You need to emphasise - without going over the top - that any email
"belongs" to and is the resonsibility of the institution as a whole, and
that despite its informality whatever goes out, even on purely internal
circulations, is subject to exactly the same principles of law and
professional ethics as e.g. what is said in published annual
reports or in exhibit labels.

One of the largest UK insurance companies has just found this out to their
cost - to the tune of US$ 800,000 in damages, awarded because a few sales
personnel circulated untrue rumours about the financial stability a
smaller rival company - not externally but just on their internal
intranet.

Patrick Boylan

================================


On Mon, 11 Aug 1997, Judy Prosser Armstrong wrote:

> Subject: e-mail policies
>
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> We are in the process of revising our personnel manual.  One of the
> sections we would like to add is one concerning e-mail.
>
> Does anyone out there have one for their institution they might be
> willing to share with us?  So far, unfortunately, only two of us are
> using e-mail at work, but this should change dramatically over the next few
> months as further access becomes available.
>
> We need to put together an overall internet policy, but we need this
> component fairly soon.  The manual is being revised almost as I
> communicate this. Can anyone help us?
>
> Judy Prosser-Armstrong
> Librarian/Archivist
> Museum of Western CO
> (voice) 970-242-0971 ex. 209
> (fax) 970-242-3960
>