Every new researcher will be asked to complete an application. The Truman Library's collections are available to all researchers on an equal basis. A small portion of the library's manuscript collection, less than 1 percent of the total volume, is restricted and not open to research. These restrictions are required by federal law and regulation or by the provisions of the deeds of gift of the donors of the manuscripts. Most restricted documents contain either national security information or information the release of which could injure, embarrass, or harass a living person or the living members of the family of a deceased person.
Researchers have the right to appeal the restriction of any document in the library's holdings.
The staff will describe these appeal rights upon request. In general, appeals involving documents restricted according to the provisions of donors' deeds of gift are handled either by the Director of the Truman Library or by a board of review composed of National Archives and Records Administration personnel. Appeals involving documents restricted because they contain national security information are administered according to the mandatory review procedures contained in the prevailing Executive order governing the handling of classified information. These procedures involve the agency or agencies that originated the classified information, and are usually slow in operation. The library also currently has a small volume of material that is not open to research because it has not yet been processed - that is, it has not yet been reviewed, arranged, described, and given necessary preservation treatment.