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access restrictions for records containing personal information



I would appreciate input regarding how list members deal with
organizational records that contain personal information about individuals
and what, if any, access restrictions are used.

I am processing the records of the union representing the faculty and
professional staff at a state university system.  The union has selected
the Special Collections dept. at one of the state university campuses as
its archival repository.  It has previosly donated the minutes of its
executive board meetings and the minutes and transcripts of its policy
making assemblies. These records cover from the early 1970s (when the
union was created) until 1993 (when the immediate past president's term in
office ended). The records I am processing include correspondence files,
negotiations files, chapter files, committee files, publications, and the
meeting packages for the executive board meetings and assemblies (among
other things).

The issue I need help with is:  When the minutes and transcripts were
originally donated to the repository there was no consideration of
confidentiality issues--and probably none were needed. However, included
in virtually every series that I am now processing are letters regarding
grievance matters, personnel issues, and benefits concerns--personal
information contained in letters written by members to officers of the
union (or discussed at a board meeting or in a committee or in
negotiations, etc.) who had no thought that such information would be
available someday in the union's records at an archival repository.

I feel I need to make the officers aware of the confidentiality issue and
to suggest some sort of access restrictions, but I don't know what sort of
restrictions would be appropriate, or if any are really necessary.
However, it really is not practical to go through every series and pull
out and/or redact the materials containing personal information.

My ideas regarding this have been: Each officer is currently limited to a
10 year term.  My initial thought was that (in following the example of
the executive board minutes) no records would be available until after the
term of the incumbent president was over (unless the term extended beyond
10 years, in which case any records over 10 years would be made
available).

In addition, the repository where the records will be held has in its
"application for use" which researchers fill out for every collection a
statement that they will not disclose personal information contained in
records.  In addition, I was going to suggest a second application that
researchers specifically using the union records would have to fill out,
which would basicially reiterate the restriction on using personal
information, and indicating that if such information was to be used,
consent would have to be obtained from the individual involved as well as
the union.

Are 10 years and 2 signed promises enough?  How have others dealt with a
situation like this?

Thank you.

Cindy Sauer
Archives/Records Management Intern
United University Professions

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