Donating Private Materials to Nebraska Memories
The Nebraska Memories
database features materials related to Nebraska history and culture that are
held by institutions within the state. To provide access for historians
and researchers to the original materials, our policy is that items must be
owned or housed at an institution open to the public. If any individual
wishes to irrevocably donate original, pertinent materials to the Nebraska Library
Commission for inclusion through a Deed of Gift after reading
the information below, please contact Devra Dragos,
Technology and Access Services Director.
Criteria for pertinent materials:
Date of original item:
- Pre-1923--unless items were created by the donor or copyright is owned by
the donor, the items must be in the public domain, and, therefore, created
before 1923.
- Pre-1972--if the items were created by the donor and the donor gives up
copyright protection, items created between 1923 and 1971 may be accepted.
Examples of types of materials accepted:
- Manuscripts
- Diaries
- Correspondence
- Photographs, negatives, slides, stereographs
- Postcards
- Maps
- Sheet music
Information about materials
- Donor must be able to specify relationship of materials to Nebraska history.
- Donor must be able to provide the who, where, what, or why of unpublished materials.
- Donor must be able to provice the approximate date of the materials.
Preservation of original items
- The Nebraska Library Commission does not have the facilities to permanently store all archival materials. Once an item has been digitally scanned for inclusion in the Nebraska Memories database,
staff may contact historical societies, museums, libraries or other cultural institutions in the geographic area of Nebraska to which
the item relates, to find a permanent home for it.