Access Requests & Researcher Portal¶
A Guide for Researchers and Staff¶
What is the Researcher Portal?¶
The Researcher Portal is your gateway to accessing archival materials. It helps you: - Register as a researcher - Request access to restricted materials - Book reading room visits - Manage your research workspace
For Researchers¶
Registering as a Researcher¶
┌──────────────────┐
│ Visit the │
│ archive website │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Click │
│ "Register" │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Fill in your │
│ details │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Submit │
│ application │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Wait for │
│ approval │
│ (1-3 days) │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Receive email │
│ confirmation │
└──────────────────┘
Registration Form¶
You'll need to provide:
| Field | Why We Need It |
|---|---|
| Full name | For identification |
| For communication | |
| Organisation | Your institution or affiliation |
| Research purpose | What you're researching |
| ID/Passport number | For access to restricted materials |
| Phone number | For urgent contact |
Requesting Access to Materials¶
Some materials have restrictions. To request access:
┌──────────────────┐
│ Find the │
│ record you need │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ See "Restricted"│
│ or "Request │
│ Access" button │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Click "Request │
│ Access" │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Explain why │
│ you need access │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Submit request │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Staff review │
│ your request │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
┌────┴────┐
│ │
APPROVED DECLINED
│ │
▼ ▼
┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐
│ Access │ │ Reason │
│ granted │ │ provided│
└─────────┘ └─────────┘
Request Types¶
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Clearance Request | Request higher security clearance |
| Material Access | Access to specific restricted item |
| Repository Access | Access to an entire collection |
| Researcher Registration | New researcher application |
Booking a Reading Room Visit¶
┌──────────────────┐
│ Log in to your │
│ account │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Go to │
│ "Book Visit" │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Select date │
│ and time │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ List materials │
│ you want to see │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Submit booking │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Receive │
│ confirmation │
└──────────────────┘
Your Workspace¶
Once registered, you have a personal workspace:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ MY WORKSPACE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 📋 MY REQUESTS │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ • Smith Papers access - Pending │
│ • Reading room visit Jan 15 - Confirmed │
│ │
│ 🔖 SAVED SEARCHES │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ • "Anglo-Boer War letters" │
│ • "Johannesburg 1950s" │
│ │
│ 📁 MY COLLECTIONS │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ • Thesis Research (12 items) │
│ • Background Material (5 items) │
│ │
│ 📝 MY NOTES │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ • Notes on Document A │
│ • Interview questions │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Generating Citations¶
Need to cite materials? Use the citation generator:
- Go to any record
- Click Cite
- Choose your style:
| Style | Example |
|---|---|
| Chicago | Smith Papers, Box 1, File 3. Provincial Archives... |
| MLA | "Letter to John." Smith Papers. Provincial Archives... |
| APA | Smith, J. (1920). Letter to John. Smith Papers... |
| Harvard/UNISA | Provincial Archives (1920) Smith Papers... |
For Archive Staff¶
Approving Researcher Registrations¶
┌──────────────────┐
│ New researcher │
│ registers │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Notification │
│ appears in │
│ dashboard │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Review the │
│ application │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────┐
│ Verify │
│ credentials │
└────────┬─────────┘
│
┌────┴────┐
│ │
APPROVE DECLINE
│ │
▼ ▼
┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐
│ Set │ │ Provide │
│ access │ │ reason │
│ level │ │ │
└─────────┘ └─────────┘
Processing Access Requests¶
When someone requests access to restricted materials:
- Go to Admin → Access Requests
- Review the pending request
- Check:
- Is the researcher registered?
- Is their research purpose legitimate?
- Do they have appropriate clearance?
- Approve or decline with reason
The Approval Dashboard¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ACCESS REQUESTS │
├───────────────┬───────────────┬──────────────────────────────┤
│ 👤 Pending │ ✓ Approved │ ✗ Declined │
│ 5 │ 23 │ 2 │
├───────────────┴───────────────┴──────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ PENDING REQUESTS │
│ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Dr. van der Merwe │ Clearance │ 2 days ago │ [Review] │
│ Prof. Nkosi │ Material │ 1 day ago │ [Review] │
│ Ms. Johnson │ Registration │ Today │ [Review] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Managing Reading Room Bookings¶
View and manage bookings:
- Go to Admin → Reading Room → Bookings
- See calendar view of all bookings
- Check in researchers when they arrive
- Record materials issued and returned
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TODAY'S BOOKINGS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 09:00 Dr. van der Merwe │
│ Smith Papers (Box 1-3) │
│ Status: ✓ Checked In │
│ │
│ 10:30 Prof. Nkosi │
│ Municipal Records 1950-1960 │
│ Status: ○ Expected │
│ │
│ 14:00 Ms. Johnson │
│ Photographic Collection │
│ Status: ○ Expected │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Access Levels Explained¶
| Level | Who Gets It | What They Can See |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Anyone | Published records, no restrictions |
| Registered | Approved researchers | + Some restricted materials |
| Researcher | Verified academics | + Research-restricted items |
| Staff | Archive employees | + Internal materials |
| Administrator | Senior staff | Everything |
Tips for Researchers¶
Before visiting: - Book in advance (at least 24 hours) - List specific materials you need - Bring ID matching your registration
During your visit: - Sign in at reception - Handle materials carefully - No pens (pencils only) - Photography may require permission
After your visit: - Return all materials - Sign out - Complete any feedback forms
Troubleshooting¶
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Can't register | Check all required fields are filled |
| Request rejected | Contact the archive for clarification |
| Booking not confirmed | Allow 24 hours for processing |
| Can't see materials | Check your access level |
| Forgot password | Use password reset link |
For assistance, contact the reading room staff.