Note
- This correspondence contains identifying information about College staff and administrators. I have chosen to redact such information. The administrator is referred to as “admin A” and the staff member, a Swarthmore librarian, is referred to as “Librarian.”
- The correspondence refers to several documents that I requested from the Friends Historical Library which were marked as “restricted.” I have included a list of those documents here.
Email Text
Date: September 28,2020
Subject: Permissions for restricted documents in Friend’s Library
To: [admin A]
From: Daniel Fernandez
Text:
Dear [admin A],
I have been trying to access some documents in the Friend’s Historical Library concerning divestment but have run into some issues with permissions.
Could you help me understand why some of these documents are restricted and under what circumstances they could be accessed?
Thank you,
Daniel Abel Fernandez. Swarthmore ’23. Pronouns: he/him/his
Date: September 29, 2020
Subject: re: Permissions for restricted documents in Friend’s Library
From: [admin A]
To: Daniel Fernandez
Text:
Dear Daniel,
Thanks for your email. [Librarian] let me know about your requests. Board documents and Presidential papers contain private materials — including information related to College employees, alumni, and others. Our practice is to keep files closed for at least 50 years to protect the privacy of such individuals.
After 50 years, and generally assessing whether individuals referenced in the materials might still be living even after that 50-year period, we routinely grant permission to specific documents within the collection that relate to various research projects.
Sincerely,
[admin A]
Date: September 29, 2020
Subject: re: Permissions for restricted documents in Friend’s Library
From: Daniel Fernandez
To: [admin A]
Text:
Dear [admin A],
I’m just confused because not all of the documents are marked as sealed. For example, in the Theodore Friend Papers, some of them are sealed but others only require permission:”Series 1 and 2 of the Theodore Friend Papers are closed to research until 2057. Series 3, 4, and 5 are restricted and require the permission of the President of Swarthmore College or the Chairman of the Board of Managers of the College. Contact the repository for details.”
Do you know why that is?
Date: September 29, 2020
Subject: re: Permissions for restricted documents in Friend’s Library
From: [admin A]
To: Daniel Fernandez
Text:
Daniel,
I don’t know the background on why there’s a more specific restriction on some of President Friend’s papers. This is pure speculation, but President Friend may have specified that date when he shared certain papers with us. If, for instance, there were personal correspondence or other personal papers, he may have requested something specific. We would, of course, honor that — but in the case of other Board or Presidential document, absent more restrictive guidance, we use 50 years.
[admin A]
Date: September 30, 2020
Subject: re: Permissions for restricted documents in Friend’s Library
From: Daniel Fernandez
To: [admin A]
Text:
Dear [admin A],
Would it be possible to redact personal content from some documents and then allow access to them?
-Daniel
Date: October 1, 2020
Subject: re: Permissions for restricted documents in Friend’s Library
From: [admin A]
To: Daniel Fernandez
Text:
Hi, Daniel,
No, that is not an option. I’m not sure what information you’re looking for, but I assume you’ve looked at editions of the Phoenix from that time period. [Librarian] might have insights into other resources that might be available. When I was an undergrad doing research on early queer movements at [a college], I was delightedly surprised to learn that those those early student groups from the 1970s had turned over all sorts of files and other items to university archives — and they were incredibly valuable. Again, [Librarian and colleagues] would be most helpful in thinking about what information might be there, if you haven’t already discussed.
[admin A]
Date: October 1, 2020
Subject: re: Permissions for restricted documents in Friend’s Library
From: Daniel Fernandez
To: [admin A]
Text:
Hi [admin A],
I find it concerning that the College will not allow access to any recent documents regarding the Board. How can the Swarthmore community hold the Board, the governing body, accountable if it does not know what the Board is up to? Not only are Board documents closed, but Board meetings are also closed.
Date: October 1, 2020
Subject: re: Permissions for restricted documents in Friend’s Library
From: [admin A]
To: Daniel Fernandez
Text:
Daniel,
You may wish to consult with the student observers, who at least in recent memory have been the president and vice president of SGO. I don’t know if/how they report out after the Board meetings.
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