If you have material you wish to donate, you can get in touch with us by emailing archives@westlothian.gov.uk.

What type of material do we accept?

We accept documents, bound volumes, maps, plans, photographic images (slides, photos, negatives), video, film, computer discs (if the machinery to read them is available), etc. as long as it is original source material falling within our collecting policy undernoted which can be made available for public consultation.

All material must fulfil at least one of the following criteria:

·     It must have been created within West Lothian, either by an individual, a company or an organisation.

·     It must have belonged to a West Lothian individual/company/organisation, even if they no longer reside in the area.

·     It must be relevant to the history of West Lothian and its citizens.

What type of material do we not accept?

·     Published books, pamphlets & leaflets

·     Objects, which are collected by the Museums element of our service, using different documentation.

·     If you would like to donate a collection containing all of these items, please inform the Heritage Manager who can make special arrangements.

The Council reserves the right to refuse any item/collection.

The Council and its employees cannot give valuations for archive material or assist in the disposal of private property.

Conditions

The following conditions apply to all items donated to, held in trust by or loaned to the Council:

·     All items donated to, held in trust by or loaned to the Council Archives must be available for public consultation unless their physical condition dictates that allowing access to the original would cause accelerated damage. Access will be during normal working hours and within the confines and regulations of Archive Search Room only.

·     Once in the Council's possession, records cannot be borrowed, but may only be consulted during normal search room hours. Duplicate copies of photographic images/films may be created and made available for public borrowing.

·     The Council may use any item(s) from its collection to promote the work of the Council or the area, or to encourage their use in educational or other projects.

·     The Council may, within copyright legislation, provide copies of the deposited item(s) for a fee.

Storage/Conservation

·     All Collections will be stored in the best conditions available to the Council.

·     The Council will endeavour to protect its Collection from all foreseeable hazards.

·     The Council may carry out conservation work on any item within its collection which the Heritage Manager deems necessary.

·     The Council will not accept liability for loss of, damage to or deterioration in the items described in the accompanying form, unless caused by negligence on the part of the Council or its employees.

Forms of Transfer

·     Absolute & Perpetual Gift

This method transfers ownership & title of the item(s) deposited to the Council without conditions. The donor must be the owner of and have good title to the items to be donated. The material will be stored and catalogued as part of the Council's collection and be made available for public consultation and copying where applicable. The Council can, at any time transfer or dispose of any item(s) gifted without recourse to the donor.

·     Short Loan for Copying

Photographic images can be deposited for a specified period of time to allow the Council time to copy the image for use in its collection. The Council is free to use the image for any purpose and to charge for its future reproduction. Copy rights shall be reserved. It is the owner's responsibility to collect the items by the agreed return date. In the event of items not being collected by the owner, the Archives reserves the right to dispose of the items after they have been in its possession for not less than three months.

·     Trust

Ownership and title to the item(s) is transferred to the Council (the trustee) who holds the item(s) in trust for the purpose of making it accessible to the public and incorporating it in any Council projects. The Council has free use of the item, so long as it is not to the long term detriment of the item(s). Conservation work which the Heritage Manager deems necessary will be undertaken without recourse to the trustor. The item(s) will be available for public consultation. The Council may charge a reproduction fee. Items deposited may not be borrowed by the trustee, except by special permission from the Archivist who is subject to the purpose of borrowing.

De-accessioning of Item(s) Held in Trust

If the trustor wishes to revoke the trust, he must give the Council two months written notice of his intention. The Council will be entitled to compensation where:

·     Items are sorted & catalogued but have not been available for public consultation for a suitable period of time.

·     Conservation work, deemed necessary by the Heritage Manager, has been undertaken to the item(s).

Compensation must be paid prior to the item being returned to the Trustor.

The Council is obliged to give the trustor written notice of its intention to dispose of trust property. If, within two months of the date of service of the notice, the trustor has not revoked the trust, the Council may dispose of the property as it sees fit.

Privacy Statement

All personal information that you supply will be used to process your Archival deposit in accordance with data protection law. 

We will not share your information with anyone else unless required to do so by law.  Personal information related to or contained within Archive collections will be held permanently.

Data Protection law gives you a number of rights including the right to make a complaint about the handling of your personal information. Complaints should be submitted to the Information Commissioner's Office or the Council's Data Protection Officer. You can view and download our privacy notice below.