Finnish and Hungarian Archives Project: MARC Records

FOLKLORE IN ARCHIVES: A Guide to Describing Folklore and Folklife Materials by James Corsaro and Karen Taussig-Lux 1998	WORKING WITH FOLK MATERIALS IN NEW YORK STATE: A Manual for Folklorists and Archivists John Suter, editor 1994
For more information about these books and how to order, visit our on-line gallery bookstore.

New York Folklore Society
P.O. Box 764
Schenectady, NY 12301
518/346-7008
Fax 518/346-6617
nyfs@nyfolklore.org

Archives

A Survey of Finnish and Hungarian Archival Resources
In the Finger Lakes Region of New York State

RETURN TO Project Overview

DESCRIPTIONS OF
IDENTIFIED DOCUMENTARY COLLECTIONS

Conditions for Access to and Use of Documentary Collections

Generally, researchers must write or telephone in advance of any planned visit for permission to gain access to documentary collections held by historical societies or municipal historians. For these institutions, access and use of documentary material is entirely at the discretion of the owner, curator, or administrator.

Typically, if permission to consult documentary material is granted, it must be consulted on site, under supervision of staff or the owner, and may not be borrowed. Special rules may be imposed for the handling of documents or photographs, especially those in fragile condition. Examples of some rules are taking notes only in pencil, handling documents carefully, preserving the order of the materials, and perhaps using white gloves while handling materials (especially photographs).

Even if permission is granted to use documentary material, some parts of collections may still be restricted and off limits due to extremely fragile condition, legal requirements, administrative policy, special conditions imposed by a donor, the need to protect privacy, or other reasons. Furthermore, researchers are expected to abide by all copyright regulations, especially those concerning copying of material or publishing from it.

For private collections, access and use is entirely at the owner’s discretion. Inquiries regarding private collections must be directed to Ellen McHale, Executive Director, New York Folklore Society, P.O. Box 764, Schenectady, New York 12301; telephone (518) 346-7008. A staff person of the New York Folklore Society will contact the owner regarding permission to obtain access to the collection. The owner may decline such permission or impose special conditions. If permission is granted, researchers are required to carefully observe any restrictions or conditions established by the owner concerning access to or use of the material.

The majority of this text reprinted from Peopling the Adirondacks: A Survey of Collections documenting Adirondack Ethnicity by Albert Fowler, Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, NY 1995.

I. Repository Information

The Folk Archives Project is made possible by grants from the New York State Documentary Heritage Program and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Additional funding has been provided by a grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts/New York Council for the Arts Technology Initiative.