[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: long-winded liability question



My personal reaction to taking materials home to process is
a firm "no."   And for several reasons ... first, I've found that in the
small enclave of archival researchers, that word gets around pretty
quickly to any exception to the rules.    For example, some years ago,
I made the mistake of getting a book on interlibrary loan for a frequent
researcher and user, thinking I was helping them.   Our ILL policy is
strictly for students, faculty, and staff only...not community or other
users.   Well, word got around pretty quick that Dean would order any
genealogy book you needed on ILL, etc.   I had to put a firm "no" on this
and desist any further efforts.    If you let a volunteer take unprocessed
collections home to "process," why can't a researcher take a processed
collection home over the weekend when you're closed?

My other reasons are chiefly those of liability.   Regardless of whether
the original donors are deceased, you do have a responsibility to the
institution and collection.    People taking collections home can create
liability problems in the case of auto accidents, loss of materials at home
due to "accidents" (spilling that soft drink, the new puppy, etc.), fires,
and the like.     While these can happen at the storage facility, too (not the
puppy I think), they are more defendable and explainable.

I simply will not loan one-of-a-kind items to any user to "take home" and
bring back later on the chances they may never come back.    Our faculty
who have study carrels in the library have asked many times if they can
just take an archival collection and use it in their carrel.   And our policy,
supported by the library administration, again is no.

Our first priority is to preserve the collections, although it is a close equal
to making collections accessible.

Dean

Dean DeBolt
University Librarian
Special Collections and West Florida Archives
John C. Pace Library
University of West Florida
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL  32514-5750
Tele:  850-474-2213;   Fax:  850-474-3338

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>