For what it's worth, (if anything), I believe the policy of the museum I
work for is that the registry database has considerable commercial value,
being the fruits of many decades of government funded research and
collection. Therefore, while we provide a free public service for small
scale inqirys, anyone who wishes a copy of any significant part of the
registers can pay for it. (I'm in Australia, and over here the political
atmosphere is tending strongly to the feeling that museums and similar
institutions should generate revenue.)
        In addition, there are privacy issues involved. A landowner or
grazier might be willing to allow a museum survey team on his land for a
fossil search for example, but if the location of the fossil deposits on
his land becomes common knowledge to rockhounds through the actions of
the museum, his tolerance might rapidly diminish. In addition, fragile or
sacred sites should not be widely advertised, in the interest of their
own preservation.
        I hope this is of some small help.
 
Peter Volk