Who will own the records?
Donations, gifts and bequests
Our preference is that you gift your records to Suffolk Archives. This will mean ownership of your records will transfer to Suffolk County Council.
This is the best method of preserving records and making them available for consultation or research. You will not be able to withdraw them in the future.
We will never charge you a fee to take in a gift.
If you have a very large collection we might have a discussion with you about the best way to fund the work involved in cataloguing it.
Loans
Sometimes, donors prefer to retain ownership of their records. In this case, you can deposit them with us on long-term loan.
As this can result in increased costs for Suffolk Archives, we normally ask for the following:
- records should be deposited for at least 20 years
- a contribution towards the cost of packaging and storing the records
You can withdraw your loaned records temporarily at any time. A minimum of five working days’ notice must be given and the records can be kept for a maximum of three months.
You can withdraw records permanently by submitting a written request to the Archivist with a formal notice period of two calendar months for collections up to 3 linear metres and 6 months for collections over 3 linear metres, or a longer period as may be required. As part of this request Suffolk County Council may:
- arrange for a microfilm, photographic or digital copy of the records to be retained by the Council
- require you to make a payment towards the cost of conserving the records while in our care
It is your responsibility to notify us of a change in address or change in ownership of the records. If depositors or their agents have not kept us informed of any changes in ownership or address and letters have been returned or go unacknowledged, archives will be presumed to have been donated to Suffolk County Council after a lapse of seven years.