Troubles with an Archive

[Tigla]

Over the summer, I visited an archive which was very helpful and accommodating. My last visit, they helped me prepare legal documents I needed to send to a handful of companies as requests to see their primary documents within the archive. We talked a bit about the next steps in my research and the archive suggested I get approval (or denial) to see the documents then come back. It took me about 2 months to get the legal documents approved and another month to send the information to the archive. Granted, I did take my time with the legal side of things, but for the past 2 weeks I have not received a response from the archive; neither a "yes we have your documents" nor a "thank you for the info, but the stacks are not open."

In this situation, what have other researchers done? Continuously emailing them and asking for a response? Leave it be for a couple more weeks?

[Sigaba]

4 hours ago, Tigla said:

Over the summer, I visited an archive which was very helpful and accommodating. My last visit, they helped me prepare legal documents I needed to send to a handful of companies as requests to see their primary documents within the archive. We talked a bit about the next steps in my research and the archive suggested I get approval (or denial) to see the documents then come back. It took me about 2 months to get the legal documents approved and another month to send the information to the archive. Granted, I did take my time with the legal side of things, but for the past 2 weeks I have not received a response from the archive; neither a "yes we have your documents" nor a "thank you for the info, but the stacks are not open."

In this situation, what have other researchers done? Continuously emailing them and asking for a response? Leave it be for a couple more weeks?

Your requests are going to work their way through numerous departments and entail a number of discussions up and down the companies' food chains. The fact that you sent the request as legal documents will add a layer or two of complexity. Additional issues that may screw up your time line are risk management policies on document retention, how well the relevant departments retain information,  Unless your request included a threat of legal or regulatory action that will impede day to day operations, it is exceedingly unlikely that your requests are a priority. Requests for information drain time and money from departmental budgets. Bosses and worker bees generally have more pressing responsibilities.

FWIW, I work on projects that are worth eight to nine figures USD in construction costs alone and that are pivotal in the realization of their strategic plans. Typically, we tell them the information we're going to need to do the job starting with the preliminary discussions, during contract negotiations, at kick off meetings, and in subsequent project communications. We reiterate the need for information in report/memo drafts and during conference calls in which drafts are discussed.  More often than one would like, we don't get the information we need even when companies want to fulfill our information requests.

So I recommend that you be patient, develop Plans B, C, and D. Be very thoughtful in the timing, phrasing, and frequency of your follow up communication. Don't give a jaded worker bee or an uninspired boss a reason to put your request on the bottom of a stack of work in the bottom draw of the cabinet that's most difficult to access.

Here's a hint based upon my experiences in another line of work. If you send a follow up communication, try to find assistants and coordinators who sit in client/customer facing departments: corporate affairs, business development, marketing, marketing services, and public relations are examples. Assistants and coordinators will often have a wider range of relationships across departments and up and down an organization's hierarchy. A CEO's executive assistant can have as much, if not more, pull/influence than the next executive on the org chart. Such an individual may know a better way to get a question answered and a request fulfilled.

#HTH