The McDaniel College Archives houses the official records of the College and related collections and materials selected and preserved for their enduring historical, scholarly, and administrative value. The Archives is committed to providing access to its collections as far as possible within the limits of privacy and confidentiality, and following the guidance outlined in the SAA Core Values Statement and Code of Ethics, and the ALA-SAA Joint Statement of Access: Guidelines for Access to Original Research Materials.
However, many materials in the Archives may be closed, or have other restrictions placed upon them for legal or other reasons. Restrictions on materials may be imposed by a law, regulation, donor, the institutional office from which the records originated, or the Archivist per standard archival procedure and best practices. Restrictions may apply to parts or the entirety of collections and/or record groups. Requests to reproduce or publish restricted records generally will be denied.
By operational necessity, the Archivist and Library Director (when the Archivist is unavailable) have access to all archival materials, both restricted and unrestricted. Volunteers or student workers in the Archives have permission to access all unrestricted materials, and only those restricted materials directly related to their projects or work in the Archives. Donors or the originating office have full access to the materials that they have donated or transferred to the Archives.
Researchers will be granted access to all unrestricted materials in accordance with the rules and policies of the McDaniel College Archives governing the use of manuscript, archival, and special collections materials.
While using the archives, users recognize that they may come across records that contain sensitive or confidential information. Users who find sensitive or confidential information in any collection agree to immediately inform archives or library staff. Furthermore, users agree to make no notes or other records of privately protected information if it is found or to publish, publicize or otherwise disclose such information to another party. Users assume all responsibility for the infringement of the right to privacy in use of the materials and agree to indemnify and hold harmless McDaniel College Archives, McDaniel College, and its employees against any and all claims, costs, and expenses arising from the use of archives materials.
All visiting researchers must complete and submit a Researcher Registration Form prior to use of any non-circulating materials, and comply with all policies of the McDaniel College Archives governing the use of manuscript, archives, and special collections materials. Any researchers wishing to publish or publish from any materials must complete and submit a Request for Permission to Publish.
Manuscript materials generally consist of paper/photographic collections produced by, for, and about individuals, organizations, or particular subjects. Many of the manuscript collections in the Archives consist of the papers and memorabilia of alumni and faculty. Special Collections materials are related to a subject or interest and may contain several types of material, including books, manuscripts, photographs, memorabilia, and other artifacts. Manuscript and Special Collections materials are generally unrestricted and open for research, and the Archives encourages the use of these collections.
Archival College Records are the non-current official records produced by or for the college that are kept for their continuing and enduring value to the college’s history. Many of these records are closed or otherwise restricted. Access restrictions on all non-published college records is a tiered system of access based on the age of the records and the originating department. Published college records are available without restrictions, including the following collections:
For access to materials considered to be college records, please contact the archivist, who will determine if there are any additional restrictions which may be on the materials. If restrictions exist, permission must be secured in writing prior to use from the originating office and the archivist, and/or any other office(s) whose permission may be required to grant use of the materials
After the designated dates it is understood that researchers will not need to seek the permission from the originating departments to have access to the records listed below:
Board of Trustees: Records of the Board of Trustees will remain closed for a minimum period of 50 years from the date of creation
Office of the President: Records of the Office of the President are closed to research use for 20 years beginning on the date on which the president leaves office. The restriction applies to the entire body of records created during the president’s tenure.
Other College Administrative Records: College administrative records not from the Board of Trustees and Office of the President will be closed for a minimum of 30 years from the date of creation.
Unprocessed Records: The current restriction on unprocessed records applies to all unprocessed college records, regardless of the elapse of the restrictions enumerated above. Unprocessed records exceeding the minimum closed periods may be made available upon review of the archivist.
Other Restrictions: Records containing the following information will be restricted for a minimum of 75 years OR until the death of the record’s subject, whichever is longer, regardless of their department of origin or if other restrictions on the records have since passed. For additional information about regulations guiding restrictions on these records, please contact the archivist.
Additionally, records containing medical and psychiatric information will be restricted for 50 years following the death of the record’s subject. Materials containing social security numbers will be restricted for 10 years following the death of the record’s subject. Student transcripts will be restricted until the death of the subject and will require proof of death plus relation to the record's subject to access.
All researchers who wish to use restricted materials must additionally complete and submit a Request for Use of Restricted Materials. The researcher must clearly state his or her research goals and reasons why use of the restricted materials would be important for the outcome of the proposed project. The request will then be reviewed by the Archivist, and the appropriate permissions will be sought. Decisions will be based on the merits of each request, weighing the needs of scholarship against the privacy rights of individuals and the legal and other interests and obligations of the College. The Archivist and/or the originating offices reserve the right to deny any request for use of restricted materials.
In cases where restrictions on materials cannot be determined, are disputed, or other questions about restrictions arise, the materials will be reviewed by the Archivist and/or Library Director, who will make a reasonable effort to determine if any existing restrictions on materials exist, and use their discretion in providing access to and reproductions of the materials in accordance with the rules and policies of the McDaniel College Archives. Researchers must be aware that their request for use may be denied or delayed until any such restrictions on materials can be determined.
Policy Updated April 2024
McDaniel College
2 College Hill, Westminster, MD 21157
Phone 410.857.2281
