Access Policy

The Presbyterian Historical Society serves as the repository for materials created by councils and agencies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the antecedents of those councils and agencies; related and ecumenical organizations; and for the personal papers of prominent Presbyterians.

Access to certain records, regardless of format, may be restricted to align with federal or state laws, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) policy, creator or donor wishes, or to preserve fragile originals. In some cases, access may be granted by requesting permission from the record owners or an authorized representative. Some records, such as student and medical records, are closed for a specific period of time and cannot be accessed by the public.

It is the policy of the Presbyterian Historical Society to review unprocessed records in our holdings before we grant researchers access to those records. Unprocessed records have not yet been arranged and described according to archival standards, and they have not been thoroughly reviewed for restricted or confidential information. Materials deemed too fragile to be handled safely, including original analog film formats and master negatives are restricted. When materials are restricted solely for preservation reasons, efforts will be made to provide access via a surrogate.

Unrestricted

The following records are open for research:

• Published materials (materials that have been disseminated or made widely and publicly available in print or online)
• Processed personal papers and organization records, unless specifically designated as restricted on the finding aid or catalog/database record
• Processed official denomination records at the national agency level more than twenty (20) years old, unless specifically designated as restricted on the finding aid or catalog/database record
• Processed official denomination records at the congregation, presbytery, and synod level more than fifty (50) years old
• Official decisions of Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) cases at the mid council and General Assembly level

Restricted

The following records are restricted for a specified period of time. During the period of restriction, access may be granted only with the written permission of a representative of the body that owns the records. Records of PC(USA) entities are held on deposit at PHS; ownership remains with those entities. Contact names are available from the PHS reference staff. It is the researcher's responsibility to obtain permission to use restricted records. If permission is granted, a copy of the permission letter must be provided to PHS prior to doing research.

• Official denomination records at the national level less than twenty (20) years old
• Official denomination records at the congregation, presbytery, and synod level less than fifty (50) years old
• Unpublished records of Permanent Judicial Commissions (PJC), Investigating Committees (IC), and Administrative Commissions (AC) for 50 years from the date a report or decision is issued

Closed

The following records are closed for a specified period of time. Closed records are not available to the public.

• Student records (other than “directory" information, such as name, honors and awards, and dates of attendance) for living individuals. Records open upon the death of the individual, or one hundred (100) years after the individual’s date of birth if the death date is unknown.
• Medical and psychological records for living individuals. Records open upon the death of the individual, or one hundred (100) years after the individual’s date of birth if the death date is unknown.