Masaryk University Directive No. 2/2013

                         Research Rules of the Masaryk University Archives


                            (in the version effective from 1 May 2023)




Under Section 10(1) Act No. 111/1998 Coll., on Higher Education Institutions and on Modification
and Amendment of Other Acts (the Higher Education Act), as later amended (hereinafter referred to
as the “Act”), and under Section 36(a) of Act No. 499/2004 Coll., on Archiving and Records
Management, and on Modification of Certain Acts, as amended, and in accordance with Decree No.
645/2004 Coll. which implements certain provisions of Act on Archiving and Records Management, and
on Modification of Certain Acts, as amended, I hereby issue this Directive:

Section 1

Subject of Regulation and General Provisions

(1)      This Directive regulates the research of archival materials in the Masaryk University
Archives, in accordance with generally applicable legal regulations (hereinafter referred to as the
“Archives”). The Directive defines the conditions of making the archival materials accessible to
research and their treatment during research.

(2)      The archival materials may be consulted only after the conditions stipulated by law are
met and in the premises designated for such purpose (hereinafter referred to as the “research
room”). Applicants for consultation (hereinafter referred to as the “researcher”) are not entitled
to access the premises where the archival materials are stored.

(3)      The researcher shall make an entry in the visitors’ book specifying the date of the visit,
their name(s), surname, purpose of visit and attaching their signature. Access to the research room
is forbidden to persons who are dirty, under influence of alcohol, drugs or other addictive
substances or those who are armed.

(4)      Once in the research room, the researcher shall fill in the research form, available on
the Document Server of the MU Information System (hereinafter referred to as “IS MU”), which is
also an application to consult the archival materials. The researcher shall prove their identity
through an ID card, passport or another similar document presented to the employee who is on duty
and supervises the research room (hereinafter referred to as the “research room supervisor”), who
shall check the accuracy of details entered in the research form. In case the research form is
electronic, the form is filled in by the research room supervisor in the presence of the
researcher, who shall check all the details and sign the completed research form. A new research
form is filled in for each calendar year in which the researcher consults the archival materials,
on every change of the purpose of consultation and on every change of the theme of study.

(5)      Should the researcher fail to prove their identity through an ID card, passport or another
similar document, access to the archival materials shall be denied.

(6)      The archival materials are submitted to the researcher upon their express request which
may be sent to the Archives also via a post license holder or via electronic communication (by
email or phone) to the contact addresses published by the Archive on its website. In case the
request sent in writing does not contain all the details listed in subsection 6 or if the request
for archival materials is unclear, inaccurate or too general, such request shall be considered for
information only, and the researcher shall be prepared only those archival materials that should
undoubtedly be the subject of consultation.

(7)      The researcher shall fill in the request for submission of archival materials in the IS MU
for consultation with their name(s), surname, study topic, archive file name, box number, book
number, inventory number or signature or foil, if applicable, which they request for study, and
shall attach the signature and date of processing. The request form for submission of archival
materials for consultation is an annex to the research form. In case the researcher used the
procedure for requesting the archival materials under subsection 5, and their request met all the
requisites of a form under that subsection, the research form shall be attached the document
delivered by the researcher. In case the Archives were delivered an incomplete or inaccurate
request, they shall fill in the request form for submission of archival materials for consultation
in the research room. In case the researcher proceeded under subsection 5 and asks for submission
of more archival materials than those requested previously, they shall fill in the request form for
submission of archival materials for consultation only in the extent of the newly requested
archival materials.

(8)      Before entering the research room, the researcher shall take off the coat, hand luggage
and similar items in the place designated for such purpose. The research room may only be entered
with a pen, pencil, own loose sheets of paper without a cover, and with a recording device, such as
a camera, video camera, portable scanner or portable computer without a case. After they finish the
study, the researcher shall submit their things to be checked whether archival materials are not
taken out  (e.g. opens the laptop and the scanner, shows the sheets of paper etc.). The researcher
shall submit things they bring in upon request also before starting to study in the research room.

(9)      Silence must be maintained in the research room; the study environment must not be
disturbed by noise, loud communication with other researchers, excessive movement in the research
room and similar disturbances that do not agree with the purpose of the visit in the research room.
Smoking, eating, drinking and making phone calls are not allowed in the research room. Sound must
be switched off in any devices brought by the researcher with the permission of the supervisor to
the research room.

Section 2

Consulting Archival Materials

(1)      During consulting the archival materials, the researcher follows instructions of the
research room supervisor. The research room supervisor may claim that the researcher use only
ordinary pencils with medium hardness for making excerpts and notes from certain types of archival
materials. The research room supervisor is not obliged to provide assistance to the researcher in
reading the archival texts, their translation to other languages, explaining historical context
related to the archival materials etc.

(2)      The researcher is obliged to spare the archival materials as much as possible. The
researcher must not use the archival materials as a writing pad, copy from them using carbon paper,
must not underline or delete words or write into them or use them to any other purpose than
consulting. In case the researcher damages the archival materials, they shall be immediately
withdrawn the permission to consult the archival materials.

(3)      It is forbidden to take the archival materials out of the research room without a
permission of the research room supervisor. In case the researcher takes out any archival materials
out of the research room they shall be immediately withdrawn the permission to consult the archival
materials.

(4)      The archival materials requested by the researcher may only be consulted by one person at
a time, i.e. the researcher in whose research form the archival materials were entered. In
justified cases (e.g. for didactic purposes, during excursions etc.) the research room supervisor
may allow more persons consulting the archival materials.

(5)      The archival materials shall be submitted to the researcher in the period, total volume
and volume per day depending on operating conditions and technical possibilities of the Archives
with regard to the importance and purpose of consultation. Only such volume of archival materials
is usually submitted whose number and condition may be easily checked by the research room
supervisor on returning the materials. The staff of Archives prepare the archival materials for
researchers to be studied within two to five business days of the day of the request, usually in
the maximum volume of three boxes or ten pieces per day.

(6)      The Archives shall not reserve the archival materials in the research room in case the
researcher fails to start using them within thirty business days of the day on which they were
prepared or if they interrupt the consultation for a period longer than thirty days. The archival
materials are reserved for the researcher in the research room for a period necessary for
consultation. In case the researcher does not consult the reserved archival materials constantly or
regularly, and if they fail to return the reserved archival materials, the archival materials shall
be considered reserved for two months of the date of ordering. In justified cases, the reservation
may be extended for a longer period after the lapse of the original period, usually not longer than
until the end of the calendar year. In deciding on the extension, it shall be considered whether
other applicants are interested in consulting the archival materials concerned.

(7)      The Archives shall enable consulting the archival materials to another researcher than
that who requested them first, in case the researcher who has the archival materials reserved first
grants consent to such consultation by the other researcher or if each of these researchers
provably consults such archival materials for a different purpose or studies a different topic. In
case two or more people are interested in consulting the archival materials, the Archives shall
enable such consulting only to the researcher who reserved them first. Disputable cases shall be
decided by the Archives director.

Section 3

Reproductions

(1)      Upon permission of the research room supervisor, the researcher’s own recording devices
may be used for making reproductions of the archival materials for personal use of the researcher,
provided that all conditions set by the supervisor are met (e.g. maintaining silence in the
research room) and the other researchers are not disturbed. The consent shall be expressed by a
signature on the request for use of own recording device, available in the IS MU. The above
provision shall not affect the protection of potential property rights, copyrights and related
rights. The researcher shall submit a request for use of their own recording device to the research
room supervisor for approval before starting the work. He/she shall add the number of copies made
and their identification after finishing the work. It is forbidden to use cameras with flashlight
of all types and all types of flashing scanners in the research room of the Archives. The research
room supervisor shall warn the researcher of potential unsuitability of the above mentioned and
other recording devices. In the case of non-compliance with this prohibition, the researcher shall
be immediately withdrawn the permission to consult the archival materials.

(2)      After finishing work, the researcher shall leave their place in the research room clean
and tidy. Excerpts, notes and other aids or things shall not be left in the research room.

(3)      After finishing work, the researcher shall return the archival materials in the number,
succession and condition in which they were given them. In case the researcher breaches this duty,
they shall be immediately withdrawn the permission to consult the archival materials.

(4)      The research room supervisor shall check the number and condition of the archival
materials returned by the researcher and confirm their due return by signing the research form
before the researcher leaves the research room.

(5)      The information obtained from the archival materials shall only be used by the researcher
for the purpose stated in the research form. If used in scientific and other works, the name of the
Archives, the archive file names, signatures or inventory numbers of the archival materials shall
be mentioned (bibliographic data).

(6)      In case the researcher has published a work originated upon consultation of archival
materials stored in the Archives, or their reproductions, they shall send one copy thereof to the
Archives (e.g. edition of archival materials). In case the researcher used archival materials from
more archives, they shall send a copy of the work only to the archives most used; the other
archives shall be informed of bibliographic data of the published work, or they may send them the
work electronically in the PDF format.

Section 4

Use of Archival Aids

(1)      The Archives enable the researchers consulting archival aids.

(2)      Archival aids submitted to consultation are treated similarly to the archival materials
and literary works, provided that such archival aids are not official works and that they have the
elements of a subject of copyright protection.

Section 5

Reproductions of Archival Materials

The Archives provide reproductions of archival materials that are studied by the researcher or that
are needed for official purposes or for their own work specified in the research sheet, depending
on the consent of the archival material owner or on the protection of copyright and related rights.
The provision of reproductions of the archival materials is based on operational conditions and
technical devices of the Archives. Reproductions are not provided for the archival materials whose
physical condition does not allow this.

Section 6

Lending Archival Materials to Be Studied Outside the Archives

(1)      The originals of the Archives’ material are permitted to be lent to other archives only
exceptionally by the director, considering the sense, purpose and circumstances of their use,
safety of transport and protection of the archival materials in the place of temporary storage as
well as costs involved. Archival materials must not be sent by mail; they are transported by an
employee authorized by the director of the Archives under the terms agreed in advance.

(2)      Loans of archival materials outside of archives are permitted by the director only
exceptionally and under the terms of subsection 1 only to the owner or originator of the archival
materials, to a state authority, a local authority, a cultural and scientific institution for
exhibitions or other public presentations organized by that institution, and to persons who are
entitled to inspect documents under a special legal regulation, in case this is required on the
grounds of an official capacity. A loan of archival materials must not be denied to the originator
of the archival materials, in case they deposited the archival materials to the Archives pursuant
to a safekeeping agreement, donation agreement or purchase agreement which expressly stipulates
loans of the archival materials.

(3)      In case archival materials stored in the Archives are not owned by the Czech Republic, by
a legal entity established by law or a local government unit, a written consent of their owner is
required for the loan to be made.

(4)      When lending archival materials, the Archives are obliged to issue a written statement or
a contract, containing

a)     exact list of archival materials to be lent,

b)     purpose of loan,

c)     date of loan and required date of return,

d)     name, surname and permanent address of the borrower based on the identity card, if the
borrower is a natural person, or

e)     for a legal entity the registered office of the borrower, and name, surname and permanent
address of authorized person and

f)      own signature of the borrower or authorized person and official stamp of the borrower if a
legal entity.

(5)      The archival materials on loan shall be entered in the book of loans.

(6)      In case the borrower fails to return the archival materials within the agreed period and
fails to agree on the extension of the loan, they shall not be lent further archival materials
until the loan is returned.

Section 7

Tour of the Archives

Visitors who wish to make a tour of the Archives enter their names in the visitors’ book. Entry to
other premises of the Archives must be permitted by the director (head) of the Archives, and the
visitor must be accompanied by an authorized employee.

Section 8

Fees for Services Provided by the Archives

(1)      The amount of fees for making duplicates, extracts, transcripts or copies of the archival
materials in the analogue form or replicas of the archival materials in the digital form, fees for
locating the archival materials and their further processing and fees for researching the archival
materials shall be governed by the service price list available in the IS MU. The prices of
services are determined by the director of the Archives. Changes to the service price list must be
announced at least one month before they take effect.

(2)      The price list for services and copying fees is available to researchers for inspection in
the research room and via remote access.

Section 9

Common Provisions

In case the researcher breaches any of the basic duties set out in the Research Rules, they may be
denied consultation of the archival materials or may be withdrawn the permission, as the case may
be.

Section 10

Final Provisions

(1)      This Directive repeals the MU Directive No. 2/2013 – Research Rules of Masaryk University
Archives of 3 October 2019, effective from 10 October 2019.

(2)      I authorize the director of MU Archives to interpret the provisions hereof.

(3)      This Directive is part of the methodology management “Document Storage and Archiving”.

(4)      The compliance with this Directive shall be inspected by the director of MU Archives.

(5)      This Directive shall enter into force on the day of its execution.

(6)      This Directive shall enter into effect on 1 May 2023.




     electronic signature


                                                                 Martin Bareš

                                                                    Rector