oursin | Well, this is out of my hands anyway

But honestly, YOY?

I was contacted by somebody apropos of an organisation's papers now held at my former place of work - presumably because they have clearly not contacted anyone for many many years and I am still in their files as contact person.

And after I had provided the info the archive was there and was catalogued and that members of the organisation could consult it under the same conditions as anyone else who wished to do so - and current contact info. (All this info, I may add, may be found On The Website.)

Question was mooted whether access might be restricted to members? (I think this is probably what happens when one is Just So Helpful and Knowledgeable, it explodes beyond one's reasonable involvement.)

HUH????

This collection has been open to researchers, as far as I can estimate, for some 30 years, and at the time when it was donated, no cavils were raised about this.

The archive itself is both incomplete and the most recent items in it are at least 50 years old.

As I recall it was a typical rather boring archive of a professional organisation. Maybe there were internal hoohahs I wot not of, but these must be fairly past their sell-by by now.

Going back over the years there were certainly collections where the depositing body wanted to approve who had access (which could be a Right Faff if the responsible person did not respond to the relevant requests), but I don't think it was ever contingent on a Members Only policy.

Anyway, this is no longer my call.

I am not sure I quite get the thinking. I was sorely tempted to whip out my argument that restricting things only makes The Public think there is some Sordid Secret being hid. (Sometimes there is, at least, I have the darkest suspicions re that business with the Mountbatten papers.... but not this lot, I think.)