Archives

Researchers should contact Collection Management and Metadata Librarian, David Hanson (david.hanson@drake.edu) to arrange to use the collection. Access will be scheduled for in-library use only during reference hours. Some documents in the collection have restricted access and are not available to the public.

To search or browse by subject, see the online Drake University archives listing. Note: Cowles Library also uses this system, so materials located there are also listed.

Core Mission

The Drake Law School Archives and Special Collections is a repository where records of Drake Law School having permanent value are preserved, maintained, and made available for research and reference use. The Archives contains non-current records of the Law School that have lasting administrative, legal, or historical value. Special Collections consists of rare and special materials from individuals, organizations, or programs with a connection to Drake University Law School. 

The core mission of the Drake Law School Archives and Special Collections is as follows: 

• To appraise, collect, organize, describe, make available, and preserve records of historical, legal, fiscal, and/or administrative value to Drake Law School. 
• To provide adequate facilities for the retention and preservation of such records. 
• To provide information services that will assist the operation of the Law School. 
• To fulfill research and scholarship needs by making available and encouraging the use of its collections. 
• To promote knowledge and understanding of the origins, aims, programs, and goals of the Law School and of the development of these aims, goals, and programs. 
• To implement records management by formulating policy and procedures that will ensure the collection and preservation of archival materials. 

The Archives and Special Collections strives to preserve Law School records for the purposes of:

• Maintaining a clear account of Law School life and achievements, administrative policy and actions, and educational programs. 
• Documenting the Law School’s past and its role in the history of law and/or Drake University among students, faculty, and alumni. 
• Making available a body of records useful for student, casual, and scholarly research in history and other disciplines. The focus on rare and special materials of lasting value means that transitory items, such as drafts, and materials easily obtained elsewhere, such as print or online publications, will typically not be collected.  
• The Archives and Special Collections relies on the cooperation and support of administrators, deans, directors, faculty, students, and alumni to ensure that materials of historical value are collected and preserved. The Archives and Special Collections will accept non-current (inactive) records having permanent, historical value. 

The Law School Archives and Special Collections will promote school-wide records management and collect material in the following categories from all administrative and academic units of the Law School. 

1. OFFICIAL RECORDS, PAPERS, AND PUBLICATIONS OF DRAKE LAW SCHOOL and LAW LIBRARY
Official records encompass the records or papers generated or received by the various administrative offices of Drake Law School in the conduct of their business. These records may be in print or electronic format and may include:

• Administrative: Minutes, reports, documents, manuals, memoranda, policies, priorities, schedules, and correspondence. 
• Budget and Acquisitions: Documents, reports, and correspondence. 
• Committees: Minutes, reports, documents, memoranda, and correspondence. 
• Faculty and Staff Papers: Reports, documents, correspondence, organizational charts and other documents related to service to the law school, state, nation or other organization. 
• Facility: Documents, correspondence related to additions/renovations, blueprints, or other plans. 
• Marketing/Publicity: Publications, newsletters, ephemeral documents, and media.  
• Statistics/Surveys. 
• Student Organizations: Documents, minutes, media, and reports.  
• Media: Photographs, negatives, slides, DVD, VHS tapes, and other forms of media 
• Alumni records, including minutes of the alumni associations.
• Artifacts: Must be related to an important aspect of the Law School history.

The official administrative records of Drake Law School (correspondence, reports, and subject files) designated as archival should be inactive and no longer used in the current activities of the originating office. 

Records should be forwarded to the Archives and Special Collections after consulting with the library for the orderly transfer of non-current materials. An inventory of records transferred should accompany the accessioned material. 

The originating office may place restrictions on access to non-current records in addition to any restrictions designated by library staff and documented in the archives listings.

2. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
The Law School Archives and Special Collections also solicits and collects records and papers that are neither official school records nor faculty papers, but that relate to the history of Drake Law School.

Examples include:

• Professional and personal papers of eminent alumni relating to their Drake Law School experience.  
• Professional, personal and unpublished papers of eminent alumni relating to their professional legal work. 
• Papers or records concerning the history of Drake University, Des Moines, the greater Des Moines area, or Iowa as they relate to the growth and development of the Law School. 
• Papers, records, and published items about Drake Law School. 

Acceptance of Materials
The organization and preservation of any collection accepted to the Law School Archives and Special Collections involves labor and costs for archival supplies. Donors are encouraged to include a monetary donation to fund the cost of processing and preserving their materials.

Due to limited staffing, budget, and space, all donations or gifts are subject to review and may be declined. 

The Archives and Special Collections will not accept items or materials which fall outside our collecting scope or fit into the following categories: 

1. Records that are in a format which requires special, outdated, or antiquated equipment to access if the library does not already own such equipment or the purchase or equipment would be prohibitively expensive. 
2. Materials of a size which the Archives and Special Collections cannot accommodate.
3. Materials which are irreparably damaged, infested by insects or mold, or require costly preservation. 

The Drake Law School Archives and Special Collections is the official repository for the records of Drake Law School that have long-term historical, legal, fiscal, and administrative value.  

The following guidelines will assist administrators, faculty, staff, and student organizations in identifying those portions of their files that are appropriate for transfer to the Archives and Special Collections. Records commonly transferred to the archives include, but are not limited to, the following material: 

• Constitutions and by-laws, minutes and proceedings, transcripts, and lists of officers of Law School bodies.
• Office Files: correspondence and memoranda (incoming and outgoing) and subject files concerning projects, activities, and functions.
• Historical files documenting policies, decisions, committee and task force reports, and questionnaires.
• Publications: newsletters, journals, brochures, monographs, programs, posters, and announcements issued by the Law School. 
• Audio-visuals: photographs, digital images, films, and sound and video recordings.

Records which generally should not be transferred to the archives include:

• Records of specific financial transactions.
• Routine letters of transmittal and acknowledgment.
• Non-personally addressed correspondence such as "Deans and Directors" memoranda (except for one copy from the issuing office).
• Requests for publications or information after the requests have been filled.
• Replies to questionnaires if the results are recorded and preserved either in the archives or in a published report.

Additional Notes

All information formats (e.g., published, typescript, audio-visual, and electronic data, such as computer disks and files) are appropriate for consideration for transfer.

For documents in formats requiring any form of machine intervention, such as videotapes, kinescopes, and all computer files, consideration should be given to transferring the equipment needed to access the documents or, preferably, converting the documents to a format accessible to the archives' users. Early consultation with the library is strongly encouraged for all such materials.

These lists are intended as general guides. If there are questions about records not listed or about the retention or disposal of specific record series, email David Hanson at david.hanson@drake.edu.

If records are not listed on a records disposition schedule, do not throw them out. First contact the library.

The following is the procedure for transferring archive records:

• Do not send records to the Law School archives without first consulting with the library staff. 
• Annual transfers of these records is preferred. To set up a transfer schedule,  contact David Hanson (david.hanson@drake.edu) for assistance.
• Documents should be packed in the order in which they were kept in the office files. 
• When you are ready to transfer records, notify David Hanson (david.hanson@drake.edu).
• If you are transferring a large volume of records, the library staff may first examine the records onsite. 
• If you detect the presence of mold, mildew, insects, etc., in your records, contact the library staff immediately, and a staff member will examine the records onsite. 
• If the records are brittle or fragile, contact the library, and a staff member will examine the records onsite. 

Approved March 11, 2025