Donations
The Society Archives is interested in acquiring private manuscript papers and organizational records that document the history of the Sussex-Lisbon area from the nineteenth century to the present. We seek Sussex-Lisbon area textual and audio-visual collections encompassing many subject areas including agriculture, the arts, business and industry, mass communications, labor, social action, the military, natural resources, politics and government, ethnic groups, and transportation.
The Society maintains one of the best collections in the United States of records documenting the history of the Sussex-Lisbon area, which is our primary mission.
The Archives of the Society is responsible for preserving letters, diaries, photographs and other records which reflect our heritage in all its variety. Our collections document all aspects of Sussex-Lisbon area’s past. We collect historical records of average families and famous people, of small social organizations and political parties, schools and businesses.
Correspondence should be addressed to :
Sussex-Lisbon Area Historical Society (or SLAHS)
N64 W23760 Main St
Suite 240
Sussex, WI. 53089-0002
What to Expect When Talking to an Archivist/Curator
Your first contact with an archivist/curator may be the result of your desire to donate material, or because the archivist has identified you, your family, or your organization as having material of potential historical value. In either case, the archivist/curator will begin by asking questions designed together information about you, your family, your organization or your business, and about the records you may have. All of this information will help the archivist determine if the collection is appropriate for the Sussex-Lisbon Area Historical Society. Should you decide to donate a collection, the information will also assist in organizing and cataloging the material.
When the archivist/curator visits he/she will continue to gather information about the materials being considered for donation. We try to make on-site visits whenever possible so the archivist can inspect the collection. Any preparations you can make for the visit, such as preparing an inventory, will provide the archivist with valuable assistance. If the records are those of an organization, we will find an inventory or filing guide particularly useful.
The Society accepts donations as little as a single item and as large as dozens of boxes. Material need not be organized, old, nor related to a famous person or event. Generally, we are interested in a coherent body of material rather than individual items. Although the Society may not accept everything you offer, we welcome the opportunity to review any relevant material.
Donating a Collection
All donors are asked to sign a deed of gift. In most cases, the deed transfers to the Sussex-Lisbon Area Historical Society all rights the donor may possess to the collection. The deed provides space for a description of the donated material and space for a statement of restrictions on the collection.
The donor may restrict a collection. In some cases, a collection may contain historically important materials that are also sensitive. Although such situations are rare, the donor may wish to consider a restriction that temporarily limits access or closes the collection. Because our ultimate goal isto make information available for research use, restrictions require a specific sunset date when they will lapse.
The donor may retain copyright. On rare occasions the donor may possess copyright interests in a collection. This is best determined by consulting an attorney. If you do possess copyright interest, you may wish to retain such interest when you sign the deed of gift. Retention of copyright requires a specific sunset date when all retained rights will be transferred to the Society.
When you donate a collection the archivist with whom you are dealing will discuss with you the most appropriate method of transporting the collection to the Society. In many cases, the archivist will pack and transport the collection. When this is not possible, especially for collections donated from outside Wisconsin, the archivist may want to make arrangements for using UPS or a commercial shipper to transport the collection.
Source of this page contents The Wisconsin Historical Society Donor Guidelines, modified for our use.