Mission Statement:

The Archives of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field collects, protects and shares the history of the team which has played continuously in one city longer than any other team in U.S. professional sports, along with the iconic, second oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball, the only surviving Federal League ballpark still in use.

The Archives encourages an understanding of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field history and the role each played in Chicago and American history and culture by:

• Acquiring and preserving a vast and comprehensive collection of artifacts, photographs, records and materials to document the history of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field;
• Celebrating, promoting and sharing this history as a resource to the organization’s Associates, fans and potential admirers worldwide;
• Supporting collective stories to encapsulate and detail this history.

Collection Criteria and Limitations

The following criteria will be applied when evaluating items for potential acquisition to ensure the Archives develops a comprehensive, meaningful and usable collection, which supports the organizational mission:

• New acquisitions must present opportunities to reveal or expand themes, stories or aspects of Cubs or Wrigley Field history. Preference will be given to acquiring material documenting stories or themes not already represented in the Archives.

• No item may be added to the Archives collection which cannot be documented, stored, protected and preserved under conditions to ensure its future availability.

• Items must have historical value, aesthetic merit or possess potential for exhibition or research.

• With the exception of exhibit material or props, Archives prefers to collect original materials whenever possible; derivative materials will be considered for acquisition only when the original materials are believed to no longer exist.

• The Archives prefers to avoid collecting exact duplicates of historical items, periodicals, publications and other items, except for materials with exhibition potential.

• Any object accepted for the collection should be accompanied by a valid legal title without restrictions as to use or further disposition.

• Appraisals are the responsibility of donor. The IRS requires a professional donation appraisal accompany all donations of personal property valued at more than $5,000.

• The authenticity and provenance of an artifact must be acceptable to the Senior Manager, Team History and Brand Initiatives, the Cubs Team Historian, and/or Cubs chief legal counsel.

• Archives prefers to acquire materials free of donor-imposed restrictions unless limited to a reasonable and finite period or in circumstances where the public benefit of accessioning the object is determined to outweigh the long-term negative impact of the restrictions on future operations or use of the materials.

• Unsolicited donations will be evaluated in the context of the collections policy and the relationship of the material(s) to other holdings in the Archives. Unsuitable materials will be returned to the donor. Unsolicited donations left with the Archives without contact information or authorization will be regarded as voluntarily abandoned property after a holding period of 30 days. Further disposition and disposal of such materials is at the discretion of the Archives.