Regulations of the Municipal and Provincial Archives of Vienna

Regulation based on § 12/1 Wiener Archivgesetz.

Formal requirements for accessing and using archival material

§ 1. It is mandatory for visitors to prove their identity with a valid photo ID, state their address, research purpose and subject every year, as well the name and address of their client where applicable and to accept the terms of use by signature. A photo ID is required for every visit.

Ordering archival material

§ 2. Original documents and books are ordered, reserved and returned by the staff of the Vienna City Archives. The number of individual orders for each user is limited to five per day. Once ordered the documents will be made available for two weeks. Any extension of this period must be requested in good time. If extensive records have been provided already, new documents will only be made available once the previous documents have been returned. The management of the Vienna City Archives reserves the right to use or dispose of each document or book that is currently in use, provided that the user is notified of this. Archival material that is no longer needed must be returned immediately. Notice of the end of use must be given to the staff at the service counter.

Rules of conduct in the reading room

§ 3. (1) The following basic code of conduct must be respected in the reading room and other premises of the Vienna City Archives serving as reading rooms:

  1. Users working in the reading room come here to work and concentrate. Please avoid any unnecessary noise.
  2. Bags, backpacks, coats, umbrellas etc. must not be taken into the reading room but must be left in the cloakroom.
  3. It is prohibited to make phone calls in the reading room. Mobile phones must be switched to silent mode.
  4. Smoking and consuming food or drinks is prohibited.
  5. Notes may only be taken by pencil. The use of pens, highlighters and other writing utensils is prohibited.
  6. Electronic equipment such as computers and digital cameras may be used as long as it does not create a disturbence. Using private scanners requires permission from the archivist on duty.
  7. Users are required to follow all instructions given by the staff in any part of the premises of the Vienna City Archives.

(2) In case of a serious breach of the present regulation, i.e. making notes on original documents, removing archival material from the reading room without permission or committing repeated violations, users will be banned from using archival material under § 9/3/4 of the Wiener Archivgesetz and will be instructed to leave the premises.

Use of archival material

§ 4. (1) The archival material provided and books from the library may only be used at the assigned workstations in the reading room, and must be treated with utmost care. This means in particular that

  1. archival material must not be marked, rearranged or used as a writing pad;
  2. opened books must not be placed on top of each other;
  3. pages should be turned gently; moistening your fingertips for this purpose is prohibited.

(2) Additional conditions for using special archival material (such as wearing gloves or using protective foils) can be stipulated for conservation purposes. Certain archival materials may only be made available in the form of duplicates.

(3) All users of the Vienna City Archives have equal rights to use the general facilities available, e.g. the open-access library, microfiche readers, computers or scanners. It is allowed to digitize. Please contact the staff for further information.

Lending

§ 5. (1) Archival material or books will only be loaned for official use. Further information (in German): Entlehnung von Archivgut - Antrag

(2) The Vienna City Administration (Vienna City Archives) may approve exceptions from article (1) in case archival material is needed for an exhibition.

Reproductions and use

§6. (1) Every commercial reproduction of original documents, either printouts or digital copies from archival material, requires a permission from the City of Vienna (Vienna City Archives).

(2) Reproductions of original documents are subject to special regulations and may be used free of charge if no specific fee is stipulated. Every reproduction has to be quoted with the Vienna City Archives/Wiener Stadt- und Landesarchiv as source.

Using archival material in publications

§ 7. Evaluations or publications based on archival material containing protected personal data are subject to the regulations of § 13 Wiener Archivgesetz. Users must also comply with legal regulations on copyright, especially regarding the reproductions of pictures, plans, maps and drafts. Copyright protection of letters and of portraits must equally be ensured. All reproductions of archival material require appropriate reference to the source, including quotation of the archival classification code. If a substantial amount of archival material from the Vienna City Archives has been used in preparing a publication, the Archives have to be be provided with a copy of the final publication free of charge.

Liability

§ 8. Under §12 of the Wiener Archivgesetz, users will be held liable for every damage caused to archival material or to the facilities of the Vienna City Archives, as well as for any possible impairment of third party rights in connection with the material and its use.

References

§ 9. Inasmuch as this regulation contains references to federal and/or provincial laws, these have to be applied in the version valid as of 1 February 2015.

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