Mission of the Museum

  
Purpose

The virtual museum and archive of the Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society, opened on June 1, 2002, is a distinctive and important source of the history and historic records of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and of the securities industry from the 1930s to the present.

The virtual museum and archive makes broadly available primary materials on the impact that the SEC has had on the growth of U.S. and international capital markets since its inception, and contributes to the understanding of how the SEC has shaped and continues to shape U.S. and international capital markets.

The virtual museum and archive is online only; there is no adjunct physical repository available to the public.

The Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, incorporated in 1999 in the District of Columbia. It is independent of and separate from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and receives no federal funding.

The Society is also separate from and independent of ASECA – Association of SEC Alumni, Inc.

Format and Standards

The virtual museum and archive is a repository of materials, in written, visual or oral format, which meets and fulfills its purpose. It utilizes Internet technology to offer broad dissemination of its materials. It offers optimum search, transcription and digitization practices to ensure ready access. It is free and available worldwide at all times.

The virtual museum and archive strives to fulfill the applicable criteria and standards established by the American Association of Museums for accredited museums.

Audience

The audiences of the virtual museum and archive include, but are not limited to, the SEC, persons in the securities industry or investor community, persons in the law or accounting professions, scholars and students, the press, and members of the general public who have an interest in the administration of the regulation of the capital markets.

Collections

The virtual museum and archive preserves a wide range of primary materials, including papers and photos; conducts and preserves oral histories interviews and online educational programs; provides a timeline of SEC and securities industry developments against U.S. and world events; and builds galleries on specific subjects which bring together all related materials in the collections.

The virtual museum and archive preserves materials which are not readily available through other sources. It provides links to other online collections which have securities-related materials.

The Museum Committee, under the governance of the Board of Trustees, determines if materials not developed by the Society will be accepted for inclusion in the virtual museum and archive. Acceptance of materials will be based on the following criteria:

1) The material relates to the purpose of the virtual museum and archive.
2) The material is primary.
3) The material is not readily available through other sources.
4) The material builds upon the collections and does not duplicate what is already archived.

Materials are added to the museum collections each month. Unless directed by the Museum Committee, no materials are subsequently removed from the collections.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has no oversight over the accession and exhibition of the collections of the virtual museum and archive, and provides no funding for the museum.

Preservation

The virtual museum and archive employs continuous off-site backup of its collections and technology. The virtual museum and archive collects and stores only those primary materials, once they have been added to the museum, which the Museum Committee determines and the Board of Trustees authorizes for retention.

Permission for Use

The virtual museum and archive is copyrighted by the Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society.

Institutional users must seek the approval of the Society, by email to the Executive Director, prior to any use of materials. In seeking use, institutions must specify which material(s) they wish to use, in what medium, and for what purpose.

At this time, individual users may access and use any materials without prior permission.

The Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society reserves the right to restrict access to or use of the virtual museum and archive by any user at any time.