The Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections department accepts gifts of single items or collections that will further the curricular objectives of the Eastman School of Music in either scholarship or performance. Gifts will be accepted at the discretion of the Head Librarian of the Sibley Music Library together with the head of the Ruth T. Watanbe Special Collections department.
The Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections department accepts gifts of single items or collections only in the manner of unrestricted gifts. Except under the most extraordinary of circumstances, the department will not accommodate the attachment of conditions to any gift transaction. The department processes each collection according to the standards of sound archival practice, but in so doing, the department reserves the right to dispose of items that it deems inessential for research.
A collection appraisal is the responsibility of the donor. An appraisal may be carried out after the department has received the collection, but responsibility for the arrangement and payment thereof rests with the donor.
In keeping with the aforementioned policy of gifts without restrictions, the department will not agree to any arrangement of providing reproductions (whether photocopies, digital scans, or sound recordings) in return for any gift.
The placement of items or collections on deposit is reserved solely for professional associations or commercial entities, whose archival materials will be made available for research without restriction.
The Eastman School of Music Archives, housed in the Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections department, accepts the papers of all faculty members of the Eastman School of Music.
Policy on acceptance of the professional papers of Eastman alumni
The Eastman School of Music Archives accepts, at the discretion of the Head Librarian and the Special Collections Librarian/Archivist, the professional papers of alumni of the Eastman School of Music.
Notwithstanding the tremendous pride that the Eastman School takes in the achievements of all of its alumni, considerations of limited space and finite financial and human resources oblige the Sibley Music Library to accept or decline collections based on their potential to further the School’s curricular objectives. Accordingly, each collection will be considered on the merits of its potential for the widest possible research application.
Collections of personal papers are accepted only as unrestricted gifts. The Sibley Music Library reserves the right to retain or discard materials from any collection, such judgments being made according to the interrelated factors of (1) curricular objectives at the Eastman School, (2) archival considerations of the Eastman School, (3) research potential of the papers, and (4) the availability of resources—space to store the collection, and the financial means to process the collection in a timely way.
The Sibley Music Library sincerely appreciates each and every offer of the professional papers of Eastman alumni.
