James Baldwin Library: Contribution Guidelines

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The JBL holds Hampshire’s memory: the work we made, the classes we took, and the places and people that shaped us. These guidelines keep the collection trustworthy, legal, and respectful of everyone in it.

1. What we’re collecting (Phase 1)

  • Div III projects, plus Div I and Div II work you made yourself
  • Your own course papers, portfolios, and creative work
  • Syllabi and course materials (see section 4 for permissions)
  • Ephemera: event posters, zines, flyers, publications

We’re not collecting photographs of identifiable people, oral histories, or audio and video recordings of others yet. They’ll open once consent processes and archivist review are in place.

2. You must have the right to share it

  • Only submit work you created, or work you have written permission to share.
  • If a piece was collaborative, every co-creator needs to agree. Tell us who they are.
  • You keep your copyright. By submitting, you give Frogbook a non-exclusive license to preserve, display, and describe your work. You can withdraw it at any time.

3. Protect other people’s privacy

  • Don’t upload narrative evaluations, transcripts, grades, or committee feedback about anyone except you.
  • If your work involved interviews, surveys, or human subjects research, remove identifying details unless participants consented to public release.
  • Don’t include contact details, ID numbers, health information, or immigration details about anyone.
  • If someone in the work has died, use the same care you would for the living. Context notes are welcome.

4. Syllabi and faculty materials

  • Faculty own their syllabi. If you’re a faculty member, you can submit directly. If you’re an alum, either get the faculty member’s OK or flag the item as “permission pending” so it’s held for review rather than published.
  • Don’t upload official college records or administrative documents unless they were already public.

5. Describe what you’re giving us
Every submission needs these minimum details:

  • Title
  • Creator(s)
  • Year
  • Type (Div III, syllabus, zine, etc.)
  • Short description

These are strongly encouraged: committee members, school or program, subjects or keywords, and related materials. Good descriptions are what make the archive searchable and citable.

6. Choose who can see it

  • Public: anyone on the web
  • Members only: logged-in APL members
  • Embargoed: preserved now, released on a date you choose

7. File formats

  • Documents: PDF (PDF/A preferred)
  • Images: TIFF or high-resolution JPEG
  • Audio: WAV or MP3
  • Video: MP4

Upload originals where you can, and don’t compress files just to make them smaller.

8. What we won’t accept

  • Content that harasses, demeans, or exposes someone
  • Material that’s being shared to settle a personal dispute
  • Pirated material
  • AI-generated work presented as original Hampshire work

9. Review and corrections

  • Every submission is reviewed by a volunteer archivist before it’s published.
  • We may edit metadata for consistency, and we’ll ask you before changing anything substantive.
  • If you appear in something and want it removed or corrected, write to support@frogbook.net. While we review your request, the item is hidden, not kept up.

10. An honest note on permanence
Frogbook is volunteer-run and community-owned. We’re working toward a nonprofit structure and long-term stewardship, but we can’t guarantee that anything will be preserved forever. Keep your own copies.