Sender: Rare Books and Special Collections Forum <EXLIBRIS@RUTVM1.BITNET>
Thanks to all who responded to my query two weeks ago as to whether or
not other special collections units permitted their patrons to keep
photocopies made for them.
As I indicated in the initial query, the policy of the Rare Book and
Manuscript Library at Columbia University was to require patrons to
return photocopies to the library after they are finished using them.
However, unlike three or four other institutions who also said they
required photocopies to be returned, RBML made no effort to follow
through on this policy; absolutely no attempt was made to discover who
had and had not returned photocopies. It was a complete honor system,
as several respondents noted. If by chance, a patron did return
photocopies made for her, they were usually thrown away unless they
formed a serviceable unit, a substantial collection of one person's
papers, for instance.
That was the policy in RBML, which was abandoned as of last week. We
have since modified our photocopy agreement form to include the
stipulation that patrons will not duplicate, sell, or deposit elsewhere
photocopies we make for them. We are also considering using a security
paper such as Cathy Henderson described in use at HRHRC.
Again, thanks to all respondents.
Brad Westbrook
RBML
Columbia University