[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: User Registration Forms
In our SAA-sponsored workshop on archival security, Rich Strassberg
and I recommend keeping user registration forms, call slips (or other
forms of signed receipts for material) and daily reading room sign-in
logs permanently. Statute-of-limitations considerations may not apply
to stolen material transported across state lines, or to items stolen
from certain government agencies, so a theft discovered decades after
the fact might still be solved with the help of these records. Each
of these record types yields a different, and necessary, access point:
user registration forms filed by user allow searches by name; call
slips filed by collection name or number allow searches by what was
used; and daily sign-in logs provide chronological access. These
three types of records can be used in concert to document who used
what, and when. For searching purposes, the databases that Michelle
describes in her inquiry are an excellent tool. But also retain the
signed registration (or application forms), the call slips, and the
sign-in logs, as these provide more solid proof that an individual had
access to archival material.
Don't be daunted by the fear of having to store vast amounts of
records forever. Both Rich and I have worked in repositories that
typically see thousands of visitors a year. The resulting volume of
documents really isn't unmanageable, and if you need those records to
prosecute a theft case long after it happened, they will be worth
their weight in gold.
Mimi Bowling
Charles J. Liebman Curator of Manuscripts
Manuscripts and Archives Division
The New York Public Library
______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: User Registration Forms
Author: Michelle Mumaw <MMumaw@MCC.MCCOAK.ORG> at Internet
Date: 9/26/00 9:32 AM
Hello,
I need to pick the brains of more experienced archivists here. I have
a
user registration form that new archives' customers complete when they
first come here. They also sign a sheet of rules, acknowledging that
they've read them & agree to comply with them. My question is, how
long
do I need to keep these sheets? I input the information into an
Access
database for tracking purposes but at present have no way to input
something like a record of their signature, etc.
Additionally, each person completes a call slip when they request
items
from the collections. I also input this information into access for
tracking purposes but again, have no way to include their signature.
How long should I keep the originals of these forms?
I'd appreciate any advice on this.
Thanks!
**************************************************
Michelle Mumaw Gage
Archivist/Librarian
Minnetrista Cultural Center
& Oakhurst Gardens
765.282.4848 ext. 168
A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to
listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
*or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu
Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html
Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>
A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
*or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu
Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html
Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>