Access to Archival collections

Regulations for use of archival materials at the Reading Room of the Archive of Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cracow

§1

Regulations for use of archival materials at the Reading Room of the Archive of Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) and the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (PAU) in Cracow, hereinafter referred to as the Regulations, determine the manner, method and scope of utilizing the archival materials at the Reading Room of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU as well as the conditions of their use.
The Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU offers access to archival materials included in the state and non-state archive collections, pursuant to effective legal rules and regulations, including the Law of 14 July 1983 on the National Archival Fonds and Archives (Polish Law Journal of 2018, item 217, as amended), hereinafter referred to as the Law.
The permission to use the archival materials is issued by the Director of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU on the strength of the Application of the archival fonds user, (Annex no. 1 to the Regulations).
The permission to edit and publish the archival materials is issued by the Director of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU following a written application.
Archival material is made available to adults only. Due to the protection of the fonds, underage persons may use it only in the presence of an adult.

§2

The Director of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU may refuse to grant access to archival materials due to their bad condition, insufficient arrangement, in the case of archival fonds of private provenance on account of objections of the authorized providing party pursuant to Art. 16a, section 3 of the Law, and on account of Art. 16b, section 1 of the Law (Polish Law Journal of 2018, item 217, as amended), i.e. should the said access violate the regulations on the protection of classified information, other secrets protected by law, protection of personal interests and data protection.
In the case of materials of limited accessibility, the user may be asked to: submit additional documents authorizing them to familiarize themselves with the contents of the archival material in question, submit the permission of the holder of documentation deposited or bequeathed to the Archive restricting its availability, or submit additional declarations with regard to legal protection of the information obtained through access to the archive material, on the form User’s commitment to protection of information (Annex 2 to the Regulations).
Archival material the usable copies of which are owned by the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU is made accessible in that form. In that case any possible access to the original archival material shall require the Director’s permission every single time.

§3

General information on the fonds of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU as well as on accessible inventory and information aids, is provided by a member of staff on duty in the Reading Room.
The basic assistance in searching for archival material is provided by the inventory and information aids available in the Reading Room from a member of staff on duty.
Each user is obliged to sign up in the record book found in the Reading Room. The book’s sole function is to document the process of granting access to archival material.

§4

Prior to placing an order for archival material, the user fills in the Application of the archival fonds user. The user may revise the data entered in the Application at any time, providing the date of the modification. The user fills in the Application at their first visit to the Reading Room and it remains valid throughout the given calendar year.
The Application of the archival fonds user includes the obligatory data: full name, address of residence, address for correspondence (if different than the address of residence), type and number of identity document. Providing the data marked (*) is optional and failure to do so shall not result in restricting the access to archival material. The information on archival searches is collected for the sole reason of analyzing the users’ research needs.
The data provided by the user of archival material is processed with a view to carrying out the statutory tasks of the Archive of Science of the PAN and PAU pursuant to Art. 6 section 1 letters c) and e) of the General Directive on Personal Data Protection of 27 April 2016 (Official Journal of the European Union L 119/1 of 4 May 2016) hereinafter referred to as RODO (Polish for: GDPR), with a view to granting the user access to archival material, i.e. in order to administer the process of making archival material accessible on an ongoing basis, and for statistical purposes.
Providing personal data by users is voluntary, however refusal to provide them may result in refusal to grant access to archival material.

§5

The administrator of the personal data provided in the form Application of archival fonds user is the Polish Academy of Sciences based at Pl. Defilad 1, 00-901 Warsaw, tel. no. 22 18 26 000; www.pan.pl.
The Administrator has appointed the Inspector for personal data protection, who can be contacted at iod@pan.pl.
Personal data provided by the user will not be shared with third parties. The sole recipients of the data will be legally authorized institutions.
Personal data provided by the user will not be shared with a third state or an international organization.
The users’ personal data will be stored for a period compliant with specific regulations (in compliance with the Uniform List of Files operative at the Archive of Science of the PAN and PAU).
With restrictions resulting from the RODO regulations, the user has a right to: access the content of their data, correct wrong data, demand to remove the data should circumstances arise provided for in Art. 17 of the RODO, demand to restrict processing in the cases provided for in Art. 18 of the RODO, object to processing the data in the cases provided for in Art. 21 of the RODO.
Based on the provided personal data the Administrator will not make automated decisions, including decisions resulting from profiling as defined by the RODO.
The user has a right to file a complaint to the supervisory organ (President of the Personal Data Protection Office, based at ul. Stawki 2, Warsaw) should they reckon the processing of their personal data violates the regulations of the RODO.

§6

Archival material is made accessible based on the order placed on order slips provided by the staff member on duty. The order slips constitute Annex 3 to the Regulations.
At any one time the user may order up to 5 archival units. The restriction results from the requirements concerning the securing of the fonds and organizational conditions of the access procedure. In justified cases the number of slips may be changed by the member of staff on duty following the permission of the Director of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU.
The order slip must be filled in legibly, separately for each archival unit. It is acceptable, following a consultation with the staff member on duty, to fill in one order slip for several archival unit with successive signatures.
The staff member on duty determines the time of completing the order, dependent on how the archival material is organized.
Order slips submitted after 1 p.m. are completed on the next day, if the physical condition of the materials allows.
Users who utilize the provided archival materials in the afternoon, must report their visit early enough in order for the material to be brought from the storeroom (by 1.30 p.m. at the latest on the day of the visit). It is not possible to make use of the archival material after 1.30 p.m. without prior notice.

§7

The user may utilize one archival unit at a time. The other units ordered remain with the staff member on duty and are given out following the return of the previous ones.
The archive material may be used only in the Reading Room of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU.
The user must leave the archival unit with the staff member on duty every time they stop working and leave the Reading Room.
After the finished work, the user returns the material to the staff member on duty along with the information whether it should be returned to the storeroom or left for re-use.
If the break between the user’s visits exceeds 1 month, the archival material is returned to the storeroom. Resuming work on it requires placing a new order.
The user may utilize the book collection of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU in the Reading Room. The staff member on duty returns the books to their places.

§8

The user utilizes the material without interfering in its layout or content, keeping it safe and in a good physical condition.
In order to use photographs and restored archival material, the users are obliged to have their own protective gloves.
While working with archival material, notes should be taken in pencil only.
It is not allowed to make notes on paper which is placed directly on the archival material.
While working with archival material, one may use one’s own computer.

§9

Only material in a good technical condition may be copied (scanned) and only with the permission of the Director of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU.
The Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU does not make photocopies of archival material.
On the user’s order, the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU makes copies of archival material for a fee.
The user places a written order for copies of archival material, providing: their full name, full name of their institution, its taxpayer identification number, its address, the name of the fonds, the signature, the number of the archival unit, the number or numbers of pages, the title of the publication/exhibition or another kind of clarification; optionally: phone number, e-mail address.
The photographs of archival material for editorial or exhibition purposes may be taken only based on a written request for permission for publication addressed to the Director of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU.
The user may copy archival material and prints on their own only for the purposes of their research, with their own camera on silent mode, without using flash, a stand or additional lighting, photographic reflectors or benchtops, and only if the technical condition of the materials is good, with the permission of the Director of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU.
In order to obtain the mentioned permission, the user fills in the Declaration of taking own photographs of the archival material accessible in the Reading Room of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU (Annex 4 to the Regulations).
The possibility to copy archival material by users with their own equipment should be seen only as assistance in using the fonds for research purposes, not as an alternative form of sharing it outside the Reading Room. It is forbidden to use and spread it for any other purposes, particularly in publications, exhibitions, on websites, transfer it to third parties etc.
It is not allowed to copy whole archival units and cohesive entities of archival material (memoirs, diaries, literary works, photographs and correspondence) which are part of non-state fonds.
Archival material may not be carried by the user to another place in order to optimize the lighting conditions.
The photographed archival materials must be arranged like for direct reading.
The photographing should be carried out in a manner non-invasive to the archival material, without interfering in its contents or form. It is unacceptable to additionally press, straighten up or weigh down objects which are wavy or open with difficulty, in order to obtain a better quality of the copy, or take out loose sheets from files.
Taking photographs on one’s own may not be an excuse to obtaining access to original archival material if the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU possesses its usable copies or if it is inaccessible on account of its bad physical condition.
It is acceptable for a user to photograph reproductions of archival material, including images of a computer screen and microfilm reader.
Copy-making is regulated by the law of 4 February 1994 on Copyright and Related rights (Polish Law Journal of 2018, item 1191, as amended). The user bears full responsibility for using the copy against the law.

§10

The user must utilize archival material so as not to disturb the work of other persons.
Taking the archival material and book collection outside the Reading Room is forbidden.
The user bears full responsibility for any damage to archival material and prints undisclosed at the moment of obtaining the material and found at the return.
In the case of gross violation by the user of the principles of using archival material, the staff member on duty shall inform the Director of the Archive forthwith.
It is forbidden to use mobile phones in the Reading Room.
It is forbidden to eat, drink, smoke cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and use drugs in the Reading Room.
It is forbidden to bring into the Reading Room flammable objects and hazardous items.
The user should leave outdoor clothing on the stand in the hall.
Bags, backpacks and umbrellas should be put in a place indicated by the staff member on duty.
Should the safety of the archival fonds be at stake, the staff member on duty may carry out an inspection of the usable material taken out of the Reading Room.
In other issues concerning law and order the user should follow the instructions of the staff member on duty.
Should a hazard to the health or life of the persons staying at the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU arise, it is advisable to follow the instructions of the person in charge of the evacuation procedure.
For safety reasons there is a camera installed in the Reading Room.

§11

Failure to obey the Regulations by the user or taking up activities threatening the safety or integrity of the archival material they have obtained access to may result in suspending or restricting access or issuing a decision by the Director of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU to refuse access to archival material. Users have a right of appeal against the provisions of the Regulations to the Director of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU.
Notwithstanding the provisions included in point 1 of this paragraph, should the user cause any damage as a result of disobeying the Regulations, they are held liable on general principles.

§12

The Regulations in this form became effective as of 1 March 2019, in compliance with Directive no. 6 of the Director of the Archive of Science of the PAN and the PAU of 28 February 2019.