Society of American Archivists Code of Ethics with Commentary: “Transfers and acquisitions should be made in accordance with a written policy statement, supported by adequate resources and consistent with the mission of the archives.”

The LGBTQ+ History & Archives of the Desert will acquire and accession materials, regardless of format from the 19^th century to the present which have information about note-worthy LGBTQ+ persons, places, things, events, businesses, and organizations in the Greater Palm Springs area and Coachella Valley

Appraisal.

Archival appraisal is not to assess monetary value nor is it to envision possible potential research uses of a particular item or collection of items. Appraisal will be grounded in the informational and artifactual value of the materials. Informational value relates to the extent of the information about note-worthy persons, individually or collectively, places, things, events, and businesses. Artifactual value is the usefulness or significance of an object based on its physical or aesthetic characteristics, rather than its intellectual content.  The burden of proof is with the decision to accession the materials.

Appraisal Criteria.

1. Does the bulk of the materials under appraisal directly relate to the LGBTQ+ persons, places, activities, businesses, and organizations or organizations of the Greater Palm Springs area and the Coachella Valley from the 19^th century to the present?
2. Is the provenance of the materials known and documented?
3. Do the materials have a known provenance?
4. Are the materials adequately documented regarding their creator, content, and uses?
5. Do the materials clearly indicate the date span? Are there significant gaps in the date span?
6. Are the materials arranged in the original order of the creator and have not been re-arranged by someone other than the creator? Are there significant gaps in the original order of the records?
7. Do the materials document the most significant activities of the creating individual or organization?
8.  Do physical objects (artifacts) have aesthetic or artistic quality, unique or curious features, value for use in exhibits, or direct association of note-worthy persons, places, events, businesses and organizations?
9. Are the materials unique or are they duplicated in another repository that is adequately preserving them and making their content available?

If some or all of the materials offered to The LGBTQ+ History & Archives of the Desert do not meet the above criteria, The LGBTQ+ History & Archives of the Desert will return then to the donor or attempt to find an appropriate repository.

Adopted July 11, 2023