Archives Policy
Context and Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to establish Vancouver Community College (VCC; the College) Archives as the official repository of the College’s permanent records and to gather selected administrative files, photographs, audiovisual materials, papers, student projects, theses & dissertations, and other non-official records that document aspects of college life and history.
The functions of the Archives are:
- to identify, select and preserve historical, institutional and administrative documentation, and scholarly and creative works created by the VCC community;
- to provide archive assistance to researchers; and
- to facilitate knowledge sharing and community engagement.
Scope and Limits
The Archives serves as the official repository of VCC official and non-official records of enduring value. VCC Library is responsible for developing guidelines and managing the Archives.
Principles
- The VCC Archives will collect, appraise, arrange, describe, preserve, and make available records of value to the VCC community.
- The goals of the Archives are:
- to preserve and disseminate VCC’s institutional history, regardless of the positive or negative nature;
- to make accessible the knowledge and creative works generated by the College and thereby increase its potential impact; and
- to preserve administrative reports and documentation for long-term institutional continuity.
- The Archives is responsible for providing long-term access to and the preservation of all the archival materials it acquires, both physical and digital.
- The Archives will make its best effort to make records and works as accessible as possible, including clear metadata, captions/subtitles, and traditional knowledge labels.
- The Archives recognizes that some archival materials may be outdated or offensive to present-day eyes, and believes it is a necessary and important aspect of providing a transparent, truthful and accountable record of the past.
- The Archives grants public access to archival records and facilitates external research requirements both to physical records and to digital records through the VCC digital repository.
- Records may be transferred to another institution where, in the opinion of the Coordinator of the Archives, such records would be more appropriately preserved by another institution.
Definitions
- Access
- The opportunity of finding, consulting, or approaching documents or information.
- Appraisal
- The process of evaluating documents for the purpose of continuing preservation.
- Archival Record
- A record that has been appraised as having permanent administrative, financial, legal, operational, cultural, social or historical value.
- Digital Repository
- A website that hosts digital works that fit the collection criteria for the VCC Archives. VCC is a member of a province-wide network of institutional repositories.
- Preservation
- Storing and protecting records against damage and deterioration in perpetuity.
- Record
- Recorded information, regardless of format, medium or characteristics, made or received by an organization that is evidence of its operations and that has value requiring its retention for a specified period of time.
Related Resources
VCC Policies
Generated at: 8:46 am on September 18, 2026