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• Archives Access Policy

Archives Access Policy

The purpose of the APA Archives is to preserve for research use those historically valuable materials which document the origins, development, activities and achievements of the APA. To accomplish this goal, the Archives will:

• Appraise collect, organize, describe, preserve and make available APA records of permanent administrative, legal, fiscal and historical value.
• Provide adequate facilities for the retention, preservation, servicing and research use of such records.
• Serve as a research center for the study of APA's history.
• Provide information services to assist in the APA's administration and operations.
• Facilitate the efficient management of the records information produced by the APA.
• Promote knowledge and understanding of the origins, programs and goals of the APA.

IMPLEMENTATION

All records, recorded information regardless of media or characteristics, generated or received by APA officers, components, staff and members in the conduct of APA business are the property of the APA. APA records shall not be destroyed or removed from creating units without the approval of the APA Archivist/Records Manager and the head of the office of origin.

All records creating units shall release to the Archivist/Records Manager for preservation and administration the records that are no longer needed for the transaction of current business. The Archivist/Records Manager and the head of the creating unit shall develop guidelines and procedures for the management of current records. They shall ensure that such schedules are observed.

ACCESS POLICY

The records of the APA shall be open for research ten years after the creation of the record. Some records may be restricted for a longer period with approval by the office of origin, the Medical Director and the Archivist/Records Manager. Publications, press releases and similar records circulated to the public are open upon creation.

During the restricted period, the records shall be available only to the office of origin, the Medical Director and the Archivist/Records Manager. Access by others may be granted only with the consent of the office of origin, the Medical Director and the Archivist/Records Manager.

The APA Archives conforms to the "Standards for Access to Research Materials in Archival and Manuscript Repositories," as approved by the Society of American Archivists in December, 1973. Open records shall be available to researchers who obey the rules and regulations of the Archives.

As a matter of policy, the Archives of the American Psychiatric Association does not disclose whether a particular manuscript presented to the APA was received, accepted or rejected by the APA.

COLLECTION POLICY

Since the purpose of the APA Archives is to preserve those historically valuable materials which document the origins, development, activities and achievements of the APA, the Archives places highest priority on acquiring APA records which possess permanent administrative, legal, fiscal and historical value. Determination of the status of an APA record is based upon informed appraisal of the record's value. The APA's officers and administrators in consultation with the APA Archivist/Records Manager hold responsibility for decisions to preserve records for administrative, legal and fiscal purposes. The APA Archivist/Records Manager bears responsibility for selecting and preserving records of historical value. In general, the decisions are embodied in the records retention and disposition schedules for each APA department.

The Archives may collect historical materials which are not official APA records but which document the history of psychiatry. Such collection is subject to the Archives' space and staff limitations and to the potential danger of destruction of such materials if they are not collected by the APA Archives. The Archives may, instead, endeavor to find other archival repositories for these materials. The Archives places highest priority on those materials which relate closely to the history of psychiatry and which have permanent value.

Materials transferred to the Archives of the American Psychiatric Association by legal deed of gift become the property of the Association and are non-returnable. The Archives makes a substantial and on-going investment of resources in organizing and maintaining its collections, and as such, can not accept gifts of materials as "loans" or gifts that are later withdrawn. In special cases, with the concurrence of the Archivist, Medical Director, and if necessary, the originating office, or donor, additional temporary restrictions on the use of the materials in question may be imposed.