The rights of all users of the records must be taken into consideration.

The following rules must therefore be followed.

Access to the searchroom

• Access to the searchroom will be available to all in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act (1995).
• All visitors to the searchroom must fill in a signing-in slip, which will be deemed to constitute assent to the rules of the centre.
• Access to the searchroom is free of charge. However, a charge may be made for certain services provided within it.
• Access will be provided at the times stated on the noticeboards outside the building, in service leaflets, and on the history centre pages of the county council website. However, it may be necessary for the service to close without notice due to unforeseen circumstances, and the history centre cannot be held responsible for this. Every effort will be made to publicise anticipated closures by notices in the building and through the website.
• No more people will be allowed in the searchroom at any one time than there are seats available. Searchers who have booked in advance will have priority.
• Children are welcome in the searchroom provided they are accompanied by an adult, well-behaved and do not disturb other searchers. The county council cannot accept responsibility for the wellbeing of children, and may ask them to leave if they are causing concern. No animals except guide and hearing dogs are allowed.
• The history centre cannot accept responsibility for your personal possessions; please be vigilant, and if necessary secure valuables in a locker.

Access to documents

• Oxfordshire History Centre is a member of the CARN ticket system. No access will be granted to original material for anyone without a ticket, unless they are the owner or depositor of that material, although if someone forgets their ticket they can sign an agreement form to the effect that this is a one-off and hand over another form of security while looking at documents. If they are the owner or depositor, they must produce reasonable proof of the fact.
• Access to documents within the history centre is determined within the framework of the following legislation:
  • Public Libraries and Museums Act (1964)
  • Public Records Acts (1958) and (1967)
  • Local Government Acts (1962) and (1972)
  • Parochial Records and Registers Measure (1978, revised 1992)
  • Law of Property Acts (1922) and (1924)
  • Tithe Act (1936)
  • Data Protection Act (1998)
  • Freedom of Information Act (2000)
• Certain classes of document and individual documents are closed under Data Protection legislation. Where possible, such closure will be noted in the catalogues, but we cannot guarantee that this will be the case, and there may be instances in which the member of staff on duty feels it necessary to close a document on the spot where Data Protection is clearly going to be breached.
• The history centre does not accept documents which are permanently closed to public inspection. However, documents may be deposited with a limited closure on them, and these documents will not be available until the closure period has terminated.
• Where, in the opinion of the history centre conservation team, a document will be damaged by being produced for inspection, the centre reserves the right to close it to public access.
• In all cases an identical copy of a document (such as a photograph or digital image) will be considered an adequate substitute for the original.

Conduct in the searchroom

• No bags are allowed in the searchroom; all bags should be left in a locker in reception. Plastic wallets are available for searchers to transport their notes and pencils in each locker. Coats and bulky jackets should be left outside.
• No writing implements other than pencils may be used in the searchroom.
• No food or drink may be taken into the searchroom. Smoking anywhere on the record office premises is strictly forbidden. Any medication should be taken outside the searchroom, except in an emergency.
• Every attempt must be made to avoid disturbing fellow searchers. Talking should be kept to a minimum. Personal stereos must not be used in the searchroom; mobile phones / pagers may be used only in emergencies.
• Recording devices and personal computers may only be used with the consent of  the member of staff on duty, who will have regard to the situation in the searchroom at the time of the request, and whether other searchers are likely to be disturbed. Permission to use a recording device or personal computer on one day does not confer automatic permission to do so on another occasion. While carrying out regular electrical testing, the county council accepts no responsibility for the power supply or anything else which may disrupt or damage equipment belonging to a searcher.
• Anyone causing any form of disturbance in the history centre which upsets other members of the public or makes it difficult for them to work, or which makes staff uncomfortable in the performance of their duties, will in the first instance be asked to cease doing so. If they persist, they will be asked to leave.  If they return and continue this behaviour, they will be refused access to the office for a period to be determined by the History Services Manager.
• Anyone who is, in the opinion of the member of staff on duty, under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be asked to leave.
• Anyone displaying rudeness, aggression or harassment as defined by county council policies towards another searcher or member of staff will, in the first instance, receive a warning that such behaviour is unacceptable. If such behaviour persists it will result in the individual concerned being asked to leave by the senior member of staff on searchroom duty. If this proves ineffective, the senior member of staff in the building will be called in.  In the case of this being a repetition of behaviour which has already led to the individual in question being asked to leave, that individual will be asked to leave the centre without an initial warning, and may be refused access to the centre for a period to be determined by the History Services Manager.
• Documents must be handled with care, in the manner and with the gloves and cushions prescribed by members of staff. Documents should not be consulted elsewhere than at the tables provided. No bladed implements are allowed in the searchroom. Damage caused by failure to follow these stipulations may be charged for. Searchers should read the safe handling rules.
• Copies of documents are made under the stipulations of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988) and subsequent legislation. Users requiring copies will be asked to fill in the appropriate forms and agree to any restrictions placed by law on the use of the copies. Copies will not be provided of any document which, in the opinion of the conservation team or the member of staff on duty, will be damaged by the process, or of any document where the owner has forbidden copying.
• The publication of any document or a transcript thereof requires permission from the history centre.