Museum Collections

The Museum welcomes gifts of photos, artifacts, books and archival materials that relate to the history and culture of the San Ramon Valley. It is the responsibility of the Museum Curator to receive, catalog and retain such non-monetary materials for use in Museum exhibits, and for the benefit of current and future researchers.

Museum collections began in 1970 when the San Ramon Valley Historical Society was established, and has grown to include photos, biographical files, verbal histories, newspapers, maps and documents, and a broad range of historic artifacts relevant to valley history.

The preferred method for donating similar gifts is as follows:

1. Contact us by telephone, letter or e-mail briefly describing the proposed gift, its relationship to the San Ramon Valley, your name, and the best means for the curator to contact you.
2. The curator will contact you and help determine a mutually acceptable arrangement for receipt of the gift.
3. If schedule is an issue you may bring small articles to the museum during open hours. Talk to the greeter and fill out a Temporary Custody form to accompany any items. We will contact you after we review the items and decide whether or not to keep them.

Collections are cataloged with thumbnail photographs in an archival database for easy retrieval and review. Volunteer staff can quickly locate specific items. To access the collections, call the Museum at 837-3750 to set up an appointment.