Messenger of the Lord

E. G. White Board Release Policies

The various Ellen G. White-SDA research centers have clearly stated procedures to help access desired materials. Equally important is their responsibility to protect the materials from damage or loss. MOL 529.1

Because research center personnel is limited, researchers desiring access to unpublished documents are encouraged to first consult the approximately 75,000 pages of published materials by means of the four-volume Comprehensive Index and the CD-ROM. MOL 529.2

To avoid misplacement, research center personnel, not the researcher, retrieve and return requested documents to the file. Whenever scanning of specific years is necessary, an entire drawer or file of documents may be requested without individual documents being removed. MOL 529.3

Provision exists for the researcher who may find it impossible to visit a center. Although centers do not maintain a “research by mail” program, the Permanent Loan Policy makes possible the help needed for special occasions. The center will supply specific letters or manuscripts (identified by the published reference), when requested, by mail. If the document requested has not yet been published in its entirety, a photocopy may be loaned, accompanied by a copy of the Permanent Loan Policy. For many reasons, continual requests for unpublished documents should be carried out in person at a center. MOL 529.4

Research in unpublished Ellen G. White letters and manuscripts is permitted with the understanding that the Ellen G. White Estate has been mandated by Ellen White’s will to maintain the publication rights for such documents. Consequently, the use of unpublished writings, as well as copyrighted materials in print, should conform to the provisions of the Copyright Code. MOL 529.5

With the passage of time, and increased research needs, the release policy of the White Estate was changed from asking, “Why should it be published?” to “Why not publish it?” This eventually led to the decision to make all of Ellen White’s letters and manuscripts available on CD-ROM. MOL 529.6