Archive Collecting Policy
The MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and receives its funding via the Medical Research Council (MRC). As such it is responsible for the management of its archive material.
The LMB Archive was established in 2001 as a central repository for significant material relating to the pioneering research in molecular biology started at the MRC Unit for the Study of the Molecular Structure of Biological Systems from 1947, and carried on since 1962 at the LMB.
The definition of archive/archival in this document refers to any physical object, paper or electronic record which is deemed historically significant and requires permanent preservation. All archived materials are managed by the Archive for preservation, reference, display and reproduction.
The Archive accepts deposits, donations and transfers of archival material created internally and externally relating to the LMB; it does not keep scientists’ personal archives which may be better suited to other repositories. A deposit means that you are giving an item to the Archive for safekeeping but will retain copyright ownership; a donation means that you are reassigning copyright to the LMB as part of UKRI; a transfer is from one institute/organisation to another.
Acceptance of material will be dependent on the informational value, uniqueness, and condition.
The Archive collects material relating to:
- The organisation of the LMB
- The operational activities of the LMB
- LMB Directors
- Staff social activities
- Books about the history of the LMB or which have been published with Archive input
- Scientific facilities
- Scientific activities, including:
- Lab books, when not required for active research
- Hard drives containing research, when not required for active research. Please liaise with the Archivist to discuss supported formats (see accepted formats below)
- LMB spinout company origins/activities
The Archive does not collect:
- Material relating to entire scientific careers/biographies spanning institutes outside of the LMB
- Samples of scientific, hazardous or biological material
- Instruments/equipment/records contaminated with hazardous or biological material
- Material required for active or ongoing research
- Material with no or minimal connection to the LMB or its scientific research
- UKRI or MRC-specific material without reference to the LMB
- Entire sequences of scientific journals
- Material that should be destroyed as per internal retention periods (see UKRI Retention framework for research data and records)
- General scientific books, although these may be collected by the LMB Library
Accepted formats
The following are the preferred media and formats which the Archive can support and maintain for material preservation. Format alone does not guarantee that the Archive will accept an item as other factors such as informational value, uniqueness, and condition will apply. We reserve the right to remove duplicate records in paper and digital formats.
| Physical Media | Format | Examples |
| Paper records | Documents, bundles, volumes, books | Correspondence, research lab books and notes, unpublished papers/manuscripts, administrative records, publicity material, newspapers, journals, postcards, books, photographic prints (colour or black and white) |
| Photographic negatives | Cellulose acetate or polyester-based film, and glass plates | Photographic film in canisters, envelopes, boxes |
| Textile, ceramic, metal, plastic, mixed media | Artefacts, scientific models, equipment, instruments* | Protein model, microscope, lab coat |
| CDs/DVDs | mp3, wav, mp4, mpeg | Physical discs with audiovisual content |
Digital Media | Format | Examples |
| Digital records | eml, txt, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, key | Documents, presentations, spreadsheets, emails |
| Audiovisual records | mp3, mp4, jpeg, png, nef, tiff | Photographs, graphics, videos |
* Note that material used in labs should be cleaned and suitable for handling. Please request and complete an Archive Decontamination Form when depositing material of this nature to the Archive.
Other formats may be unsupported and are not readily accepted by the Archive. However, there are some instances where the Archive can implement provision for accepting material (or their appropriate facsimiles) or advise on alternative repositories, particularly for:
- Oversized material (paper records and objects)
- Physical audiovisual formats:
- Floppy discs
- Zip discs
- BluRays
- Magnetic tapes (VHS, cassettes, Betamax, reel-to‑reel)
- Cinefilm – cellulose acetate or polyester-based film
- Grooved discs
- Digital and audiovisual media formats not listed above
Please check with the Archivist if your material format is not listed.
This collecting policy covers the LMB’s remit only. However, similar science-related collections can be found at the following repositories:
- Churchill College Archive Centre, Cambridge
- The Science Museum Group, London
- Wellcome Collection, London
If the LMB Archive cannot receive a potential deposit, then one of the above may be able to accommodate your enquiry.