Donate to the Archives

For Current Employees and Enrolled Students

The Cooper Union Archives collects materials from employees and enrolled students on an ongoing basis, either through a transfer of materials in accordance with the Records Retentions Policy, or the addition of items through individual donation. 

• Transfers: Materials of enduring value to the institution for legal, financial, or historical reasons are transferred to the Cooper Union Archives and Special Collections when they are no longer considered “active” documents. Please view the Record Retention Policy and Schedule for details on what materials should and should not be transferred to the Archives.
  • If you're an employee of the Cooper Union and have records to transfer to the Archives, please contact archives@cooper.edu
• Additions: Materials can hold immense historical and research value, even if they don't fall under the parameters of the Record Retention Policy. Such items might include faculty work; student work; ephemera from student clubs, organizations, sporting events, and exhibits; and photographs of life at The Cooper Union.
  • If you're employed by or enrolled in the Cooper Union and have material you'd like to add to the Archives, please contact archives@cooper.edu

For Members of our Extended Community

In addition to collecting and maintaining the college's institutional records, the Cooper Union Archives is also home to materials donated by alumni, faculty emerita, neighbors, partners, and other members of the extended Cooper Union community. 

If you're not currently employed by or enrolled in The Cooper Union, but are interested in donating materials, please send the following information to archives@cooper.edu for assessment:  

• Your name and contact information 
• A description of the item(s) you’d like to donate, including quantity, size, subjects, known creators, and date of creation 
• Condition of the item(s) 
• Snapshots of the item(s)  

Donated materials become part of the archive when (a) the donor desires their inclusion in the archive, and (b) the archivists deem them appropriate for inclusion in the archives. Donors are asked to complete a Deed of Gift when donating materials to the Archives. 

Thank you for thinking of The Cooper Union Archives!

Hoping to make a monetary donation to the Archives? We take those too! Just click the link below, or email us at archives@cooper.edu with any questions.