When can I appeal decisions about access to donated historical materials?

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§ 1256.36 When can I appeal decisions about access to donated historical materials?

(a) If you wish to appeal a denial of access from the director or his designated representative in implementing the provisions of a donor's deed of gift, you may write a letter addressed to the Deputy Archivist of the United States, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001. The Deputy Archivist, the Assistant Archivist for Presidential Libraries, and the Assistant Archivist for Records Services - Washington, DC, or their designated representatives, compose the Board of Review for appeals relating to donated historical materials.

(b) The board's decision is final. If the board cannot make a determination on your request within 30 working days of receipt, NARA informs you of the reason for the delay. If the board determines that a document should remain closed, you may not file a new appeal for two years. Similarly, you may not file an appeal on documents in collections that have been open for research for less than 2 years.

(c) In some cases, the donor or his representative may reserve the right to determine whether the donor's materials, a series, or a document or portions of it should remain closed; you cannot appeal such decisions.

(d) For information on filing appeals for requests made under mandatory review of White House originated information, see § 1260.62 of this chapter.


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