Before You Send Us Your Items….

Our Groundkeepers volunteer their time and energy to keep our materials and collections catalogued and available to Wanderers who browse through or use our resources. To help us be more efficient, please consider the following:

Step 1: Check the Condition of the Materials

We WILL accept materials that are:

  • By, for, or about Lesbians (or Lesbian organizations)
  • Clean
  • Slightly worn or well-loved / Minimal damage
  • Underlined or highlighted if contained in a personal collection with a note indicating how it is relevant to your personal story

Note: Unique one-of-a-kind items with broken spines or pages falling out MIGHT be acceptable. Please check first.  

Please DO NOT donate items that are: 

  • Moldy or dirty
  • Waterlogged
  • Significantly damaged or heavily stained
  • Warped or broken (such as records, audiotapes, videos, etc.)

Note: If you’re not sure, please send a photo so we can evaluate acceptability of the items.

Step 2: Prepare Your Materials

How Do I Organize/Preserve My Stuff….
These are some very basic steps you can take to organize your treasures (future archival materials). 

1. Locate & Collect
Start gathering your Lesbian memorabilia (publications, documents, photographs, event flyers, posters, brochures, invitations, postcards, t-shirts, buttons, cassette tapes, journals, diaries, letters, magazines, newspapers, etc.).

2. Gather Storage Materials
To make your organizing and storage easier, and based on how much you gathered, grab some supplies such as:

  • Sturdy/clean boxes (something similar to Banker’s boxes are a good size and weight) 
  • Folders (acid free if possible) / Envelopes 
  • Ziplock or other sealable bags or containers in various sizes
  • Anything that’s clean and will hold what you have

3. Organize / Categorize
There are many ways to do this but do what makes most sense for your collection…

  • Like items together (for example, all letters together, all books together, etc.)
  • Items combined that tell a story of an event or happening, political action, festival, etc.
  • When possible, separate photos

4. Label / Describe
Don’t keep us in suspense! Let us know what you’ve gathered as descriptively as possible.
Examples: New England Women’s Music Festivals, 1984-1986; Our best community potlucks, 1980-1998; Women’s Music Concert Flyers, 1975-1985. If possible, please include notes explaining the memorabilia and how they relate to your life as a Lesbian. Then, label the storage containers, files, and/or boxes.

5. Detail Photographs
It’s helpful for photographs to have identifying information if possible. It’s best to use a #1 or #2 pencil, a fine point pen, or an archival pen to put the details on the back of your photos or attached with a post-it note. For example, if you can, identify who’s in the photo (from left to right), event, geographical location, approximate date, and the name of the photographer.

6. Prepare a Memory Vessel 
If you’re not yet ready to send your memorabilia to Wanderground, please refer to our form called “Preparing Your Memory Vessel for Transfer.” 

Step 3: Contact Us

Before donating items to Wanderground, please give us a good indication of what you have to donate (make a general list). Whether it’s a few books, a couple of boxes, or a large private collection, it will help us to plan if we know specifically what you are donating. 

  • We prefer contact by email – archives@wanderground.org (or you may send a snail mail: PO Box 10446, Cranston, RI 02910)
  • Let us know how you plan to deliver the materials to us (mail or in person) so we can provide additional instructions. 
  • Be sure to include your contact info (mailing address, email, AND phone number) in case we have follow-up questions. 

We will contact you as soon as we can to let you know what items we’d like to receive. 

Step 4: Complete the Relevant Forms

Once we have indicated we would like to receive your items, please be sure to complete the relevant release form(s) to include with the materials.

  • Deed of Gift (General Donation Form)
  • Memory Vessel Transfer Directive
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