Regulations Governing Access to Official Records of the University of Chicago in the University of Chicago Archives

I. DEFINITION OF OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

Official records of the University of Chicago are of two types:

1. Administrative records of the Central Administration:
Including records of the Board of Trustees, its committees and sub-committees; the Office of the President of the University; offices of Vice-Presidents; and other administrative offices such as the Provost, Comptroller, Treasurer, and Registrar.

2. Administrative records of other units of the University:
Including records generated by schools, divisions, departments, committees, centers, and other formally constituted units of the University.

II. ACCESS POLICY FOR OFFICIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS

Official records of the University of Chicago are not accessible to researchers until they have been processed by the University to separate general administrative files from files that document budgets, appointments, and any matters governed by privacy law or other restrictions.

1. Administrative records of the Central Administration:
Restricted for a period of thirty years from the last year of a President's tenure in office. Files related to budgets or appointments are restricted for a period of fifty years from the latest date in the file.

2. Administrative records of other units of the University:
Restricted for a period of thirty years from the latest date in the collection of records. Files related to budgets or appointments are restricted for a period of fifty years from the latest date in the file.

3. Confidential records:
Records containing material governed by attorney-client privilege, doctor-patient privilege, or personal privacy law, or designated as confidential by the generating office, are closed to research with no defined limit on the period of restriction.

III. ACCESS PROCEDURES FOR OFFICIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS

1. Research access to restricted records:
The researcher must apply in writing to the University Archivist, stating the reason for access and designating the portion of the collection for which access is requested. The Archivist will transmit the request to the Secretary of the University, Provost, Dean, Director, Chair, or other pertinent University officer, along with information on the content of the requested material. Access for research use will be provided only upon written authorization from the pertinent University officer.

2. Research access to unrestricted records:
The researcher will be granted access in accordance with the University of Chicago Library's "Policies Governing the Use of Archives, Manuscripts, and Special Collections"

3. Administrative access to restricted and closed records:
Access for administrative purposes will be provided only upon written authorization from the pertinent University officer.

IV. RELATED OFFICIAL UNIVERSITY MATERIAL

Because of the dispersal of official documentation at the University of Chicago, the professional papers of individual trustees, officers, deans, faculty and staff - or particular series thereof - may be subject to restricted access according to the conditions defined above.