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Re: external researchers in corporate archives?



Title: RE: external researchers in corporate archives?

At the non-profit organization where I used to work, potential researchers had to go through an application process.  The application basically asked for their credentials/institutional affiliations, what the research was for (book, documentary, magazine article, etc.), and most importantly, what topic they were researching.  The organization had done some sensitive/controversial work, and anyone wanting to look at materials relating to these projects would raise a red flag.

The application would first be approved by the archivist, and then would go to three (non-archivist) higher-ups in the organization who would raise any concerns they had regarding the request.  They also noted if a project might be of particular interest (e.g., the PR guy might see an opportunity in someone who was coming in because his parents had been helped by the organization 50 years ago).

The vast majority of the time, the applications were approved with no fuss.  Only once do I remember the "committee" having reservations about a researcher's topic.  They set up a meeting with him to discuss what their concerns were, and I seem to remember that he was limited in what materials he could use.

The review by higher-ups not only allowed them to feel comfortable about what exactly researchers were doing there (as they could veto any visits they were concerned about), but also made them aware of exactly how many external people used the archives and what kinds of things were published as a result.  The system could cause problems if said higher-ups are overly paranoid, but in this organization it worked well.

Julie Kerssen
King County, WA


-----Original Message-----
From: Megan Phillips [mailto:mphillips@MAIL.ACPONLINE.ORG]
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2001 9:41 AM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: external researchers in corporate archives?


Hi everyone!  I wonder if any coporate or non-profit institutional archives have policies or procedures for handling external researchers that they'd be willing to share. 

I work for a non-profit organization of physicians and I would like for our collection to be as open as possible.  My bosses seem to have bought the idea that it's in our interest to be researched and written about, but they're nervous about having external researchers visit us in person.   We've been handling external phone and e-mail requests for a while and that system will continue to be easier for us because of our physical set up.  Recently, though, we've had a couple of people who wanted to come visit, which has brought this to a head.  I'm in the process of putting together a short procedures document for my (non-archivist) bosses so they'll know exactly what I would like to do and what I will not do for external researchers.

Any examples, insights, or experiences would be much appreciated!

Thanks-
Meg

Meg Phillips
Supervisor of Archives and Records Management
ACP-ASIM
190 N. Independence Mall West
Philadelphia PA 19107

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