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Ethics Q&A: Access (information)
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June 2002
In our museum collection we have material from an archaeological dig conducted several years ago close to an area now popular with metal detectorists.
We hold field notebooks from the dig and a lay enquirer wants to view them. We want to be generous in allowing any enquirer access to any item in our collection. But we are worried that information from the notebooks might be used to support unauthorised and archaeologically harmful metal detecting.
When we asked if he had a professional interest in seeing the notebooks he got annoyed. He said someone with a personal interest should have the same rights of access as a professional archaeologist. Is he right? What should we do?
You are right to want to be generous in allowing anyone access to any item in the collection. As far as possible the same rights of access should be extended to lay enquirers as to professional or academic researchers.
You should encourage research into the museum's collections. Asking if someone has a "professional interest" may send the wrong messages about who the museum is for. "Research" should be defined by the museum to encompass enquiries from experts and non-experts.
But it is important you are confident that your enquirers will use information they get from you for benign purposes. Unauthorised and irresponsible metal detecting is an example of abuse outlined in Code 3.14.
You also need to bear in mind the legal implications of assisting unauthorised metal detectorists to trespass. There are possible copyright issues surrounding reproduction of pages from field notebooks in publications as well. Other legal implications are those stemming from the 2000 Freedom of Information Act and the ability for organisations to have exclusions from it on grounds of sensitivity.
In recent years archaeologists, museum professionals and responsible metal detectorist groups have developed collaborative working relationships. These have resulted in enormously important finds and scholarly advances.
Decisions on what constitutes sensitive data need to be based on the circumstances of each case. If it is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, metal detecting is illegal. Unscheduled areas around it are likely to be sensitive.
Check with the relevant archaeological experts, whose pages of the notebooks, such as those containing exact find spots, may need to be withheld. Explain to your enquirer why you need to know if he is a metal detectorist and if he is following appropriate procedures.
Encourage him to work through reputable local metal detectorist clubs in approaching the museum for information. Do not discriminate against this enquirer because he is a metal detectorist or on the grounds of a lack of academic or professional credentials. But do make sure the information he gathers promotes knowledge, not destruction, of the archaeological context of the area.
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