Tim
I suggest that you should not conceal the existence of material, whether it
is publicly accessible or not. How much detailed information you give about
closed series/items is another matter. If the description itself reveals the
subject you are withholding then you may need to mask some of the
description. So, to take an example from a different archives sector, if you
have a series of files about rape cases then the series level description
could say that there are case files about rape victims but at the item
level, where I would expect the name of the rape victim to appear in the
description, you would need to withhold that name. It isn't a very good
example for several reason but I hope makes the point. Software should be
able to mask at the field level at least.
Susan Healy
> ----------
> From: [log in to unmask][SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Reply To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: 29 October 1998 08:13
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Further advice on closure periods
>
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions about how to handle closed material on a
>
> publically accessible database?
>
> We're currently decided on fields and templates, and the question has
> arisen as to whether we want remote searchers to be able to see that we
> have closed material, or do we want records of closed items not to appear
>
> at all? Our closure questions do not apply at collection level, they tend
>
> to apply at series or item level. However a database cannot judge on the
>
> merits of the material whether to alert a researcher to its existance
> and future opening or whether it is something (say legal or staff) whose
>
> existance is not for broadcasting to research world as a whole. How are
> other database users handling this, and does the new Data Protection
> legislation say anything about making the existance of material known?
>
> Any pointers gladly received as always!
>
> Tim Procter
>
> Tim Procter - Archives
> Institution of Electrical Engineers,Savoy Place,LONDON,WC2R 0BL
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> Telephone: +44 (0)171 344 8407
> Fax: +44 (0)171 344 5395
> World Wide Web: http://www.iee.org.uk/
>
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