College Archives

For more information about the archives, locating primary resources, or to schedule a research appointment, contact Central Piedmont Archives by phone or email, and our archivist will respond in a timely manner.

Have a question? Chat now.

The Central Piedmont archives are located in Room 3250 of the Hagemeyer Library, Parr Center on Central Campus.

Archives Reading Room Policies

Welcome to the Central Piedmont Archives! We are located on the 3rd floor of the Hagemeyer Library in the Parr Center, Room 3250.

The materials housed in the Archives’ collections are non-circulating, while some books in our Reading Room’s collection are marked for circulation. Archives staff will assist researchers with the check-out process.

Due to the unique and irreplaceable nature of our materials, we ask that you abide by the following policies and procedures. Doing so will help ensure these materials will be available to future researchers. Failure to comply with these rules may result in denial of access to the collections.

General Archives Reading Room Policies

• The Archives Reading Room is designated as a “quieter” study area, meaning that conversations can take place, but at lower volumes. Please exit the Reading Room to take phone calls.
• Student groups are allowed to access the Reading Room without a need for archival research, meaning that students/student groups do not need to specifically request access to archival materials in order to access the space, however, we do ask that you follow the general policies. 
• Personal belongings, such as backpacks, bags, and coats, must be placed in the Reading Room’s lockers. Training on how to operate the lockers will be provided. Notebooks, laptops, cellphones, and pencils are allowed.
• Food, gum, cosmetics, smoking, and pets are not allowed in the Reading Room. Covered beverages and service animals are allowed.

Rules for Accessing and Handling Archives Materials

• Hands should be clean for the handling of materials. Please avoid applying creams or lotions to your hands immediately before handling materials as the oils can transfer and cause considerable damage.
• Use only pencils when taking notes. Ink pens, markers, and highlighters are not allowed. Pencils will be provided upon request. No marks may be added to or erased from any material.
• Archives staff will provide materials one box at a time. Do not change the order of folders in boxes or the order of documents in folders. If the order appears to have been disturbed, please notify the Archives staff. Before placing folders back in boxes, please straighten the contents.
• Use all materials flat on the table or on a book cradle. Do not lay books face down and do not use harmful bookmarks, such as pencils, rulers, and other books. If paper slips must be used as bookmarks, please take extra care to remove all of them before returning the material.
• Do not remove photographs, negatives, and slides from their protective sleeves. Cotton gloves will be provided for handling these materials if they are not sleeved.
• Do not trace, write on, or fold materials. Do not write on paper that is placed on top of materials.
• Reproduction (via self-scanning or taking images by tablet and phone cameras) is allowed. There is no charge for use of department scanners. However, Archives staff may forbid the use of cameras or scanners if you mishandle material, or if your methods of reproduction pose any risk to our materials or cause disruption in our Reading Room.
• If it will damage materials or if there is intent to violate copyright, we reserve the right to prevent duplication of materials.
• We reserve the right to inspect all research material and all personal articles before a patron leaves the Reading Room.
• Use of materials may be restricted because of following reasons: donor requests, poor physical condition, protecting personal privacy or legitimate proprietary rights, maintaining reasonable administrative confidentiality, or if unprocessed.
• While materials from these collections are in your hands, it is your responsibility to handle them with care.

Citing Archives Materials

In the case of course research, publication, exhibition, or commercial use, we ask that proper acknowledgement be made. Citation style will vary depending upon the style guide being used, but the following can serve as a basic reference: 

[Description of Item], Box/Folder Number, [Name of Collection], (Collection Number). Central Piedmont Community College Archives, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Before transferring records, please submit the Internal Records Transfer Form (Google).

To Transfer Non-Digital Records

• Please transfer non-digital records to Central Piedmont Archives in sturdy boxes.
• Maintain the order that the records are stored in and keep the papers in their original file folders.
• You may remove file folders from the hanging folders — if there is a file label with descriptive information on the hanging folder, please transfer that information to the standard file folder.
• Clearly label the boxes with the name of the transferring office and the box number (for instance, "Department of English, 1 of 3").
• After your transfer form has been received, the archivist will contact you regarding the physical transfer of the records. We may be able to assist with the transfer, or we can schedule a convenient time to meet you. Small transfers may be sent via campus mail.

To Transfer Digital Files

Use the Google form to upload digital files. For further assistance, please contact the archivist or email the Service Desk.

If you are not a current Central Piedmont employee and are interested in donating to the Central Piedmont archives, please fill out our Deed of Gift Google Form. This document formally establishes the transfer of ownership to Central Piedmont and is required for most donations. Items of interest include papers, photographs, clothing, scrapbooks, yearbooks, awards/trophies, and digital files.

If donating physical items, please coordinate the best delivery option(s) by contacting Central Piedmont Archives staff. If donating digital items, you can upload the files using the Deed of Gift Google Form.

Central Piedmont Archives adheres to the NC Community College Records Retention Schedule (PDF) to determine which records need to be retained. Not all positions at the college maintain records of permanent retention. For questions about permanent retention, please contact the archivist. For questions about records management, consult your supervisor.