archival collections. In accessing collections in our repository, you assume all responsibility for infringement of right to privacy in your use of the material, and agree to indemnify and hold harmless FHDA Archive, its agents and employees against all claims, demands, costs, and expenses arising out of use of archival collections held by FHDA Archive.

Statement on Harmful Language in Archival DescriptiON

The FHDA Archive is responsible for the curation, access and preservation of archival collections. We are committed to upholding the description of archival materials in a respectful and accurate manner while maintaining the historical context of the collections we manage. However, the materials we describe are not neutral. Users may encounter offensive, harmful, or otherwise outdated language in archival materials. Language and its cultural context are always changing, and so are our methods of description. 

While most of our finding aids are created by staff, some reflect language that the people and organizations who created the material used. It is standard practice to maintain the description used by the creator/donor of archival materials. Language used in the original historical materials can tell us a lot about the materials. With that said, we are committed to updating language that is in our control to edit. We pledge to reflect the values of FHDA, Foothill College and De Anza College's Mission Statements and Diversity Plans in future description. Please contact the FHDA Archivist to report offensive material and/or description found in archival material.

References