Section 073-506-6 - ACCESS TO MUSEUM RECORDSA. Public Records: General Principle Records pertaining to the Museum collection which are public records within the meaning of the Freedom of Access law ( 1 M.R.S.A. §401et. seq.) shall be made available for public inspection and copying upon request as required by law. Fees for copying shall be set by the Director, unless otherwise determined by law, executive order or applicable rule.
The Director or the Registrar shall respond in a timely manner to any request for inspection and/or copying of public records held by the Museum.
B. Historical Records 1. Historical records of the Museum not currently on exhibit may be inspected by scholars, students or members of the public upon permission by the Director or his designee. Access to such records will not be unreasonably denied. Any decision regarding access to such records will be consistent with the Museum's responsibility for safeguarding its collections and shall take into consideration the following: a. The possibility of deterioration, mutilation, loss, or dislocation of research data and records;b. Interference with administrative, professional, and technical operations and duties of the Museum; andc. Undue interference with the Museum's ability to furnish services to other users of the Museum.2. The Director may deny access to historical records which are likely to suffer damage or dislocation resulting from public inspection.C. Archeological Records Access to records relating to archeological artifacts, sites and related data will be governed by the provisions of this rule and 27 M.R.S.A. §377 and rules issued pursuant to its authority. In the event of a conflict, the provisions of 27 M.R.S.A. §377 and the joint rule of the Museum and the Maine Historic Preservation Commission shall govern.
D. Procedures 1. Request for access to public, historical or archeological records held by the Museum must be submitted to the Director or the Registrar on a form designated by him. Requests must be specifically descriptive of the records sought or the information requested that Museum staff can identify and meet the request.2. Inspection of records held by the Museum will, insofar as possible, take place outside the collections storage or record-filing areas. No records may be inspected without staff supervision, unless there is prior written approval of the Director. In general, the Director will permit unsupervised access to public records only In the case of Museum volunteers or project staff persons, upon recommendation of the relevant staff.94- 073 C.M.R. ch. 506, § 6