They do not compete for acquisitions when competition would endanger the integrity or safety of records and papers. Archivists do not solicit the records of an institution that has an established archives. They cooperate to ensure the preservation of materials in repositories where they will be adequately processed and effectively utilized. Among archivists generally there seems to be agreement that one of the most difficult areas is that of policies of collection and the resultant practices. This section of the code calls for cooperation rather than wasteful competition, as an important element in the solution of this kind of problem.
Institutions are independent and there win always be room for legitimate competition.
However, if a donor offers materials that are not within the scope of the collecting policies of an institution, the archivist should tell the donor of a more appropriate institution. When two or more institutions are competing for materials that are appropriate for any one of their collections, the archivists must not unjustly disparage the facilities or intentions of others. As stated later, legitimate complaints about an institution or an archivist may be made through proper channels, but giving false information to potential donors or in any way casting aspersions on other institutions or other archivists is unprofessional conduct. It is sometimes hard to determine whether competition is wasteful. Because owners are free to offer collections to several institutions, there will be duplication of effort.