How It Works

1. You look around. Read what we preserve and what we accept. If you are unsure whether your material qualifies, submit anyway — uncertainty is normal.
2. You tell us the basics. The short review form asks for a rough count, an approximate date range, and a sentence or two about the collection. Estimates are fine.
3. You add a few photographs. A wide shot of the boxes or shelves and two or three covers is plenty. Phone photos are exactly what we expect.
4. The Collections Department reviews. A person reads every inquiry and replies, typically within five business days, with an honest assessment and any follow-up questions — storage history, known titles, condition detail.
5. You tell us the outcome you hope for. Selling, contributing for preservation, estate guidance, or genuine uncertainty — each is a normal answer, discussed during follow-up, and none commits you to anything.
6. We propose next steps. That may be shipping instructions, a local Arizona inspection for larger collections, a preservation plan, or a candid “this isn’t for us” with suggestions.
7. The collection travels safely. We provide packing guidance, cover agreed shipping approaches, and confirm arrival with photographs.
8. Terms are documented. Purchase, consignment, contribution, or transfer — final terms are written down before anything is final. No handshake ambiguity.
9. The collection is accessioned. Copies receive accession numbers, condition reports, and a recorded provenance, at whatever level of anonymity you chose.
10. Preservation begins. Cataloging, stabilization, and archival scanning proceed — and the collection joins the record it deserved all along.

Two reassurances worth repeating

First: submitting creates no obligation. People sometimes wait months between our reply and their decision — estates move slowly, and we know it.

Second: “no” is a real answer we actually give. When a collection is outside our scope, we say so promptly rather than letting it sit, and where we can, we suggest a more suitable home. What we never suggest is the dumpster.

Begin a submission whenever you are ready.