Guidelines for the Donation of Personal & Professional Papers

As a donor to the Center for the History of Family Medicine (CHFM), you and your family can play a vital role in contributing to the preservation of the history of family medicine. Your personal papers, professional records, and memorabilia, or those of a relative or colleague can be invaluable in helping to document the history of Family Medicine in a specific community, during a certain time period, in an area within the discipline, or within a diverse ethnic group or minority. These records can also help us understand the American public's changing perception of the family physician.

Your donation may also help to fill a "gap" in the History Center's collections. By donating to our collections, you might add new information to the specialty's history or you might contribute the exact publication, photograph or set of records that the History Center needs to complete a piece of Family Medicine's historical puzzle.

No donation is too large or too small to help tell family medicine's story on the home front, in the hospital, in the classroom, in the boardroom, or on the battlefield. Whatever your personal involvement is in the discipline, your records may be important additions to the History Center.

Examples of materials appropriate for CHFM include, but are not limited to the following:

Artifacts such as medical implements, both serious or humorous depictions of the family physician in all types of media, clothing, awards, glassware, jewelry, souvenirs, etc., as long as it has an association with family medicine
Autobiographies and biographies of other family physicians
Books written by or about family physicians or about family medicine
Clippings from newspapers or magazines about family physicians or the specialty
Files that document the establishment of your family practice or that of others
Files that document your involvement in the education of medical students or residents such as textbooks, syllabi, lecture notes, files, etc.
Files that document your service to family medicine organizations (AAFP, AAFP/F, ABFM, ADFM, AFMRD, NAPCRG, and STFM are examples)
Files that document particular subjects significant to family medicine or primary care
Histories of communities that include references to you, your practice, and/or the practice of family medicine in general
Journals or diaries kept by family physicians
Newsletters, brochures, or other informational material you have given your patients
Photographs of you and your colleagues with your patients, in clinics, offices, hospitals, classrooms, and/or in the service of your country

The Center for the History of Family Medicine provides an ideal environment for the storage and preservation of important materials relating to the history of the discipline. It maintains a climate and humidity-controlled environment for the preservation of its collections, houses its materials in acid-free containers to protect against the ravages of mold, mildew, acidity, and light and has professional staff trained in the conservation of archives, library and museum materials.

CHFM recommends that your personal and professional papers should be considered for donation to us when they are no longer used on a regular basis (usually after 3-5 years). When in doubt, contact the History Center for an appraisal of your records.

Procedures for Donating Your Papers to CHFM

Contact the History Center staff first. CHFM staff will evaluate your material to determine if it is appropriate to include in the Center's collections.
If CHFM staff determines that the material is appropriate and you want to make the donation, please complete and sign a Deed of Gift form. Be sure to include an originally signed copy of this form with your donation.
Pack the material neatly in strong boxes with lids. Seal the boxes completely with packing tape. (Folders should be placed in the boxes with labels showing). Never "cram" material in a box. If necessary, use multiple boxes. If the last box is not full, wad up tissue paper or newspaper to fill the remaining space so materials don't fall out of the folders. The best kind of box to use is a 15" x 12" x 10" records storage carton that has handles and a lid. If at all possible, use the same size boxes because they will stack much more efficiently and are easier to mail or ship if necessary.
Include a listing of folder titles or items in each box and keep one copy of this listing for your records.
Provide identification for unmarked items, such as photographs or medical instruments. In the case of unidentified photographs, do not mark on the back of the photographs. Instead, write the description of the photograph on a separate piece of paper and place the paper behind the photograph it describes. Alternatively, label images with a Post-It note on the back. For photographs of many people, photocopy the image and write the name of each person on the photocopy. (Please note: photographic negatives are just as important, if not more so, than the photographs because the best possible copies can be made from the original negative. If they are available, please send negatives to us along with the photographs.)
If you are in the Kansas City metro area, you can drop off your donation at the Center at AAFP Headquarters, located at 11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway in Leawood, Kansas. For security purposes, please do not make deliveries without telling the History Center staff that you are coming. If you are outside of the metro Kansas City area, ship your donation using a reliable carrier. If some material is fragile, have items professionally packaged and request tracking and/or insurance. If you have any questions, please contact the History Center.