The materials are ephemera related to AIDS and HIV from the 1980s and 1990s. They include books, booklets, fliers, pamphlets, post-it notes, brochures, and even a bookmark. All of the materials were weeded from various University Archives record groups since they were not published by or unique to UNC-Chapel Hill. If any of these materials had been written by a professor, it would be a different story. However, many of the materials were produced by the Center for Disease Control, the American Medical Association, or the American College Health Association to name a few. The materials were likely ordered for distribution in places around campus such as Student Health. The fact remains, though, that they do not really belong with us. So where should they go?
While my first thought was to email the list-serv of the Lesbian and Gay Archivists Roundtable of SAA, I instead searched for any existing collections of AIDS/HIV memorabilia. As it happens, the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine produced an exhibit some years ago on AIDS/HIV Ephemera. View the exhibit here.
I wasn't sure that this meant that they had one solid collection of AIDS ephemera, but I gave them a call anyway. The reference librarian I spoke with was very helpful, and I ended up emailing their acquisitions librarian with a list of the titles represented in my five inch stack of materials. Once they review their holdings, the acquisitions librarian will let me know what the library can take. They might also suggest other places interested in the rest of the materials.
I'm glad that this experience has been positive so far. I hear a lot in class (and in job talks I've attended) about being able to say no to some materials to make room for materials that fall more clearly into the collecting policy. The logic is that if it doesn't fit with "us," it probably fits with someone else's holdings. I'm grateful for the collegial nature of the archives profession that makes it so easy to call up another repository with the question: do you want this?
Y'all are such a helpful bunch!