Donate materials to the North Carolina Collection

What’s in your file cabinet?

The North Carolina Collection is more than just books. In fact, we collect materials donated by people just like you. Common donations include photographs shot in Durham or papers of individuals and organizations based in Durham. Do you have church programs, records of a business or nonprofit organization, memorabilia from school days, playbills from your favorite theater group, or other such items? We’re interested!

All kinds of people use these materials for research and enjoyment: faculty and students from local universities, genealogists tracing their ancestors, architectural historians and private individuals researching historic houses and buildings, children doing school projects, and others. Visit our papers of individuals and organizations page to see all the collections of papers the North Carolina Collection holds.

Please think about what materials you might pass on to the North Carolina Collection to enhance the study of Durham city and county’s history and culture.

Why donate your materials to the North Carolina Collection?

1. Your donation will be thoroughly processed and preserved for the future.
2. Especially significant items will be scanned and made available on the internet so that people around the world will have access to them.
3. All collections of materials will be publicized through the library catalog, NC Collection website, and Digital Public Library of America. Some collections will also be publicized through displays, newspaper articles, presentations, etc.

To talk about donating materials, contact the North Carolina Collection at 919-560-0171 or ncc@dconc.gov.