Virtual Cities Terms of use
Information for Donors
Collection scope
The Virtual Cities Project collects original and digital documents related to urban history and the urban experience in East Asian societies, with a primary focus on China and Vietnam. Physical materials donated before 2015 are preserved in a state-of-the-art library located on the campus of the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (France), while all digital materials are stored on the servers of Huma-Num (French National Large-scale Infrastructure for Research).
Materials We Accept
The Virtual Cities Project welcomes donations ranging from a single item to multiple boxes of documents. Donations do not need to be organized and do not have to be linked to a specific person, event, or organization.
We accept all forms of original material, including:
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Papers and manuscripts
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Books
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Films and audiotapes
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Photographs, slides, and negatives
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Artifacts
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Maps
Donated materials do not circulate. This ensures their long-term preservation for future generations. All materials are digitized and, with the donor’s consent, published online for educational and research purposes.
How to Donate
If you are interested in donating items to the Virtual Cities Project, please contact us via the dedicated email address for each Virtual City (see the web platform).
If you have a large number of items, please contact us in advance to arrange delivery to the Institut d’Asie Orientale. Upon receipt, materials will be inventoried, and you will receive both a formal acknowledgment letter and a deed of gift.
(See the Society of American Archivists’ publication, “A Guide to Deeds of Gift.”)
A Guide to Deeds of Gift (Society of American Archivists publication)
What Happens to My Documents?
Once we receive the signed deed of gift, our staff will process the materials. This process includes:
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Housing the items in acid-free sleeves, folders, and boxes
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Undertaking necessary conservation work to extend their lifespan
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Creating a finding aid (when the size of the collection warrants it) to guide researchers to information within the materials
All physical materials are housed in a climate-controlled environment to ensure their long-term preservation.
With the donor’s permission, all non-copyright materials will be scanned and added to the Virtual Cities Project digital archive. Access to the Virtual Archive is free, allowing anyone with Internet access to search and view these materials.
Upon request, once items have been scanned, we will burn the digital files to a DVD or CD-ROM and send it to the donor at no cost.
Where are my documents?
If you have already donated materials to the Virtual Cities Project and have agreed to have your name made public on our web platform, please consult the Biography section. All materials related to a given donor are listed under that donor’s name.
Note: We are deeply grateful to The Vietnam Center and Archive for their donation guidelines, which inspired our own.
Last update on Friday 15 August 2025 (16:58) by C. Henriot
