Access Policies for Corporate Archives

Abstract

IN OCTOBER 1978 the Society of American Archivists adopted a set of access standards in an attempt to encourage equitable access practices in all archives and manuscript repositories and to alleviate some of the criticism levelled against the archival profession for its discriminatory policies. Unfortunately, business archives have traditionally been regarded by scholars as secretive and unduly restrictive about access to records; and it seems they have lagged behind the profession as a whole in terms of complying with SAA access standards. At present, very few corporate archives have formal access policies. Most are still maintained strictly for internal use, and access decisions are left to the discretion of the archivist. This situation can lead to innumerable problems, and criticism from outside researchers can often result in one-sided, negative reporting. The archivist is placed in the vulnerable position of trying to discern good scholars and journalists from bad ones. An even greater problem can come from within the company when an archivist is without guidelines or precedents in deciding whether or not an employee from one department can use records from another department. Quite often, records are deposited in an archives with the stipulation that they be closed indefinitely, or with the unwritten understanding that the archivist will administer them properly. Apart from the personal liabilities involved, the archivist must consider what happens to those records if the office of origin is reorganized, or if the officer who deposited the records is replaced. Many business archivists argue that they do not have formal policies because they fear drawing attention to sensitive records in their possession. It is true that most corporations today are made wary about their internal records by the numerous cases of litigation brought against them. Rather than ignoring the issue of access, however, it seems all the more important to have a strong protec-