Regulations on the Use of the State Archives - Accessibility

1. During opening hours, the reading room, archive library, and microfilm room are accessible to all interested individuals. The opening hours are announced at the archive entrance and on the internet.

2. The archive storage areas and service rooms are not freely accessible.

1. Anyone wishing to consult archival or library materials in the reading room must register with the information officer and fill out the usage form.

2. Archival materials for the reading room can be ordered on site, by letter, telephone, email, or via the internet. Upon departure or before the closing of the reading room, the archival materials must be returned.

1. Coats, jackets, bags, food and drink items, etc., must be deposited in the cloakroom lockers. No items may be left in them overnight. No liability is assumed for the cloakroom.

2. Eating and drinking, as well as the use of mobile phones, are prohibited in the reading room.

1. Documents for which there are no protection interests are generally accessible under the statutory usage regulations and this usage regulation.

2. Public protection interests are deemed to have expired no later than 30 years, and private protection interests no later than 120 years from the creation of a document.

1. Documents that are subject to public or private protection interests are not generally accessible. Anyone wishing to view such archival material must submit a written request to the state archive, detailing their interest and specifying the documents of interest as precisely as possible.

2. Access will be granted if a legitimate interest is demonstrated and provided that there are no overriding public or private interests contrary to it. Special stipulations and conditions remain reserved.

3. If access is disputed, the state archive issues a decision subject to appeal.

1. Archival materials must be handled with the utmost care.

2. Making entries on archival materials and attaching foreign materials (such as paperclips, sticky notes, etc.) is prohibited. Archival materials must not be used as writing surfaces.

3. For files and card indexes, the existing order, including the sequence of documents, must be preserved unchanged.

4. When handling photographs and other sensitive documents, cotton gloves must be worn.

1. Archival material must be reviewed in the reading room. It may not be removed from there.

2. For conservation reasons, microfilms or digital copies may be provided instead of endangered originals. In these cases, there is no entitlement to inspect the originals.

3. Archival material is not loaned to private individuals. For exhibition or research purposes, archival material may be loaned to museums, archives, or libraries.

1. Photographing publicly accessible archival materials for private use is permitted. The use of flash or photographic lamps is not allowed.

2. Copies or scans of archival materials must be ordered through the archive staff.

3. Reproductions of archival materials are only authorized for private use. Special contractual provisions remain reserved.

1. When publishing archival material from the holdings of the State Archives, a reference to the origin (State Archives of Appenzell Ausserrhoden) must be provided.

2. Two complimentary copies of publications produced using archival material from Ausserrhoden must be submitted to the State Archives.

1. The State Archive assists in locating relevant archival materials or important publications.

1. Through printed materials and the internet, the State Archive provides information about Ausserrhoden's archival holdings.

2. In the reading room, the State Archive makes available finding aids for the collections of the State Archive, municipal archives, and church archives.

1. The state archive provides an on-site library as an aid for archive use.

2. The library catalog is searchable on the internet.

1. A microfilm reader is available for the consultation of microfilms.

2. A workstation is available for researching the electronic archive directory and for consulting digital archive materials.

1. The State Archive conducts archive-related research and source-based transcriptions for a fee or refers such tasks to designated professionals.

1. The State Archive digitizes archival documents on-site for a fee or commissions the production of microfilms, digital copies, and photographs at the client's expense.

1. Inspection of archival materials is free of charge. Special services are subject to a fee.

1. The following fee schedule applies

a) Copy of printed material (self-service): CHF 0.20

b) Copy from microfilm (self-service): CHF 1.00

c) Scan from microfilm (self-service): CHF 1.00

d) Copy of archival material: CHF 1.00

e) Scan from original template (depending on format): CHF 10.00 to CHF 100.00

f) Photo from negative/slide/scan (depending on format): CHF 20.00 to CHF 100.00

g) Use of microfilm device, per half day: CHF 10.00

h) Delivery fee (postage, packaging): CHF 5.00

1. Research and Transcriptions on Request (per working hour) CHF 80.00

1. The remuneration for the publication of archival documents as well as for other special services of the state archive shall be determined by agreement.

1. Anyone who grossly or repeatedly violates the terms of use may be excluded from further use of the archives.

1. Whoever intentionally damages, conceals, disposes of, or otherwise removes documents designated as worthy of archiving from proper archival management shall be punished with a fine.

2. Whoever intentionally or through gross negligence violates the usage regulations or specific orders concerning the use of archival materials shall be punished with a fine.

1. This Usage Regulation shall enter into force on January 1, 2011.