Publication Date
January 1983
Abstract
One of the constant problems facing archivists is the tension created between the twin goals of access and the right to privacy. As a result of state and national freedom of information acts and debate in the postWatergate era about sunshine laws, this problem has come into the forefront of discussion in recent years. Although private institutions are not subject to these laws, neither have they been immune from questions regarding access. For the church archivist, the conflict between making records accessible and, yet, protecting the privacy of the church's members can pose real dilemmas. It is necessary, therefore, to formulate policies to alleviate this tension while at the same time respecting the needs of historians and the privacy of individuals. Archival policies developed at Trinity Church can be modified for almost any parish and probably for hospitals and schools and other institutions dealing with records of private persons.