I tend to agree with the responses already posted. Copying rules are there to protect the integrity of the documents as well as to ensure access to them by future researchers. Explain it to him from this perspective and that should justify to him why you have not given that final inch. Having him identify what he wants copied, marking those items with a paper flag, and assigning your staff person increments of time to do the copying seems to be the proper way to proceed. Perhaps, as you get significant portions of copies made you can mail him that portion after he has paid for it. That way he should always have something to be working with and won't be losing any valuable research time.
Bill Glankler
Archivist, Local Records Program
Missouri Secretary of State
Mailing Address: 4062 Lockport Drive
Bridgeton, MO 63044
Phone: 636-949-1841
Fax: 636-949-1843
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"Let it be told for the sake of justice."
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________________________________
From: Archives & Archivists on behalf of Schmid, Christine
Sent: Thu 7/13/2006 9:46 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ARCHIVES] Levels of access
I am in need of the wisdom of my colleagues regarding access.
We have a researcher who has been working for several weeks on a large collection. It was processed only on a box level and is about 200 record sized boxes. This researcher will be leaving town soon and wants to be able to photocopy documents in it on his own. He is willing to bring in his own copier, do it himself and still pay for the copies. We are actually considering his request because the collection is not in good order and the copying, if done by our part time worker, would take quite a while to get done because of the volume and disarray of the collection. Basically it would be easier on some of the staff.
We have some reservations of course. The only open space for him to set up and work would be where he would be unsupervised. Call me pessimistic and skeptical but I don't tend to trust anyone with historic records that I have been employed to care for.
Also, this researcher has a history of continuously asking for more leeway on the rules and we always give an inch, give another inch and then another inch all in the pursuit of open access for our users.
Has anyone been in this or a similar situation before? Advice? I am afraid of setting a precedent for such open access to our collections and building.
Thank you all.
Christine A. Schmid
Associate Archivist
The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of American Jewish Archives
3101 Clifton Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45220
513-221-7444 x3319
513-221-7812 (fax)
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A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org.
For the terms of participation, please refer to http://www.archivists.org/listservs/arch_listserv_terms.asp.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to [log in to unmask]
In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
*or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to [log in to unmask]
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 <[log in to unmask]>