Collection Development Policy

Political Collections: The Gore Center collects the professional papers of individuals who have served in the State Legislature or in Tennessee's delegation to Congress. The Center is also interested in acquiring the records of local, county, and statewide political organizations and parties and memorabilia related to political campaigns in Tennessee. Although the Papers of Albert Gore, Sr., comprise a substantial portion of the political collections, please note that the Gore Center itself is non-partisan and the staff are interested in acquiring papers and records reflecting the entire spectrum of political opinion in the state.

Regional Collections: In order to document the history of Middle Tennessee, the Center also collects personal papers, photographs, and records of community organizations from this region, and especially from Rutherford County.

University Collections: The Center collects the personal papers of past presidents and former faculty of Middle Tennessee State University, as well as photographs and memorabilia related to the University's history.

Equestrian Collections: Because of the importance of horses in the region's history and economy and because equine studies comprise an important and distinctive part of the University's curriculum, the Gore Center collects personal papers, records of organizations, and some books related to the history of horses and especially the horse industry in Middle Tennessee.

Note to potential donors: Space limitations make it impossible for staff to accept all materials offered for the Center's collections. In particular, we are no longer able to accept most modern newspapers, materials of a primarily genealogical nature, and most books and memorabilia. In some instances, Center staff may accept newspapers dating from the Confederate era and earlier (pre-1865), genealogical information that forms a portion of a larger manuscript collection, memorabilia related to Middle Tennessee State University or to political campaigns, and books directly related to the Center's manuscript and archival holdings. We are unable to accept items that duplicate our current holdings.

If you have materials that you are interested in donating to the Gore Center, please contact the Director for a consultation.

Lisa J. Pruitt, Ph.D.
Director, Albert Gore Research Center
P.O. Box 193
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
(615) 898-2632
lpruitt@mtsu.edu