The NCTE Archives was established to document the history of the National Council of Teachers of English Archives. To do so effectively, it seeks to acquire materials representing a wide range of NCTE functions and activities. The Archives is always looking for section and division records, including conference programs, correspondence, meeting minutes, meeting notices, newsletters, and section histories. Personal papers of members illustrating their career-long service to NCTE are a particularly important source for NCTE history.
If you were or are a member of the National Council of Teachers of English and have files created during your membership or tenure serving on a committee, task force, [etc.], please email the University Archives at nctearchives@illinois.edu.
How to Donate Records
The first step in donating materials is to contact the NCTE Archives Assistant regarding the materials you intend to donate. The Archives may need some additional paperwork. It is also important that the Assistant knows to look for your donation in the daily deliveries.
Once approved, donated materials should be transferred in the order in which they were created and maintained, preferably in their original folders with the folder titles. A letter identifying the material (and if possible, an inventory or box list) should accompany the transfer. Please include the following: donor’s name, address, relation to NCTE, and a brief description of the activity to which the material relates.
Please see our contact information for the Archives’ mailing address.
The Archives can also accept electronic materials. Please contact us for further instructions. Donations received electronically are maintained electronically; no print versions are being created at the present time. Received files will be converted to .pdf and made available on the web, unless other handling is requested.
Transfer Guidelines
Official Documents
- Constitutions and by-laws
- Lists of current and past members and officers, member directories
- Meeting minutes and programs, educational materials, awards information
- Correspondence and memoranda (incoming and outgoing) and subject files concerning projects, activities, and functions
- Historical files documenting policies, decisions, committee reports, and surveys
- Publications (local and national): one record copy of all newsletters, journals, brochures, monographs, posters, and announcements
- Audio-visuals: photographs, films, and sound and video recordings
- Copies of newspaper articles documenting NCTE activities
Personal Papers
- Biographical information including resumes, vitae, bibliographies, memoirs, and published biographical sketches
- Official NCTE correspondence and files: outgoing and incoming letters and memoranda relating to NCTE business, committee minutes, reports, and files
- Personal Correspondence with other NCTE members
- Publications: one copy of all articles, books, reviews
- Audio-visuals: photographs, films, and sound and video recordings
Documents that generally should not be transferred without prior consultation include:
- Detailed financial records, canceled checks, and receipts
- Duplicates and multiple copies of publications: keep only the original and heavily annotated copies
- Books, research papers, journal articles, and reprints written by persons not affiliated with NCTE
- All blank forms and unused printed or duplicated materials
All information formats (e.g., published, typescript, audio-visual, and electronic data, such as computer disks and files) are appropriate for consideration for transfer. For documents in formats requiring any form of machine intervention, such as videotapes and computer files, consideration should be given to transferring the equipment needed to access the documents or, preferably, converting the documents to a format accessible to the archives’ users. Early consultation with the NCTE Archival Assistant is encouraged for all such materials.
This list is intended as a general guide. If there are questions about records not listed here or questions about the retention or disposal of specific items, please contact the NCTE Archival Assistant.
Copyright Ownership Note
The National Council of Teachers of English Archives welcomes donations of all materials that give evidence to the history of the Council and its divisions, sections, and members. The Archives has recently expanded its services to accept electronic materials as many divisions and sections no longer print their newsletters, meeting minutes, and other historically significant materials. However, the NCTE Archives will not be able to accept electronic materials unless the depositor can provide proof that they have received copyright permission from the owner. The exception to this are materials authored by NCTE employees in the course of their NCTE work assignments, including the publications of NCTE units.
