Schuyler Larrabee wrote:

Uh, well, I'll stick up for the DeGolyer.

Schuyler is right. The previous director at the DeGolyer was something of a d--head but he's retired, and there is an entire new regime, very helpful and access-oriented.
This does raise the important point that personalities of archives ARE their personnel. A retirement or other departure can greatly alter what you thought you knew about a place--for better or worse. They may claim it's "just policy" but IMO it's really personality driven in most cases, and again, for better or worse.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroad history