Sample Policies, Plans, and Forms

Use these resources when crafting your own policies or for inspiration in documenting your own practices. These are general policies, plans, and forms from SAA, its sections, and other websites.

SAA GENERAL RESOURCES

• SAA Standards Portal - "SAA-approved standards, guidelines, and best practice documents" can help as your craft your own workflows and documentation.
• SAA Brochures - topics include copyright; deeds of gift; donating personal or family records; donating organizational records. This language can help when working with donors of records and collections.

SAA SECTIONS

• SAA Accessibility & Disability Section: Recommended Resources
• SAA Archives Management Section: "Forum, Archival Facilities Guidelines" presentation (2017)
• SAA Archivists of Religious Collections Section:
  • Models and Resources Committee Handbook (2022)
  • Resources for Archives Policy (2020) - archives policy manual from Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada
  • Resources for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness (2020) - sample disaster response plan from Daughters of Charity Provincial Archives
• SAA Business Archives Section: Business Archives Resources - surveys; web archiving products/vendors; DAM systems; promotional materials; internal policies
• SAA Museum Archives Section:
  • Appraisal and Acquisition/Accession * - sample accessioning policies/documents, collection policies, deeds of gift, oral history releases
  • Archival Program Administration - sample mission statements and job descriptions
  • Disaster Planning/Recovery and Facilities - sample disaster plans
  • Links & Resources - links to various museum professional organizations, funding sources, and disaster recovery resources/vendors
  • Reference and Access/Use Services - sample registration forms, access policies and procedures, duplication/photo request forms, publications permissions policies
• SAA Native American Archives Section: "Protocols for Native American Archival Materials" Information and Resources Page
• SAA Reference, Access and Outreach Section: Guidelines for Accessible Archives for People with Disabilities (2019) - sponsored by SAA Accessibility and Disability Section
• SAA Tragedy Response Initiative Task Force:
  • Digital Submissions Terms and Conditions (2019) *
  • Materials Receipt Form, Anonymous Donations (2019) *

Useful Websites

The Rockefeller Center Archives has made all of its documentation available on its website. The language in these policy documents may be adapted to small organizations, especially in relation to creating your own colleciton policy and scope, collecting management policy, processing manual, and reading room handbook.

The Conservation Center for Art and HIstoric Artifacts has a brief overview of policy documents that a collecting institution should have in place. They also offer a free reosurce Collections Management Policy Toolkit that provides helpful examples and guides you through various prompts in an effort to create a policy unique to your institution and an accompanying video.

The Society of Georgia Archivists has a Forms Forum#mce_temp_url# on their website with templates from various repositories around the state. Forms relate to: patron requests, reproductions, permission to publish, loans, deeds of gift, oral history releases, collection processing documentation and more.

* cited on "LA as Subject: Archives at Risk Help Desk" site, a great general resource for small archives and solo archivists