8. Deposit and access

Collecting institutions have various problems relating to the administration of the oral history materials they acquire. It is in their own interests to establish and maintain a reputation for the responsible management of their collections; without this the cooperation of informants - on which they depend for the future of their recording programmes - may be prejudiced. Most institutions have special spheres of interest, within which the grapevines can very effectively communicate good or adverse comment. In addition to securing their source of material, the aim of oral history librarians and archivists should be to obtain the most liberal conditions of access available for their users, and to provide the highest degree of protection possible for the interests of their informants.

To achieve these ends (which can act in opposition to each other) collectors should understand the nature of their relationships with both informants and users and make clear and appropriate administrative provisions to secure them.