After the transfer of ownership, depot staff will check the materials and may find that there is a reason to reformat some or all of these materials. For example, long-term preservation of sensitive materials is one of the main reasons for microfilms, digitization, the creation of multiple digital versions, or the copying of materials for use by researchers. The repository can also present digital versions on its website, as far as copyright allows. Unless you notice anything else in the gift contract, you agree, if you transfer the legitimate ownership of your materials to the repository, that staff can make redesign and display decisions. Some donors use a gift to explain their future intention to make a gift. In this scenario, they cling to the gift and reserve the right to cancel the gift. This is called a revocable gift. It is usually a summary, such as “John Doe Papers” or “Records of the First Baptist Church of Detroit,” and is written by the repository staff in consultation with the donor. The repository may want to be more accurate in the description of the materials or add a detailed list of materials to the agreement.

In this section, the donor formally agrees to transfer legal property and physical preservation of the material, including future donations, to the depot. The deed will indicate a date when the materials become the legal property of the final deposit (usually when the deed is signed or when the materials are physically transferred to the final repository). The repository will administer and maintain them according to recognized professional standards and its missions and objectives. The person making the gift is designated as a donor, while the person or group receiving the gift is designated as the recipient. The donor must also designate an agent who acts on his behalf to ensure that the gift passes into the hands of the recipient. This is especially important when the gift is given to a minor. Stocks are very different from the type of materials they collect, from the users who use them, and from facilities where they store materials and make them available for research. As a result, a repository may request or authorize the gift file to contain a language related to many other problems. If you have questions or concerns about what is included or not in a gift tea, it is important that you talk to the archivist or curator before signing the agreement. While a repository may not be able to meet a particular requirement, it is best to discuss all relevant issues. Various elements are essential to an act of giving; others may be specific to the repository to which the materials are given. The typical deed of donation identifies the donor, describes the materials, transfers the legal ownership of the materials to the final repository, establishes rules of use, establishes ownership of intellectual property rights and signals the removal of unwanted materials.

If you have questions about the language of the donation, ask the archivist or curator or your lawyer for an explanation. This document is used by a person who wishes to give a gift to another person during his or her lifetime. This document may be preferred to a will because it saves time and costs to apply for the estate. The repositories prefer to accept materials by transfer of ownership. The cost of storing, storing and making collections available for research is so high that repositories can generally only afford it for the materials they own. Most repositories do not accept loan materials; Those who do do not generally accept it without a legal deposit contract setting the terms and fixed term of the loan.