Richard,
 
While I'm not looking to start a firestorm particularly, I'm not sure I
agree entirely with your analysis of this change.  I agree completely
that, if possible, extended hours should be available.  But I don't
honestly consider a move to normal business hours only as a "serious
barrier to public access."  If they were shutting down four days a week
I'd be with you, but losing evening & weekend hours moves it only to a
level of inconvenience to my mind.
 
Most of us conduct business during normal business hours - including
corporate, university, and public sector archives.  Most repositories I
know have specific opening hours, and they don't often include such
extended times.  I accept the fact that users will now have to take
working hours to visit, but I don't see this as paying for access.
Raising taxes to pay for the additional open hours would be equivalently
asking users (and non-users alike) to pay for access.  Users will simply
have to choose how they spend their working-hours time, as most of us
do.
 
I support your (& SAA's) efforts to come to a compromise, but like in
all businesses, choices have to be made.  I'd rather they restrict
off-peak hours than have to cut something else out of the budget.
 
DS

______________________________________ 
Daniel Sokolow, Archives Coordinator 
David Taylor Archives 
North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System 
155 Community Drive 
Great Neck, NY 11021 
mailto:[log in to unmask] 


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