CA Reference Services & Access Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which US federal law most directly governs public access to federal agency records and requires agencies to make records available upon request?
- Privacy Act of 1974
- Federal Records Act
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (Correct answer)
- National Archives Act
Correct answer: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
FOIA grants the public the right to request access to federal agency records, subject to specific exemptions.
Question 2: What is a 'finding aid' primarily designed to do?
- Preserve fragile documents from physical handling
- Help researchers understand and navigate the contents and structure of archival collections (Correct answer)
- Document the monetary value of archival holdings
- Provide item-level digital copies of records
Correct answer: Help researchers understand and navigate the contents and structure of archival collections
A finding aid describes the scope, arrangement, and contents of archival materials to enable researchers to determine their relevance.
Question 3: In archival reference services, 'mediated access' means:
- Providing digital surrogates instead of originals
- Requiring researchers to work through an archivist who retrieves requested materials (Correct answer)
- Using automated systems to route reference requests
- Offering access only during scheduled appointments
Correct answer: Requiring researchers to work through an archivist who retrieves requested materials
Mediated access is the standard archival model where staff retrieve specific items for researchers rather than allowing open stacks browsing.
Question 4: Which element is considered the cornerstone of a researcher's registration process in a US archives?
- Proof of academic affiliation
- Signed statement agreeing to rules of use and copyright obligations (Correct answer)
- Payment of a research fee
- Submission of a detailed research proposal
Correct answer: Signed statement agreeing to rules of use and copyright obligations
Requiring researchers to sign a use agreement establishes their awareness of copyright, privacy rules, and proper handling procedures.
Question 5: What does 'restricted access' in an archival finding aid typically indicate?
- The materials are only available in digital format
- Certain records are unavailable to researchers due to donor conditions, privacy, or legal requirements (Correct answer)
- The collection has not yet been fully processed
- Access requires an appointment only
Correct answer: Certain records are unavailable to researchers due to donor conditions, privacy, or legal requirements
Restricted access means some or all materials in a collection cannot be freely consulted due to privacy, confidentiality, or donor-imposed conditions.
Question 6: The concept of 'maximum availability' in archival reference services means:
- All collections should be digitized for online access
- Repositories should make their holdings as widely accessible as legally and ethically possible (Correct answer)
- No access restrictions should ever be imposed
- Collections should have 24/7 reading room availability
Correct answer: Repositories should make their holdings as widely accessible as legally and ethically possible
Maximum availability is the ethical principle that archivists should strive to remove barriers to access while respecting legitimate restrictions.
CA Reference Services & Access Management 1
Which US federal law most directly governs public access to federal agency records and requires agencies to make records available upon request?