Cincinnati Children's Archives

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Archives

Acquisition and Appraisal Policy

Acquisition Policy                                                           

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Archives (“the Archives”) acquires documents, recordings, images, and publications of enduring historical, legal, fiscal, medical and administrative value pertaining to Cincinnati Children’s and the Cincinnati Children’s community. By emphasizing the selection and retention of core records (quality over quantity) that best reflect Cincinnati Children’s functions in the areas of pediatrics, administration, teaching, research, program development, public relations, patient support, innovation, and cultural enrichment, the Archives seeks to collect and document the major activities and achievements of Cincinnati Children's and its community. On occasion the Archives also accepts material culture items that document breakthroughs or innovations developed at Cincinnati Children’s.

The Archives focuses its acquisitions on the departments, faculty, and administration of Cincinnati Children’s. On occasion, the Archives will accept materials from private donors, particularly from persons having association with Cincinnati Children’s and its activities. As a rule, the Archives does not purchase records or accept materials on loan. The donor(s) of the material will be asked to transfer full rights and title of all donated collection to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Archives by signing the appropriate transfer agreement/deed of gift.

Specifically, the Archives collects:

• Records of Cincinnati Children’s, including articles of incorporation, bylaws, administrative records, committee files and minutes, financial information, correspondence, photographs, films, slides, audio tapes, policy and procedures manuals, patient logs and annual reports
• Official publications of Cincinnati Children’s and its departments, services, laboratories, programs, centers and other units.
• Publications written about Cincinnati Children’s.
• Personal and professional papers of selected individuals associated with Cincinnati Children’s (including correspondence, laboratory notebooks and unpublished essays).
• Records of selected organizations associated with Cincinnati Children’s or the field of pediatrics.
• Selected books written by individuals whose papers are housed in the Archives; publications written using information or images from the collections housed in the Archives.
• Oral histories of selected individuals associated with Cincinnati Children’s.
• Histories and biographies of individuals, departments, divisions or other entities that pertain to the history of Cincinnati Children’s.
• Medical instruments developed by Cincinnati Children's physicians

Appraisal Policy

Archival appraisal is the deliberate, analytic, process of determining (appraising) the administrative, legal, historic and research significance of records. Through appraisal records are evaluated to determine which have enduring (archival) value, worthy of ongoing retention. Appraisal is the means by which an acquisition policy is put into action, resulting in the development of a strong and useful collection of records that accurately represents the history and activity of Cincinnati Children’s. Conversely, through appraisal, decisions are made concerning which materials will not be kept and therefore be targeted for disposal.

Effective appraisal supports the mission of the Archives as well as Cincinnati Children’s by targeting and selecting records for ongoing preservation that meet legal and administrative requirements while providing an accurate and representative overview of its work. Appraisal decisions are based on the guidelines listed in the Archives' acquisition policy. These criteria should be applied consistently.

Some considerations when conducting appraisal include:

• Meeting Cincinnati Children’s organizational needs
• Upholding requirements of organizational accountability
• Meeting the expectations of Cincinnati Children’s record-using community

Appraisal is most effective when done collaboratively. Members of Cincinnati Children’s Historical Committee, together with medical professionals, hospital administrators, and the Cincinnati Children’s Archivist will participate in appraisal decisions.

The following checklist is useful when considering which records should be accessioned into Cincinnati Children’s archival collection:

• What is the provenance (origins) of the records?
• Are the records authentic and reliable?
• What do the records document?
• What is the relationship of the records to the Archives’ current holdings?
• Do the records fill gaps in the existing holdings of the Archives?
• Do the records provide new information on activities and departments of Cincinnati Children’s not already documented in the Archives? Or, is the information contained in the records duplicated elsewhere in the collection?
• Do the records complement Cincinnati Children’s mission?
• Do the records fulfill the goals of the Archives’ mission statement and acquisition policy?
• How rare and unique are the materials? What is their intrinsic value?
• How complete are the records? Are there gaps in the holdings?
• What is the storage medium or format of the records? Is the information documented elsewhere in an easier to use/preserve format?
• How large is the collection to be accessioned? What condition are the records in?
• What costs are required in the ongoing care, storage, and preservation of the records?
• Is the Archives equipped to accept, preserve and provide access to the records in perpetuity?
• How do legal guidelines (i.e., HIPPA) apply to the records?
• What restrictions apply to the records?
• What are the anticipated uses for the records?