UWS Special Collections and Archives holds materials that help people connect with and understand:

• Institutional identity
• Institutional history
• Surrounding communities
• Cultural heritage.

They are also sources of authoritative and trustworthy information about decisions taken by governing bodies of the institution and by government and other public bodies.

All special collections offered to the university and internal archive materials are subject to scrutiny before being added to the collection.

Each collection is assessed on its institutional worth. Factors given consideration include:

• Academic
• Local
• Historical
• Geographical
• Political

All collections that are accepted will hold unique documents and records that support one or more of the overall aims of the service outlined in the introduction.

The Special Collections and Archives service has a public mission to preserve records in ways that ensure their authenticity, reliability, and integrity. We are also committed to making these records accessible to everyone, while respecting the rights of individuals, creators, owners, and users.

We aim to prolong the usable life of useful research information in two ways:

• Preventive preservation to reduce risk of damage and to slow down the rate of deterioration
• Safe, monitored access

For further information about Special Collections and Archives, or to arrange access to any of our collections, e-mail Specialcollections@uws.ac.uk