While this guide was designed with TU student organizations in mind, anyone can benefit from learning to organize and preserve their own records. By putting some thought into how to store your important documents, you can make sure that your papers and digital files will be safe and accessible in the future.
The University Archives collects materials related to the history and development of Towson University. Inactive documents that are no longer being used by the department that created them can be transferred to University Archives, where they are stored safely and made accessible to people who are interested in viewing them.
Our collections include materials from students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni. While the the department has existed since 1970, the representation of the TU student's experience is underrepresented. While it is not mandatory to donate to the Archives, your time spend here at TU and the records you maintain can help fill in those gaps.
Where to find us
The Towson Special Collections and University Archives can be found on the fifth floor of Albert S. Cook Library.
Explore the Special Collections and University Archives Research Guide to learn more about the department and the different ways you can begin to explore the materials that we do have.
For reference within the organization
Some records are important to keep for the continued operation of an organization.
All of these records are worth keeping, because they hold information that simplifies the work of the organization.
For future members
Student organization membership changes quickly – every four years, an organization finds itself with an entirely new set of members. Records kept by the organization are an important resource for new members, who have limited time to learn the policies and history of their organization. When records are safe, organized, and accessible, organizations can use them to understand how tasks would have been approached by past members.
For accountability
Having a record of a group’s history can help to hold them accountable to their members and the wider student body.
For a sense of identity and history
Keeping records of an organization’s history provides its members with a sense of the identity of the group – what projects and events members were involved with, their goals, and how they saw their role on Towson’s campus. Many of Towson’s student organizations have a long history, and have grown and changed with the university itself. Knowing your organization’s history makes you a part of that history, and can inspire your group members to take their place in Towson’s changing future.
For your own reference
Keeping records organized lets you use them efficiently, whether for planning, memory aids, or study material. Any documents you think you'd like to refer back to can benefit from thoughtful organization and maintenance.
For practical documentation
In the case of important records such as education or employment documents, legal or identification documents, or financial records, the documents you keep can be necessary in the future as official documentation of things like medical information and legal status.
To record your life and your history
Many of the collections in the University Archives were kept by individual students, but the researchers of today see them as valuable sources of information on the lives and cultures of the past. A scrapbook or photo album can be a record of your life and relationships as well as a snapshot of the world you lived in in the broader frame of history.
For your friends and family
Keeping your records in good condition preserves them for others in your life who might want to look back on your time together, or learn about your experiences and interests.
