Access to Collections: General Policies
Collections in the YIVO Archives are open to the public unless restricted by the donor at the time of collection transfer. All collections in the YIVO Archives are open by appointment only
Case Files
Access to case files of living persons is generally denied unless a) there
are no privacy issues; b) the researcher is the subject of the case file; c) there are no additional restrictions on
access by the institution whose records are in question. The policy followed for case files of individuals who are
no longer alive but whose children or grandchildren may be alive is consistent with privacy laws and policies
followed by other archival repositories in the United States with similar records of case files. Researchers given
access to case files may read them only for the purpose of obtaining general historical data and may not record
specific information about individuals. Researchers given access to such materials must sign a Confidentiality Form
in which they agree to abide by all YIVO Archives requirements.
Collections being processed or unprocessed
collections
Unprocessed collections or collections being processed or preserved in the conservation shop or
being microfilmed are usually closed for the duration of the project.
Fragile collections or collections
in poor condition
Access to collections in very poor condition is granted on a case-by-case basis at the
discretion of the Chief Archivist.
