These finding aids are kept in the research room, but many are available on this Web site. Finding aids also may be borrowed overnight and by mail in limited quantities. Please do not hesitate to ask an archivist for help. Many of the most significant domestic policy and political affairs materials are processed and open to research. Some defense and foreign policy materials also are open.
Most open collections have some items that are temporarily restricted from public use.
Most closed items are national security classified or of such a nature that their release would be an unwarranted invasion of an individual's privacy. The National Archives and Records Administration temporarily restricts these and a few other categories of historical material regardless of source. Occasional other restrictions derive from specific agreements between the library and those who have donated materials. Researchers may formally appeal the restriction of items closed for privacy or other reasons unrelated to national security. The Freedom of Information Act does not apply to donated historical materials, including the Carter Papers.