9/11 museum to retool its research rules after criticism

Rules require researchers to seek the institution’s consent before publishing.

The 9/11 museum in New York city is backing off uncommon restrictions on researchers after complaints that the institution was stifling scholarship. Until at least August 21, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum’s website detailed “scholarly research rules and regulations” for access to its collection. They required researchers to let museum staffers review their work before publication and to adopt “any text changes” the museum proposed as a condition of getting the institution’s “consent” to publish. The rules said the institution was entitled to pursue “legal remedies” if a researcher did not comply, though the museum says it never did so and is now scrapping the review requirements and legal threat.