Staff

Mission Statement

The mission of the Portland State University Archives is to collect, organize, describe, preserve, and make available the records of the University. The Archives will cooperate with administrative and academic units, staff, faculty, students, and University-affiliated organizations to identify records of enduring historical, legal, fiscal, and administrative value and assure such records will be permanently maintained in an adequate facility. The Archives will serve as a resource for scholarship by encouraging the use of the records by the academic community and the community at large. The Archives will also assist the Manager of Records Retention and the individual departments in the retention and appropriate destruction of University records.

Purpose of the Archives

The Portland State University Archives is the official designated repository for all official University records. The Archives may also contain oral histories, recordings, manuscripts, faculty papers, and records of affiliated organizations and/or individuals created or received in connection with unofficial University activities. The Archives will collect, preserve, catalogue, make available and promote the use of these records by the academic community and the community at large. While holdings are varied and include some memorabilia, the Archives is not intended to be a museum.

The Archives is directly responsible to the Director of the University Library and is located in the Millar Library. The Portland State University Archivist and his or her assistant(s) will conduct all necessary activities to accomplish the mission of the archives in accordance with the standards of archival practice.

Records Retention and Disposition Schedule

This handbook contains the policies and procedures of the University archives. It does not, however, contain the entire Records Retention and Disposition Schedule. Records management and retention is overseen by the Office of Business Affairs. Portland State follows the System General Records Retention Schedule for the Oregon University system (OUS) which is governed by Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 166-475. OAR 166-475 was approved on November 1, 1999 and expires on November 1, 2004. The retention schedule and mandates for destruction of records is available at the Office of Business Affairs and on the internet at http://www.bao.pdx.edu/oldsite/portland_state_university_records_retention.htm

Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 166-30-016 mandates the each state agency designate a Records Officer who oversees the appropriate retention and disposition of all public records. The retention schedule is maintained by the various department chairpersons who administer the records of their particular department (OAR 166-05-000). The PSU Records Officer is a division of the Office of Business Affairs whereas the Archives is administered by the Library.

Questions? Contact University Archives
Phone: 503.725.5760 Email: archives@lists.pdx.edu Location: 596 Millar Library Hours: See our Current Hours