n.an archival resource placed in a repository without transfer of titleMearns 1957, 320Papers are sometimes received on deposit when there is a reasonable expectation that their status will ultimately be converted to gift. The more definite and precise this expectation the better. But as a protection to itself and its constituency the repository should lay down the stipulations that (1) the deposit will not be revoked for a specified period of years, (2) meanwhile the collection may be made freely available to investigators, and (3) in the event of withdrawal the repository may make, retain and service such reproductions of the collection as it pleases.Lovett 1958, 266A company may not feel legally justified, however, in giving its records away; and in such a case a loan or deposit is necessary.Campbell 1979, 537Normally, a repository will not send research materials for use outside its building or jurisdiction. Under special circumstances a collection or a portion of it may be loaned or placed on deposit with another institution.O’Toole 1980, 290Although most dioceses devoting serious attention to the question of archives have decided to care for their records themselves, several dioceses have chosen a significantly different approach: the deposit of their archives in a local college or university.Peterson and Peterson 1985, 27Materials that are only on deposit and not deeded can, of course, be withdrawn at any time.Carroll 1987, 30The Manuscript Division accepts ministerial papers in one of two ways: by gift whereby the donor relinquishes ownership of the physical property; by deposit whereby the division provides a security storage service to the depositor. In the deposit arrangement, ownership remains with the depositor, the material is not processed, there is usually no researcher access to the papers, and the depositor may expect a limited retrieval service from the division’s staff.Phillips 1988, 36A congressional staff archivist and staff sensitive to records management and historical perspectives can facilitate the deposit of congressional collections in appropriate repositories.Becker 1993, 328However, as long as terms such as deposit appear in accession records and agreements with donors, the legal assumption will likely remain that the deposit is not meant to be a donation.Hirtle 2003, 237There is one important exception to general exclusive rights of copyright owners. . . . That exception allows archives and libraries to copy entire unpublished works for the purpose of preservation or for deposit for research use in another library or archives.Keough and Schindler 2003, 132The relationships that were created will result in the deposit of other records in the future, as several other organizations and individuals expressed an interest in depositing records in the department or at another repository.Sternberger 2022Archivists generally try to avoid accepting collections on deposit, especially because it is hard to justify investing resources in a collection that actually belongs to another entity. Nevertheless, sometimes circumstances dictate taking in such material.v.to transfer physical custody, but not title, of an archival resourceO’Toole 1980, 291A flood had destroyed some duplicate microfilm of sacramental records held by the diocese, leading chancery officials to accept the university’s offer to deposit some diocesan records there.Carroll 1987, 31Throughout the decade many ministers did in fact deposit their papers. One new dimension was that ministers began depositing material while still in office, some when their cabinet responsibilities changed, others as office space filled up.Maher 1994, 13Maintaining focus can be made more difficult as result of a “snowball” effect of an archives’ success—further organizations, sometimes with overlapping members, may also wish to deposit their records, perhaps stretching the archives even more.Sternberger 2022Since the storage conditions were obviously not in the best interest of the collection or the researchers looking to use it, the society deposited the Ladd papers at the Portsmouth Athenaeum.
Notes
The term loan is sometimes used synonymously with deposit; however, a loan often suggests a shorter term agreement, whereas a deposit was originally (and sometimes still is) considered “permanent.” Also, early citations indicate that a deposit implies a future intention to transfer title, but this is now considered inaccurate as many organizations must retain title to their materials for legal reasons.
