Is this allowed?

[+alexan44]

I have a new found friend that is president of our local Genealogy Chapter that is located in a registered historical building. We have placed a cache within the building, but before I submit it I want to make sure that this falls within the guidelines.

 

I don't know if since one has to enter the building to find the cache if that would be considered promoting an agenda of some type. I thought since this is much like a library and there are a huge number of library caches out there it would probably be acceptable, but had to ask before I embarrassed myself by submitting it for review and getting turned down.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Liz

[knowschad]

I have a new found friend that is president of our local Genealogy Chapter that is located in a registered historical building. We have placed a cache within the building, but before I submit it I want to make sure that this falls within the guidelines.

 

I don't know if since one has to enter the building to find the cache if that would be considered promoting an agenda of some type. I thought since this is much like a library and there are a huge number of library caches out there it would probably be acceptable, but had to ask before I embarrassed myself by submitting it for review and getting turned down.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Liz

 

Don't worry about being embarrassed by submitting it for review. That's what the reviewer is there for, and I have not yet met or heard of one that would be anything but magnanimous. The main criteria, as I understand it, is that a GPS is to be the primary means for locating the cache. There are some recent threads both on library caches and on agendas that might be useful for you. But again, your reviewer is probably where you want to go with this.

[+ace862]

Hi Liz,

I've done one that sounds very much like the one your thinking of doing. Check out GC16971

The only difference is that this one the cache is located on the grounds and not inside the building. But you do have to go inside to answer the questions. The cache was really well done.

Cheers!

Bill

[+Isonzo Karst]

Let me echo what knowschad said. Don't ask here, ask your local reviewer.

Just go ahead and write up the page, adding a note that the cache is not in place, but you want some feedback on the cache design.

 

That way the reviewer can get a handle on the two likely issues, sufficient gps use, and agenda. It's tough to "review" a cache from the hypothetical.

[+briansnat]

For it to be OK:

 

1. It can't be a for profit enterprise

2. Your cache can't appear to be promoting an agenda (e.g. the genealogy chapter)

3. You will need permission.

4. It will have to be available a reasonable amount of time. If the bulilding is only open on the 1st

Sunday of every month from 9am to noon, it might not fly.

5. GPS use has to be an integral part of the hunt. You can't just post coords to the parking lot and tell people to go inside.

 

If it passes those tests you are likely to be OK, but you might want to run it by your local reviewer just to be certain.

[+Touchstone]

What briansnat said.

 

I'd suggest writing up a quick Listing and emailing the link to your local Reviewer so they have something to look at, rather than talking in hypotheticals.

 

I think the three main hurdles to overcome would be GPS use, Solicitation, and Agenda. It's also not uncommon for these types of Listings to die an early death over the "interaction with staff". Or in other words, folks would have to ask someone at the museum for the cache in order to log it (e.g. hidden behind a check in counter or something).

 

Most of the Library Caches in our area are set up as Multi's to fulfill the GPS use part of the Guidelines. I'd either set it up that way to begin with, or anticipate having it suggested by the Reviewer.

[+geodarts]

I have found caches in many nice buildings, including the California Gold TB Hotel (GC15XK4) that was set up in a museum and Whats Mined is Yours (GCX6TF) at a mining library/museum. I have also visited some nice multis that ask you to obtain information in public accessible areas of museums and similar buildings In any event, it seems that a historical building with a genealogy theme could be interesting.

[+Knight2000]

You could also just hide it at the listed coordinates inside the building if it small enough of a building. Though, I would want it to be obvious if I was searching inside a building.

[+tzipora]

We have a small series of caches that are located in visitors' centers. They're all easy to find once you get in the building, and interaction with the staff members is not required. They're also traditional caches.

 

I can't remember how the coordinates were inside the buildings, though. Once I realized they were inside, I stopped looking at my GPS. To me, that's part of the sticky wicket. These caches were close enough to the doors that even if I were outside, I'd have stopped relying solely on the GPS and more on my own eyes, but I can also see how a reviewer might determine that the GPS use wasn't integral to the find. I will say that I had to help a friend find one of them. He tried looking without me, and didn't realize that the cache was inside, so he looked all over outside the building. They're all close enough to walls that if you were outside in the right spot, you'd think you were at ground zero, so I guess they're tricky that way.

[+EscapeFromFlatland]

Is there a window on the ground floor that you could walk up to from the outside?

 

If so, purchase a geocaching window cling. Place the cache inside near the window, use the coordinates of the window and place the geocaching windowcling in the corner of the window.

 

Let the hint be "inside building". :-)

 

Make sure your attributes mentions its not available 24/7 and have the hours available in the listing.

 

I like this idea for a cache. My first 2 caches list historical information on the listings (Tunnel Vision and Step Right Up, Folks!). Perhaps its the fact that I was a history minor in college and was briefly a history teacher before deciding to spend a few years on sabbatical/quarter-life-crisis.

Edited August 21, 2009 by bramasoleiowa

[+alexan44]

Thank all of you so much for your info and encouragement. I did send the cache in for review and it got accepted! Can't wait for the FTF's note to see if it was fun and interesting.

 

I always look to you experienced folks to help me with these kinds of questions, and once again you all came through with flying colors!

 

Thanks again!

Liz

[+Jackalgirl]

Does the Geneaology Chapter have any kind of displays up? If so, you could make it a puzzle/mystery cache whose coordinates are plugged in using clues from the displays. I found a cache like that once and it was one of the best caches I've ever found.

[+ecanderson]

I have a new found friend that is president of our local Genealogy Chapter that is located in a registered historical building. We have placed a cache within the building, but before I submit it I want to make sure that this falls within the guidelines.

 

I don't know if since one has to enter the building to find the cache if that would be considered promoting an agenda of some type. I thought since this is much like a library and there are a huge number of library caches out there it would probably be acceptable, but had to ask before I embarrassed myself by submitting it for review and getting turned down.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Liz

If it is an RLDS operated facility (a fair jump of an assumption on my part, but possible given your state and the nature of the facility), you may eventually run into problems with that with your reviewer, even though the cache has already been posted by your reviewer.

 

If not, I'd guess there's a good chance things will go well. I've seen a number of "indoor" caches before that muddled GPS reception, but didn't require the GPS once indoors. Haven't seen a reviewer bounce one of those yet, so this one ought to 'stick' if nothing else becomes an issue.