The Education University of Hong Kong Archives

1. Mission of University Archives
   
   
   1. The Education University of Hong Kong Archives (“University Archives” or “EdUHK Archives”) supports research and education by preserving and providing access to selected past records of the University.
   
   
   2. The University Archives collection accurately and authentically documents the life of the University and attests to the important role the University has played in the history of Hong Kong.
   
   
   
   
2. University Archives Collection Development Policy
   
   
   1. In 1994 the Hong Kong Government amalgamated the five Colleges of Education under the Education Department (i.e. Northcote College of Education, Grantham College of Education, Sir Robert Black College of Education, The Hong Kong Technical Teachers’ College and The Institute of Language in Education) into the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd). HKIEd later became the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) in 2016. The EdUHK Archives will therefore collect paper, electronic and visual records of EdUHK, HKIEd and the five Colleges of Education.
   
   
   2. The University Archives will select and collect official records of administrative, academic, research and development activities from faculties, departments, centres, units, affiliated organisations, as well as records from existing and former students and staff members of the University.
   
   
   3. Archival materials from the former Colleges of Education and their staff and students will be collected by the University Archives only if their provenance is clearly demonstrated.
   
   
   4. Archival materials collected should have intrinsic values related to the history and development of the University.
   
   
   5. Confidential and sensitive records will not be collected by the University Archives but will be kept at the offices of origin according to record retention guidelines provided by the University Archives.
   
   
   6. University publications including official publications, booklets or printed reports will be collected by the University Library according to its collection development policies. Unless these items come with individuals or departmental records, or that the items are being deposited with the original sources as part of the creation process, they will not be collected by the University Archives.
   
   
   7. Active materials which are still used by the creators will not be collected by the University Archives. Duplicated sets received will be destroyed or returned to the senders.
   
   
   8. Published works by staff members without original manuscripts and/or supporting materials will not be collected by the University Archives.
   
   
   9. Reproduction or duplication of documents where the originals are already housed with another archival repository (e.g. office of origin, University Library or Hong Kong Museum of Education) will not be collected by the University Archives.
   
   
   10. Items which are not related to the University or it predecessors will not be collected by the Archives but may be considered for collection by Hong Kong Museum of Education or University Library.
   
   
   
   
3. University Archives Access Policy
   
   
   1. Items in the University Archives are classified in the following three categories with different levels of access restriction.
      
      
      
      • Public Documents: Items produced for public use and/or without confidentiality and security concerns, e.g. newsletters, annual reports, press release, public papers, official statements, records of public events, etc. There is no restriction period for Public Documents.
      
      
      • Normal Archival Items: Items in the University Archives not classified as Public Documents in 3.1. a above or Restricted Archival Items in 3.1.c below will be closed for 30 years from the date of creation, or 30 years from the last creation date if the creation process spans over a period.
      
      
      • Restricted Archival Items: The following archival items are closed for more than 30 years.
        
        
        
        • Official Council records which do not contain financial and personnel information, including committees of the Council, are closed for 50 years from the date of creation. Council records containing financial and personnel information will not be included in the University Archives.
        
        
        • Official records of senior officers are closed for 50 years after the officer has left office.
        
        
        • Records containing information of individual staff and students are closed for 80 years from the date of record creation or until decease of the individuals, whichever comes first.
        
        
        • The offices of origin may also request specific items to be closed for more than 30 years, subject to review and approval by the Senior Management.
        
        
        
        
      
      
      
      
   
   
   2. During the restriction period, the items will only be available to the President’s Office, the office of origin, individuals authorised by the donor for donated items, and authorised staff of the University Archives. Requests for access by other departments and units of the University will be considered by the University Archives in consultation with the office of origin and in case of doubt with the Senior Management.
   
   
   3. All collections in the Archives must be used in the designated area(s) of the University Library and in accordance with rules and regulations of the University Archives as well as applicable laws and regulations in Hong Kong such as Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance and Copyright Ordinance.
   
   
   4. Personal archives collected by the University Archives may be subject to restrictions placed by the donors. The access right of each donated collection will be indicated in its Deed of Gift Agreement and its finding aid.
   
   
   5. All items in the University Archives will be kept in closed stacks for better protection. Requests to use or publish materials from the University Archives will be subject to approval by the University Librarian and the Senior Management. Requestors should submit a request to libarchives@eduhk.hk stating the reason(s) and/or information of the proposed publication.
   
   
   6. In addition to the three levels of access restrictions described in 3.1.a to 3.1.c, “General Restrictions” will apply to records containing confidential or sensitive information, under which the items will be restricted for access even after their access restrictions as described in 3.1.a to 3.1.c expire.
   
   
   7. The University Librarian and the Senior Management have the final decision of granting access to any records housed in the University Archives. On the other hand, the creators of records (both individuals and units) will always have the right to access their transferred records.
   
   
   8. This Access Policy does not apply to normal administrative uses of University records.
   
   
   
   

Enquiry

If you are interested in learning more about the University Archives, or donating records to the University Archives, please contact Ms Michelle Yiu at 2948 7418 or e-mail to libarchives@eduhk.hk.

March 2017