*researching montage here*

[trouble]

Noting the following:

On Site Research Policy.
Updated October 28, 2009
Research requests must be presented in writing; on paper or via email. Written requests must include the nature of the research, the anticipated outcome, and the nature of the records sought after. Please be as specific and include as much information as possible.

Research will be subject to a $50/hr research fee. This fee applies to the time spent searching for documents and records, and is billable, even if the records are not found, or do not prove to be useful. The first $50 is payable before the research begins. The Archdiocese of Halifax reserves the right to refuse a research request. Records deemed closed to the public will not be made available to researchers.

Appointments for on site research requests must be made a minimum of three weeks in advance. On Site research will be subject to the following regulations, which will be strictly enforced:

-Researchers must sign in when they arrive, and out before they leave.

-Researchers are NOT permitted, under any circumstances, to enter the archives vault. Researchers will work with the Archivist to determine what records or type of records would be useful, and the archivist will bring the documents up from the vault to be viewed. Researchers will be closely supervised.

Do you think it's worth making a request to the Archdiocese to see if they have any records regarding their involvement in either the School for the Deaf (there was a war of letters c. 1900 in the newspapers that was fun to read) or the School for the Blind (which they seem to be directly and personally involved in)?

Someone on twitter suggested that, at 50$ per hour, I should be drinking cocktails while someone else attempts to deal with the horrible handwriting.

I suspect if my appointment is approved I can get the money from my $700 grant that the uni gives all grad students for such research projects.

(Now, of course, I'm imagining what they've got squirreled away over there. If i were more awake, I would fling out some grand flights of fancy.)

Comments

[oursin]

That's not a paid research service, that's for you to go and do the research there yourself? Per hour???? My Methodist upbringing is muttering 'But ye have made it a den of thieves.'

Do they have catalogues? Or do they make you pay to look at those, too?

I'm just horrified. $50 per hour might be a reasonable sort of rate if they were doing the research, or had a panel of approved researchers for hire, but even the places I know in London that charge (because they're private institutional libraries) it's on the scale of £10 or so a day.

[trouble]

From what I've been able to gather they let go their only archivist several years ago, so I suspect the fee is to bring in someone to stare at me and make sure I don't run off with all the files.

Either that or it's to convince people who just want to research to know things to not bother.

[oursin]

And for that you don't even get the services of a highly-trained expert professional to assist you with your investigations?
*Headbang*

[firynze.livejournal.com]

Jeebus, $50/hr for bringing you boxes? They really should be dealing with the terrible handwriting for you at that point! Especially since they charge you the $50 up front, and might or might not actually bring you things. You know, depending.

Heck of a scam they've got going there. Yeesh. There must be things they really don't want people seeing or asking about.

[troubleinchina.livejournal.com]

There's a whole list of "no you cannot have them" things on their website. I did a bit of asking around (archivists know everything) and it turns out they fired their full-time archivist several years ago as a cost-cutting measure, and so they'd be bringing in someone special to sit and stare at me while I make careful notes.

[firynze.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, then that explains the high fee, I suppose. STILL.

[zaftig46.livejournal.com]

Research fees are illegal/immoral/unethical, take your pick.

[troubleinchina.livejournal.com]

See, this is my thought!

What do you think about "You must be a member of our museum, membership is 100$"? The only archives I'm familiar with in Halifax are free to the public (except, apparently, this one.)