ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 648 ACRL ALA-SAA joint statem ent on O fficial access to o rig in al research Statem ent m aterials: a draft Attend the hearings in Los Angeles on February 6, 1994 1 A repository1 preserves collections2 for use by researchers. It is the responsibility of a repository to make available original re­ search materials in its possession on equal terms of access. Access should be provided in accor­ dance with statutory authority, institutional mandate, the Code o f Ethics f o r Archivists,3 the “Standards for Ethical Conduct for Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Librarians,”4 and this joint statement. A repository should not deny access to materials to any researcher, nor grant privileged or exclusive use of materi­ als to any researcher, nor conceal the exist­ ence o f any body o f material from any re­ searcher, unless required to do so by statutory authority, institutional mandate, or donor or purchase stipulation. 2. A repository is committed to preser ing manuscript and archival materials and to making them available for research as soon as possible. At the same time, it is recognized that a repository may have legal and institutional obligations to protect confidentiality in its col­ lections, and that private donors have the right to impose reasonable restrictions upon their papers to protect privacy or confidentiality for a reasonable period of time. a. It is the responsibility of the repository to inform researchers o f the restrictions which apply to collections. b. The repository should discourage donors from imposing unreasonable restrictions and should encourage a specific time limitation on restrictions that are imposed. c. The repository should periodically re­ evaluate restricted material and work toward v the removal of restrictions w hen they are no longer required. 3. As the accessibility o f m aterial de­ pends on knowing of its existence, it is the repository’s responsibility to inform research­ ers of the collections in its custody. This may be accomplished through local, regional, or national catalogs; inventories and other inter­ nal finding aids; published guides; and the as­ sistance o f staff members. 4. To protect and insure the continued accessibility of the material in its custody, all materials must be used in accordance with the rules of the repository. Each repository should publish or otherwise make known to potential researchers its rules governing access and use. Such rules m ust b e ap p lied an d en fo rced equally. a. The repository may limit the use of frag­ ile or unusually valuable materials, but should try to provide suitable reproductions to re­ searchers in lieu of the originals. ­ b. The repository may limit access to un­ processed materials, so long as the limitations are applied and enforced equally. c. The repository may, under special circum­ stances, loan or place on deposit with another repository part or all of a collection.5 d. The repository may refuse access to an individual researcher w ho has demonstrated such carelessness or deliberate destructiveness as to endanger the safety of the material, or to a researcher who has violated the policies and regulations of the repository. e. To protect its collections, a repository may, in accordance with statutory authority and in­ stitutional mandate, require acceptable identi­ fication of any individual wishing to use its materials, as well as a signature verifying the individual has read a statement defining the policies and regulations of the repository. Prepared by the ALA-SAA Joint Committee on Library-Archives Relationships 649 5. A rep osito ry should not charge fees for making available the materials in its hold­ ings, except w hen required by statutory au­ thority or institutional mandate. A repository should facilitate access to collections by pro­ viding reproduction services. These services can include electronic, paper, or photographic copies; microfilm; or other means o f repro­ duction. All reproductions should be made in accordance with statutory authority, includ­ ing copyright law, institutional mandate, and repository regulations. Reasonable fees may be charged for these copying or research ser­ vices. A repository is not obligated to con­ d u ct copying o r research services b ey o n d those required by statutory authority or insti­ tutional mandate. 6. Each rep osito ry should publish o r otherwise make available to researchers a sug­ gested form o f citation crediting the reposi­ tory and identifying items w ithin its holdings for later reference. Citations to copies o f ma­ terials in other repositories should include the lo c atio n o f th e o rig in als, if know n. 7. It is the re s e a rc h e r’s obligation to satisfy copyright regulations w hen copying or us­ ing materials found in collec­ tions.6 Whenever possible a re­ p o s ito ry s h o u ld in fo rm a researcher about known copy­ righted material, the ow ner or owners of the copyrights, and the re-searcher’s obligations with regard to such material. Notes 1A repository is defined as an archives, manuscripts library, re­ search center, or any other in­ stitution responsible for keep­ ing primary research materials. 2Collections are defined as in­ dividual manuscripts, archival or manuscript collections, fonds, or record groups found in reposi­ tories in any format. 3Code o fEthics f o r Archivists a n d C o m m en ta ry (C hicago: Society o f American Archivists, 1992). 4“Standards for Ethical Con­ d u c t for Rare B ook, M anu­ script, and Special Collections Librarians, with Guidelines for Institutional Practice in Support of the Standards,” C&RL News 54 (April 1993): 207– 15. 5 epositories wishing to participate in the interlibrary loan of materials may consult as a model the “Additional Guidelines for Access to Archives, Manuscripts, and Special Collec­ tions,” Chapter 8 of the RLG Shared Resources M a n u a l‚ 3rd ed. (Stanford, Calif.: Research Li­ braries Groups, 1987). The chapter is reprinted in Rare Books & M anuscripts Librarianship 3 (Fall 1988): 126–30. Repositories wishing to loan original materials for research or exhibi­ tion may consult the RBMS “Guidelines for the Loan o f Rare and Unique Materials,” C&RL News 54 (May 1993): 267–69, o r the “G uide­ lines for Borrowing Special Collections Mate­ rials for Exhibition,” C&RL News 51 (May 1990): 430-34. 6 epositories may wish to provide research­ ers with the American Library Association’s publication, Locating Copyright Holders (Chi­ cago: ALA, 1991). ■ Developm ent of this statem ent This proposed revision of the ALA-SAA Joint Statement on Access to Original Research Materials has been submitted by the ALA/SAA Joint Committee on Library-Archives Relationships and is published here to insure broad professional review. It is a revised version of the ALA-SAA Joint Statement on Access to Original Research Mate­ rials in Libraries, Archives, and Manuscript Repositories developed jointly in 1978 by the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) of ACRL and the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Committee on Reference and Access Policies (C&RL News 40, April 1979, pp. 111– 12). In response to a request fo r periodic review by ACRL, RBMS established a Committee on Access Guidelines, chaired by Rob­ ert Blesse. This committee prepared the initial revision and then referred the document to the A L A /S A A Joint Committee. This fi­ nal compilation was prepared by a working group appointed by the Joint Committee. Members of the working group were M ark Vargas (chair), Cathy Henderson, Timothy M urray, and Elena Danielson. This proposal updates the existing statement and further defines the responsibilities of repositories in providing effective and equi­ table access to original research materials, but it does not depart substantially from the previous policy. It was approved for publica­ tion and review by the RBMS Executive Committee in June 1993, and a hearing is scheduled for the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Los Angeles from 9:3 0-1 1:00 a ‚m. on Sunday, February 6 ,1 9 9 4 . W rit­ ten comments should be addressed to: Thomas Hickerson, Cornell University, 2B Carl A. Kroch Library, Ithaca, NY 14853; or e-mail: hth2@cornell.edu.