Barco Law Library Archives and Special Collections

The Barco Law Library ASC concentrates on acquiring materials of historical and institutional significance of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.  The central goal of the ASC is to preserve these collections in perpetuity and provide open access to its holdings in accordance with guidelines set forth by the American Libraries Association and the Society of American Archivists.  

The ASC maintains a distinctive and valuable repository that preserves the unique heritage of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law dating back to 1843, corresponding to the recorded history of the first law courses available at the University of Pittsburgh (formerly Western University of Pennsylvania). These collections have been built from gifts, transfers from the general collection, and limited purchases. Future growth of the ASC will conform to the acquisition scope presented here and be subject to the approval of the Barco Law Library Director. 

New acquisitions should complement, enrich, and/or build on the strengths of the current collection, ensuring a coherent and interconnected representation of the law school's history and achievements. In addition, materials added to the archives should actively support the teaching, learning, or long-term research needs of the library’s users. This criterion ensures that the collection remains a valuable resource for the academic community and fosters ongoing scholarly exploration.  

Materials acquired by the archive must meet the “will collect” criteria below, many of which are interconnected. The decision to acquire is strengthened when more than one criterion is met. Monetary value is not a determining factor in selection. 

Will Collect: 

• Photographic material that offers insights into the rich history of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, showcasing the physical evolution of the law school, events, and photography of faculty, students, and staff. 

• Historical publications of the law school such as newspapers, yearbooks, bulletins, and event ephemera. 

• Artwork that is related to the collection or depicts key figures of the law school may be selectively accepted for display in administrative and public areas of the library or law building. 

• Any rare materials already owned by the School of Law, as well as those acquired from time to time. 

Will Not Collect: 

• Textbooks, regardless of publication date, 

• Published works authored by faculty, staff, or alumni unless “will collect” criteria are met,   

• Secondary, critical, and reference sources, including those works supporting research of special collections materials.   

• Records of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law that are maintained by the University Archive

No restriction concerning format will be placed on materials during the period of appraisal and selection except when a particular item warrants special housing, storage, conservation or preservation methods deemed unfeasible for the Barco Law Library ASC.  

We do not accept materials or collections that substantively duplicate current holdings, materials that pose major preservation hazards (e.g., mold, insect infestation, dampness, etc.), items donated with special conditions and constraints the ASC cannot honor; or require extensive processing or treatment. In addition, the ASC will not accept materials without legal transfer of title through a deed of gift, transfer of records form, or another official acknowledgement. 

Materials that do not reflect the “will collect” criteria or do not possess sufficient archival value may be deaccessioned, subject to the documented terms of acquisition, university regulations and state and federal law. 

The Barco Law Library Archives and Special Collections welcomes the donation of materials that will enhance the collection. Those with an interest in donating archival materials to the library should take the following steps:

• Review our Acquisition Policy to see if your materials align with the stated interests of the Law Library.
• Gather all of the materials into one location. Remove any items that you wish to keep.
• Be sure that you have full legal right to donate the materials. When necessary, obtain paperwork to show that you have legal ownership of the items.
• Contact libraryarchives@law.lsu.edu to speak with the archivist about your materials.

If the Library feels that the materials have the potential to enhance the collection, arrangements will be made for library staff to view the items. In the event that the Library is interested in accepting the donation (a decision that depends on the size of the materials, their condition, and their alignment with the above policy), final approval must be given by the Library Director before the materials can be transferred. Once this approval is obtained, the Library and the donor will complete a Donation Agreement, and the materials will be transferred (legally and physically) to the Library. No gifts will be accepted without approval of the Library Director and a completed Donation Agreement.

The acceptance of gifts is contingent upon the appropriateness of the gift to the archival collections, donor restrictions, and the availability of space and conservation supplies. Because the cost of processing and conservation supplies is considerable, donors are encouraged to make a monetary contribution to cover this expense.

We do not accept the gift of materials without the completion of a Donation Agreement form, and is only able to accept gifts with the approval of the Library Director. The mission of the Library is to share materials as widely as possible; for that reason, donors are asked to transfer any copyright they hold on the materials to the Barco Law Library, in addition to full physical control of the materials. The Library is unable to accept materials to which it cannot own full rights. The transfer of these rights is complete after the Donation Agreement is signed by both parties.

The Library does not accept materials on loan, nor does it accept materials that will never be made available to the public. The Library will consider restricting access to parts of a collection for reasonable periods of time only in the event that such restrictions are needed to protect the privacy of persons still alive. Other special conditions may be specified by the donor in the Donation Agreement, but the Barco Law Library may refuse any donation in which it deems the conditions of use to be overly restrictive.

The Barco Law Library Archives and Special Collections reserves the right to accept or reject gifts, in whole or in part. The Library also reserves the right to dispose of unwanted portions of a gift when they do not meet the scope of materials collected. In these cases, the discarded items may be returned to the original donor, transferred to a more appropriate library/archive, or otherwise handled according to the deaccessioning policy of the Barco Law Library. The disposal method of discarded materials will be agreed on by both parties in the Donation Agreement.

The Library also reserves the right to decline gifts for the following reasons:

• Inability of the Library to provide suitable space, staffing, or supplies to preserve the materials or make the collection available to the public.
• The collection contains materials that do not fit within the scope of the Archives.
• The collection contains materials that we already house (ex. newspapers, books, court records and other public documents). 
• The collection contains items irreparably damaged by insects or mold.
• The collection contains materials in which the donor’s ownership is in question or is disputed.

Donors may examine the materials that they have donated, and, if so desired, can be given a copy of any inventories, finding aids, or other research materials produced by the Library about the donated materials.