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Muniments (the University Archive) preserves the corporate memory of the University of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, safeguarding records that document more than 600 years of activity, decision-making, and institutional development. 

• What we will do
• How this will be delivered
• What users should do
• Important information
• Contact

What we will do

We will support University staff in meeting their responsibilities for transferring records, ensuring compliance with Records Retention Schedules, information governance policies, and sector standards for collections care and digital preservation.  

We will:

• Respond to enquiries about Muniments and advise on how the archive can support business needs, including legal, governance, and marketing requirements. 
• Provide guidance on identifying records suitable for transfer and explain the transfer process in line with the University’s Records Retention Schedules. 
• Facilitate access to archival material through the Napier Reading Room at Martyrs Kirk, the Photography and Scanning service, or general enquiries, subject to legal, or ethical restrictions. Fulfilment times vary depending on complexity; users will be advised of likely timeframes. See the following service definitions for more information: 
  • Ask Questions and Get Help 
  • Consult items from University Collections in the Napier Reading Room 
  • Digital Reproductions of University Collections 
• Process transferred records in accordance with professional archival standards, ensuring their long-term preservation, quality, and integrity. 
• Ensure records are discoverable and accessible to authorised users in line with the University Collections and Museums Access and Engagement Policy. 
• Apply professional judgement to determine the long-term value of transferred material. Records that do not meet criteria for permanent preservation may be securely disposed of. 
• Advise staff of expected timeframes for processing access to newly transferred material. 

How this will be delivered

The service will be delivered by the Muniments Archivist, Digital Archivist, and other relevant members of the Archives and Rare Books team. 

All enquiries will follow the Ask Questions and Get Help service definition. Fulfilment times vary depending on complexity; users will be advised of likely timeframes. 

We will:

• Review enquiries and transfer requests in line with staffing capacity, collections care requirements, existing workload, and scheduling commitments. 
• Provide information on likely fulfilment times; these will vary depending on the complexity of the request. 
• Ensure appropriate records are transferred in all formats and maintaining their quality and integrity. 
• Ensure standards of collections care are followed in accordance with Libraries and Museums Collections Care policy, the University Digital Preservation policy, security procedures and relevant disaster management plans.  
• Ensuring records are discoverable and accessible to authorised parties in line with data protection legislation and the University Collections and Museums Access and Engagement Policy and the Consult Items from University Collections in the Napier Reading Room service. 
• Applying professional judgement on the long-term value of records. The archive team reserves the right to dispose of records after transfer that do not meet the criteria for long term preservation.   

What users should do

To support the safe transfer and management of University records, users should: 

• Identify records for transfer in line with Records Retention Schedules.  
• Highlight records marked as ‘Confidential’ and ‘Strictly Confidential' in line with the University information classification policy. 
• Complete required documentation (e.g., Transfer Agreement). 
• Provide additional information if requested by the archive team. 
• Comply with University information governance policies, including Records Retention Schedules and Destruction Guidelines, ensuring relevant records are transferred for permanent preservation.   
• Manage and dispose of non-archival records appropriately. Transfers may be paused or rejected until this is complete.  The archive team can advise on identifying records suitable for transfer but cannot assume responsibility for records that do not meet the criteria for permanent preservation.  
• Complete a Transfer Agreement for one-off transfers and respond to follow-up queries. For recurring transfers, a bespoke service definition may be agreed with the archive team.   
• Contact the archive team as early as possible. Scheduling transfers may take up to 12 months depending on record volume and team workload.  Staff should plan for this in any cases that are time sensitive. Archive staff will advise on timescales at initial contact. 

Important information

• The archive team can advise on the types of records suitable for permanent preservation, but responsibility for identifying, managing, and preparing records rests with the originating staff or unit. 
• Access to some material may be restricted due to legal, ethical, or data protection requirements. 
• For recurring or large-scale transfers, a bespoke service arrangement may be required in agreement with the archive team. 

Contact

For all enquiries, email: unicolls@st-andrews.ac.uk