Politically charged records: A case study with recommendations for providing access to a challenging collection

Abstract

In the months leading up to the 2008 presidential election, a collection of organizational records held by the Special Collections Department of the University of Illinois at Chicago became a politically charged source of public scrutiny, and the department's role in providing access to the collection became one of the top library stories of the year. This case study relates how the department implemented new collections management policies and procedures and developed an attuned sensitivity to balancing donor obligations with researcher needs in the wake of a public relations crisis. © Kathleen Fear and Paul Conway.