1. Anyone pursuing a certain scientific or journalistic purpose or with a legal interest is permitted to use the Archives, provided they guarantee that they will adhere to these rules.
2. The applicant (minimum 18 years of age) must be able to identify his/herself upon request. The director may also request a recommendation. If other persons are called upon to assist or represent the person, a separate personal registration is required. Foreigners are treated the same as Germans in the sense of Article 116 of the Basic Law, but the use of the Archives by foreign citizens can be restricted or denied if reciprocity is not guaranteed.
3. User’s request is to be submitted in writing (form). It must contain precise information on the applicant’s subject; generally formulated applications for viewing of entire classes of the archives or their repositories are not sufficient. If the subject changes a new User’s request must be submitted.
4. The Director of the Archives will decide on the application. A permit even one with conditions placed upon it - can be withdrawn if there are special reasons of which the user is to be informed. Excluded from the general usage are archives which are still classified, those which could endanger the justifiable interests of third parties, which are temporarily required for official work and those which cannot be presented due to their poor condition.
5. The documents will be presented - at the discretion of the Archives either as originals, as copies or as transcriptions - only in the rooms intended for such viewing, where the visitor will be properly advised; additional assistance cannot be provided. The number of documents handed out at any given time will always be limited to a number which allows for controlling the completeness at the time the documents are returned. The documents may not be handed out if viewing of copies is sufficient to accomplish the purpose being pursued or the locating of documents would require extraordinary effort.
6. The archive user is obligated to handle the documents and finding aids with the utmost care and will be held liable for negligence. Modifications of the materials such as notes, highlighting, corrections are not permitted; neither may the materials be traced or quartz lamps or chemical reagents be applied. The order of the archives may not be altered. The user must check the condition when he/she receives the archives and immediately report any damages found, otherwise he/she may be liable for compensation (restoration). The use of own equipment, for instance word processors and calculators, dictating devices, cameras or computers requires a special permit.
7. It is not possible to borrow archives or books. The director will decide about exceptions in special cases (e.g. for the loaning of exhibits).
8. Photographic, electrostatic or other types of reproductions of individual items - not entire files or repositories - require prior approval. They are only permitted for personal use (working copies) and may therefore only be evaluated for the purpose applied for; they may not be forwarded to third parties. Their publication, with origin, requires the explicit approval of the director. In addition the user is obligated to submit any excerpts or transcripts of archives intended for forwarding or publication to the director upon request and deal with any objections.
9. The official use of the Archives is regulated separately.
10. These Rules for Usage replaces those from 2 May 1977 and go into effect on 3 June 1988.