Table of Contents
Overview
Some records created by MIT are restricted either because the governing body of MIT (the Corporation) has restricted them, or because federal or state laws impose restrictions. When arranging records it is important to recognize series of records that may be restricted or are likely to contain restricted records.
MIT, as a private institution, is free to set its own regulations about access to Institute records. MIT is also subject to existing United States and Massachusetts rules and regulations. Records may therefore be restricted because MIT is required to follow federal and state records laws.
Info
For digital material, follow the general guidelines here as well as the Reviewing for Restrictions in Digital Material section for generating reports. These steps should be followed for any material you believe may contain restricted material as it will be required later to determine where to store it if not weeded.
MIT’s Record Policies
The MIT Institute Records Access Policy was voted by the MIT Corporation in May, 1980. Institute Archives & Special Collections: Institute Records Access Policy
The MIT Institute Records Collections Policy was voted by the MIT Corporation in May, 1976 and is covered in Policies and Procedures. Institute Archives & Special Collections: Institute Archives Records Collection Policy
see also: MIT Policies & Procedures, Section 11 “Privacy and Disclosure of Personal Information” and Section 13 “Information Policies”
Access Restrictions: General Guidelines
Institute archival records will normally remain closed for a maximum period of twenty years from the date of their creation (the date on which each document was written) unless the office of origin has designated a shorter period. Other categories of records are closed for 50 or 75 years from date of creation. For a detailed overview and examples, see Restriction Categories.
Restricted records can be found in two places:
1) Administrative collections (AC numbers)
This is the primary location for restricted Institute records.
2) Manuscript collections (MC numbers)
Personal papers of an individual may contain series of Institute records if that individual functioned in some administrative role (committee work, promotion decision, department head) during their tenure at MIT.
For more on reviewing records for restrictions, see Reviewing for Restrictions.