collections: electronic access policies

[Sally Shelton]

Apologies for cross-posting.

I sent the following message to MUSEUM-L and have had no response (other =
than Wow! Cool question! Please share your findings). Must be the end of =
summer. Anyway, now it's your turn.

We're trying to get a sense of how museums in the public trust arrive at =
policies that permit public access to some or all of the collections =
information accessible electronically. If you have a policy on public =
access to collections information that you'd like to share, or if you have =
behind-the-scenes information on the development of such policies, please =
feel free to respond to me off-line. Copies of policies would also be =
useful (or directions to sites where policies have been posted for =
reference).=20

I have a pretty good sense of some of the levels of information that are =
commonly restricted (donor ID, collecting locality below the county level, =
physical location of specimen in collection, etc.), but would like to know =
if anyone has had to deal with informal or formal (legal) challenges to =
such restrictions (based on FOIA or the like). If so, how did that turn =
out? I am also turning up new issues (e.g. forensic materials or other =
specimens reposited with the institution as evidence in criminal proceeding=
s): any others in your experience?

What about determining sensitive levels of information in natural history =
collections? Have you had difficulty determining what can and cannot be =
restricted? What do you consider the most important information that =
should be restricted from casual public access?

Have you had experience with an institutional policy that permitted freer =
public access to collections data than the collections staff thought =
appropriate? (or, conversely, that restricted public access more than =
collections staff thought necessary?) If so, how was this difference =
resolved?

If you host collections-based information for other groups (professional =
societies, etc.), have you come across problems when their access policies =
differed significantly from yours? If so, how was that resolved?

Please not that this is not a question about physical public access to =
collections (that comes later)....just about electronic access to =
collections information based in a public trust institution. Any and all =
suggestions for good resources will be gratefully received. Thanks for =
your time and consideration.

Cheers,
Sally Shelton

Collections Program, Room 414B
National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC   20560-0107
phone (202) 786-2601
email <shelton.sally at nmnh.si.edu>