ARCHIVES AT THE MILLENNIUM

The Twenty-Eighth Report of theRoyal Commission on Historical Manuscripts

1991-1999

Transcripts of the written evidence

Preface

The Commissioners’ Twenty-Eighth Report to the Crown has been published under the titleArchives at the Millennium (Stationery Office, 1999).

The Commissioners invited written evidence for their survey and indicated that this would bemade publicly available unless marked Confidential. This publication gives effect to thatundertaking. The original returns will be made available for consultation in the Public RecordOffice as soon as the necessary formalities of transfer have been completed.

Correspondence and telephone calls received in connection with the survey were logged andgiven consecutive numbers: AM 1, AM 2 etc. The original responses are reproduced belowwithout comment. They have been edited, by the under-signed, mainly to omit salutations andcomments of a purely procedural nature about the scope of the survey itself, and to introducesome measure of standardisation of presentation. In other respects, apart from very minoreditorial changes to spelling or grammar, the text of the responses is quoted verbatim. Thanks aredue to Peter Wojtyczka and James Lawford for scanning the original returns so that they couldbe assembled in this way for electronic publication.

The Commission does not accept any responsibility or liability for the views expressed, whichare those of the individuals and organisations concerned; nor does it vouch for the accuracy offacts, figures or statements contained in the submissions. The Commission replied to manyrespondents, commenting on their views and sometimes seeking to moderate particularconclusions. This latter correspondence is not reproduced here but will be placed with theoriginal evidence in the Public Record Office. Figures in each heading, in the form 4/98, refer tothe month and year in which the response was received.

CJ KitchingSecretaryOctober 1999

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WRITTEN EVIDENCE

AM 1 (Mark Pargeter, 3/98)I was until I retired recently a senior universityadministrator involved in planning. We had atour university a very rich archive of bothmanuscripts and photographs, These had beengiven to the university over the years- and nodoubt this is a common experience of almost alluniversities. In the face of successive budgetcuts the post of archivist was abolished, and inthe years that followed many library posts werealso removed on the retirement of librarians.

The university had to maintain the centralfunctions of teaching and research within itsdepartmental structure, and the archives, whilebeing available were to all intents and purposesinaccessible since they were uncatalogued.Unless accompanied by substantial endowmentsfurther acquisitions were discouraged – anotable exception, for which separate fundinghas been found, being a very distinguishedarchive collection of ceramic ware, which hasproved indispensable to a newly createddepartment of Fine Art.

This has been in contrast to the excellentlymaintained County Archive department. I had asmall collection of archive materials to lodge,and was greatly impressed by the speed withwhich this collection was catalogued and storedand therefore made available to scholars.

Although it, is contrary to the traditions ofuniversities there is a case for funding themanagement of archives separately within auniversity budget, perhaps providing secondedposts from a county archive service (whichwould need to receive enhanced funding to doso) or in the provision of specific posts attachedto university libraries.

There may also be a case to provide a specificburst of activity to celebrate the Millennium andto extinguish a backlog of uncatalogued andunsorted archive materials. I would suggest thatpostgraduate places be provided which areattached to the library of universities rather thanto departments which enable groups of archivesto be researched, and archiving methodologyexplored rather than attaching to particularsubject areas. Many archives do not fit easilyinto specific departmental categories – I can

think of company archives which are of interestto historians, economists, sociologists,engineers, chemists and whatever – but untilthey are sorted and catalogued one has no ideawhat their precise contents are.

There is also need for additional space to carryout these activities and for the provision ofskilled technicians who can deal with wear,deterioration, and copying. Photographicarchives in particular are often in serious dangerof disappearing through neglect. I hadresponsibility for a glass slide collection whichwas extremely fragile and copying was a highlyskilled and rewarding process, but it was alsovery slow. Although your remit appears to bewith respect to manuscript collections, it isessential to see archives as a whole – manyarchive collections consist of mixed materialsincluding artefacts, and they have an integrity asa collection which is inseparable.

There is a wealth of material which is currentlylanguishing because of the underfunding ofuniversities. The Commission should considerways of rectifying this loss to the nation’sintellectual capital as a worthy monument to theMillennial celebrations.

AM 2 (North West Film Archive. DirectorMaryann Gomes, 3/98)As ... the custodian of Britain’s largest publicfilm collection outside London ... I wouldintend to argue that the lack of public funding tocover audio-visual collections in Britain hasseriously endangered the future of the mostvivid record of twentieth century life.

AM 3 (Neville Stuart, 3/98)Having lived as a child under the sound of themachinery used to construct some very famousships on Tyneside, and viewing with nostalgicsadness the demise of the British shipbuildingindustry, it is of some interest to me to observethe diffidence with which archival records ofthat particular part of our national history areregarded.

Currently, there is on Tyneside some concernthat HMS Cavalier, the last remaining WWII

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destroyer may be sold and cut up for scrap.This may happen very very soon. A House ofCommons culture select committee has urgedthe Government to prevent this from happening,but there is as yet no certainty that such an actof historic, cultural and archival vandalism willnot take place.

In the matter of archives specifically, however, Ihave found that the local people with goodknowledge whilst sympathetic are sometimeswary of becoming too involved with projectswhich might consume both time and resourceswhich naturally enough they find impossible toprovide, in the course of historical preservation,sometimes of material with which they haveeven a close family historical connection.

How little would it cost to catalogue by nameall of the famous ships constructed on the riverTyne down its history? How little more tocollect and preserve the working plans of suchvessels, so that models could eventually beconstructed to add to those of the originalconstructors already preserved at NewcastleDiscovery Museum?

It is not very widely known that HMS Bulldog,constructed at Wallsend between the wars, a ‘B’Class destroyer, was the command of theconvoy escort commander, which extracted thematerial from U110, providing the intelligencewhich hastened the victory in the Battle of theAtlantic – and other vital allied victories inWWII. Where are the plans to which she wasconstructed? Jarrow and Jutland are nameswhich have more than alliterative connotations!

Of course I realise that I must sound like anyold militant Geordie – but we have more thanbeer in this region. There is still a lot of brain,and a great deal of ‘bash’ to associate with it,and a concentrated effort to regain our archivalrecords and to publicise them is long longoverdue. I hope these vague and somewhatveiled suggestive comments excite a responsefrom your authority.

AM 4 (North of Ireland Family HistorySociety. Robert Davison, General Secretary,3/98)The Society, which was formed in 1979, has tenbranches in the North of Ireland and manymembers world-wide. It is a voluntary, non-profit making organisation depending on thesupport of those who are interested in the

subject of genealogy. The objective of theSociety is to foster interest in family historywith special reference to families who haveroots in the North of Ireland and theirdescendants, wherever they may be. We are aregistered charity, No. X0146/90.

The Society has its offices and a library atCraigavon House, Circular Road, Belfast, whichis the headquarters of the Somme AssociationLtd. Our library contains books and documentsrelating to family history research in the Northof Ireland and beyond. We publish a twice-yearly Journal which is exchanged with manyFamily History Societies throughout the UKand world-wide.

Consequently, we have an extensive collectionof these ‘exchange journals’ which are alsolocated within the Library. Many privatelyproduced family histories have been depositedwith us to aid research. The Library is onlyaccessible to Society members and hasrestricted opening hours.

[AM 5 number cancelled]

AM 6 (MJ Whitson, 3/98)Whilst I note that your enquiry is concernedwith records other than those which are theresponsibility of central government there is aset of important records which are of a hybridnature which you may accept as within theparameters of your report.

As you will know the office of the RegistrarGeneral has been responsible for the collectionof details of all births, marriages and deaths inEngland and Wales since I July 1837. TheRegistrar General in maintaining these recordsis dependent for their initial collection on thelocal Superintendent Registrars who are obligedby law to remit copies of the events they recordto the Registrar General. So in this manner twoseparate records have been established and forvarious reasons a discrepancy has developedbetween them. This discrepancy has arisen byclerical error, loss in transit and loss in theRegistrar General’s office.

As you may appreciate these records areinvaluable to genealogists, sociologists andhistorians although in the two latter cases use islimited due to the fact that cost makes their useprohibitive. This obstacle might have been

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overcome had legislation successfully beenpromoted to secure the implementation ofChapter 6 of the White Paper issued in January1990 and entitled Registration - proposals forchange.

What should be of concern in your enquiries isthe ownership and state of the original indexesand registers compiled by the SuperintendentRegistrars. I should explain that the registerscomprise the original copies of the birth,marriage and death certificates. The indexes arethe aids to finding individual entries.Registration law does not specify who owns therecords created by the SuperintendentRegistrars. These officials are appointed by,paid by and their accommodation is provided bycounty councils or boroughs but they arecontrolled by the Registrar General. It isbecause the law is silent on this matter ofownership of the local records that your enquirymight encompass them.

As stated above, the records have been createdsince 1837 and I am reliably informed thatmany regulatory officials in local authoritiesresponsible for the registration service areextremely concerned about the state of the earlyrecords which are often stored in totallyunsuitable conditions leading to theirdeterioration. Had the proposals of Chapter 6 ofthe White Paper been enacted these records over75 years old would have been microfilmed andmade available to the public in that form whilstthe paper records would have been turned overto local authority record offices forpreservation.

Whilst it may be open to question as to whetheryour enquiries would cover the records of theSuperintendent Registrars it is unlikely that youwould dispute that it is important that theirrecords be preserved in the best possible way.

AM 7 (Tom Cockeram, 3/98)Over a period of some years, I have beencarrying out research into specific aspects of thearea in which I work: Stourbridge, WestMidlands. To this end, I have used a number ofdifferent sources, and visited a few archives,both regional and national. As an amateur withlimited time and money I have enjoyed pursuinginformation, where ever it may be, but have alsobeen frustrated by a couple of problems inaccessing these archives.

Firstly, it would appear that unless you are aprofessional, student, retired, or unemployedthat access is seriously restricted. Very fewarchives are open outside normal workinghours, ie 9.00-5.00. The more important theinstitution, the more likely it is that this is thecase: ie Kew Records Office, National RailwayMuseum (by appointment only), etc. I wouldhowever say that the Dudley local authority, inwhich Stourbridge is located, have very wideopening hours for its library service, and theirlocal archive centre has some late evening andSaturday opening.Secondly, I was amazed, in one instance, when Imade a request to the National Lending Libraryfor a Parliamentary Paper; it could not besupplied. This was the 1825 Bill for theLiverpool to Manchester Railway. Some wouldsay this is one of the most important documentsin the area of industrial, and early railwayresearch, and although it may seem strange, hasa particular relevance to Stourbridge. Ieventually made a visit to Liverpool to see acopy for a few hours, but since then have notmanaged to return. In my own small way I amtrying to develop systems which, ifimplemented by these major institutions, wouldcircumvent some of these problems of access.

During the course of my research I haveaccumulated a small archive of my own, whichincludes photographs, taped conversations,photocopies, and manuscripts; and in the courseof time I have entered a fraction of this ontocomputer. Although tiny is the amount of thisdigital information (between 1 & 2 millionwords), I am presently experimenting withreplicating documents (non copyright), usingthe ‘PDF’ file format (Adobe Acrobatsoftware). This file format has the advantage ofbeing compact, and accessible via the worldwide web, while retaining its style across variedcomputer platforms.

I hope, within the coming year, to beginpublishing this information, as a resource thatlocal schools, railway & industrial historians, orthe merely interested can access via the Internet.I would be interested to know if any archivesare pursuing this option for making informationavailable. I realise that conversion of existingdocuments will involve costs but, in the case ofprinted material, the use of OCR techniquescould automate much of this procedure and,combined with Acrobat’s own routines,generate the necessary files fairly quickly.

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I enclose some samples of documents createdby this technique [not reproduced here]. I amstill in the process of mastering this software,and while I am getting consistent results if filesare kept to my own machine, I am still havingglitches when transferred to alternativeplatforms. I shall overcome.

[AM 8 telephone call recording the existence ofbusiness archives: not written evidence]

AM 9 (Peter Plumridge, 3/98)I comment as an individual researcher, i.e.carrying out historical research for myself andnot acting as an agent.

I see three essentials: (1) ready accessibility; (2)care of documents; and (3) depositing ofdocuments. Taking the points separately:

1. Accessibility. Not everyone has ready accessto the Internet but in any case it is not alwayspossible to identify a particular document untilvisiting a research centre sometimes well awayfrom one’s own home; to exemplify, discoveriesin one document may well point the way toanother document in the centre. However,having identified a required document, bywhatever means, speedy production is verydesirable if (limited) research time is not to belost. It follows, having identified a document atany centre, that the document should be storedat that location. Whereas, yes, copies ofdocuments can be transmitted electronicallyto/from remote locations, this may not alwaysbe practicable (yet) - see (2) below.

2. Care. Many documents are now onmicrofilm (e.g. wills and parish registers [PRs]),this is essential if damage to originals is to beavoided. However, all too often (and I speakfrom national experience) film quality is poor:with early PRs for example the camera [has] notbeen able to cope with the roll of pages tightlybound into the register. This results in theoriginal being consulted (assuming the archivistis willing) but of course the object is defeatedand documents are unduly handled. Thushigher quality reproduction is essential beforeover reliance is placed on electronic transfer.(Always nice to see an original (!) but, we haveto accept, not to be recommended withincreasing demands.)

(3) Deposits. Too much has already been lost,but arising from land registration especiallythere is a real need for a national campaignexhorting owners to deposit deeds and relateddocuments so that our history remainsdocumented for future generations. I hope youcan take these observations from an amateurresearcher as being constructive.

AM 10 (Management History Project. Dr ELBrech, 3/98)I am raising a problem for your consideration inthe context of professional management amongour national industrial and commercial sectors.For some years (in retirement) I have beenresearching and compiling the evolution of thatprofession since 1851-52, in cooperation withthe Institute of Management and the OpenUniversity Business School, both organisationsactively participating in a project SteeringCommittee. ‘Archives’ have caused recurrentlyinhibiting difficulties and we have metnumerous instances of destruction that could beaptly regarded as historical vandalism.

We have for some time been consideringpossible ways and means of establishing a‘national management archive’; there arevarious locations for the physical accumulation,if that were needed. The urgent requirementlies in identification and cataloguing for whichan amount of full-time attention would benecessary.

Could we ask that this development couldbecome assisted as a matter of urgency beforefurther destruction is perpetrated ahead of themillennium?

AM 11 (Richard Storey, 3/98)I am pleased to have this opportunity to makesome comments on aspects of archives at theturn of the century. The background to mydoing so will be familiar to the Commission, asI worked on its staff for ten and a half years(1963-73), before leaving to become thefounding Archivist of the Modern RecordsCentre of the University of Warwick Library, apost I held for nearly twenty four years. Inretirement I am keeping closely in touch witharchives, partly in the field of transport history.

Since I began my life’s work in archives in1963, enormous developments have occurred,which have opened up to researchers great tracts

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of material largely unavailable (and unknownand uncharted) at that time. These include, forexample, the records of organised labour, ofemployers’ organisations, publishing archives,many business records, such as those of themotor industry, and the papers of public figures,from the Duke of Wellington to Sir VictorGollancz. Yet paradoxically the more we haveavailable, the more aware we are of the gaps inarchive provision. For example, the politicallife of the second half of the twentieth centuryhas been marked by the upsurge of single-interest groups, the earlier records of many ofwhich have now matured into archive-worthymaterial. For most of these records no obviousarchive provision exists, with no national bodycapable of assessing the national need andsupporting or supervising the making ofprovision for it.

I make this comment fully aware both of theCommission’s role and of the existence of theNational Council on Archives (on which Iserved for a number of years). Without wishingto disparage the NCA, from the outside it isapparent that whilst it may have standing, it hasno power. Although I am far from being adirigiste or centralist, I do feel that in thequestion of archive provision, the Commission,in concert with the heads of the principalnational repositories, should constitute a centralpoint d’appui, with a formal existence.

A more proactive kind of overview is all themore necessary in the light of the apparentrandomness of developments occasioned byboth the Non-Formula Funding of ResearchCollections in the Humanities in the universitysector and by National Lottery funding overall.Whilst any new development in archiveprovision must be welcomed, unless positivelyharmful, the randomness of application andresponse seems to be resulting in a veryunequal, perhaps even distorted, allocation ofpublic funds for archives, not necessarily inaccordance with a properly worked outprogramme of priorities. The Non-FormulaFunding seems, for example, to have an IT biasthat was not transparent in the process of itssetting up. Another example of unintendedconsequences of funding provision currentlyallows the papers of living UK authors tomigrate to well-resourced centres in the UnitedStates, a threat this country has been well awareof and (feebly) addressed for decades.

In my view a longer-term and deep-seatedproblem affects all university-basedrepositories, which has been internationallyhighlighted by the recent threat to the NoelButlin Archive Centre at ANU. This is thepotential dichotomy between the nationalarchive provision made by a university-basedrepository such as the Modern Records Centreand the views of the university’s ownmanagement, which can alter over time with thechange of key figures involved. What wasoriginally seen as a key asset can come to beregarded as a drain on resources, especially ifacademic trends on the parent campus move toother subject areas. This is to overlook theinherent significance of the repository and itsrole in the national scheme of archive provision.Such a possible conflict is exacerbated by thecurrent obsession with the ‘bottom line’ and anunwillingness to maintain ‘open’ researchfacilities for the good of all, which manifestsitself amongst numerous universitymanagements. What is needed is somepermanent kind of Non-Formula Funding,aimed at basic support, rather than concentratedon IT issues.

AM 12 (International Association for Historyand Computing. Dr K Schurer, President,3/98)The main area that I wish to draw attention to isthe provision for the archiving of electronicdocuments and materials. As the Commissionwell knows the volume of documents beingcreated electronically is escalating day-by-day.Moreover, many classes of documents thatwould have previously been created on paperand archived in the traditional way are now onlybeing generated electronically. One of the keyproblems (leaving aside the huge volume ofelectronic material that has already been lost) isthat whereas conventional archival material isusually held by the owner or creator for someconsiderable period (normally a minimum of 30years) prior to transfer to the archive, in the caseof electronic material such policy would resultin the electronic material invariably beingunreadable. In addition to this electronicdocuments suffer from specific problems ofprovenance and context which are rapidly lostover time.

These issues are not new to archivists, but I amstill surprised about how little seems to be done.The PRO have taken a lead of sorts with theestablishment of an Electronic Records Centre

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for specific types of government electronic data,and are investigating the problems associatedwith other types of electronic material.However. at a more local level county recordoffices seem to have been slow to react, eventhough the problem is as real for them as it isfor the PRO. A lack of resources and possiblyadequate skills to tackle the problem wouldseem to be at the root of the inactivity, but thelonger archivists procrastinate the more data arelost and the more difficult the problems become.

I could also go on to talk about the use of IT topreserve and disseminate archival sources, butyou probably have heard enough about thisalready!

[AM 13 Commercial response, not included aswritten evidence]

AM 14 (GV Bloomfield, 3/98)Being an engineer by training and experience Iam very conscious of the decline in the UK ofthe engineering industry – particularly in theperiod 1970-1990. Many great companies, forexample Alfred Herbert Ltd, and many of theirsuppliers of castings, forgings and othercomponents went into receivership/liquidationor were ‘rationalised’, i.e. absorbed into largerenterprises.

It is my understanding that a liquidator candestroy a company’s records 12 months afterthe liquidation is complete. Surely what weneed is for the liquidator to offer thedocuments/records to the local archives beforethey are destroyed. In my view [persuasion]may not be enough, and some legislation maybe required.

Perhaps the HMC needs also to be moreproactive, i.e. to make its presence more widelyknown to business leaders (and also CompanySecretaries) that their early records are of value[sic] and some at least worth preservation in aplace of safety.

May I say that in a very busy life as an engineerand Company Secretary the value of companyrecords (older than the statutory period of 7years) escaped me. It is only since I have begunto study industrial archaeology and businesshistory that I have come to appreciate theirvalue.

AM 15 (Pamela Priestland, 3/98)As a frequent user of the HMC publishedvolumes, I have found most of the summariesextremely good. and when a topic is of wideinterest the verbatim text has been a bonus.Occasionally, however, an outline summary of aletter, the full text of which would seem to be oflittle interest, is insufficient for particularlylocal or specialised research. I know that manyowners do allow researchers to have access tothe original document so that the full text maybe studied, but this is not always the case. Forexample, recently the Duke of Rutland wouldnot allow access to certain letters in his archiveswhich appear only briefly in print as he has noarchivist. It would be particularly helpful toresearchers such as myself if the HMC, with theaid of modern technology, could be allowedaccess to ‘fill the gaps’ and make the full textsavailable.

[AM 16 telephone enquiry, not included aswritten evidence]

AM 17 (Alpine Club. Livia Gollancz, Hon.Archivist, 3/98 )I would like to draw your attention to theposition of small Club archives, such as ours.We have letters, diaries, personal and literarypapers, newspaper cuttings and Club recordsgoing back 150 years and covering a wide rangeof mountaineering subjects. The material is wellstored but our index is totally inadequate.Moreover there are no funds either to buy incurrent material or to subscribe to a cuttingsagency in order to keep our cuttings section upto date for future generations.

The archives have always been serviced byvolunteer Club members, but in earlier days,when the Club members were largely academicsand ‘gentlemen’ there was plenty of money tospend on professional help. Now, because theArchive is so little used (largely I suspectbecause it is not known and inadequatelyindexed) there is a minimum of internal moneyavailable.

At a guess it would take a professional archivista year, full time, to index our archive in such away that it could be put on computer andthereby cross-referenced. In my view it is themost valuable resource of its kind in thecountry, in the field of mountaineering. Do youknow of any organisation that might fund such

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work? And also the ongoing cost of collectingnewspaper cuttings which I estimate as c£1,500per annum.

AM 18 (Eric Jukes, 3/98)I am writing as someone with a growingconcern in this field. My concern relatesspecifically to digital documents.

More and more records are being stored oncomputer, and, indeed, generated by computer.These statistical and other records will be asimportant in a few years as documents in moretraditional form. However, there is a danger ofthese records either disappearing for ever, orbecoming inaccessible as the technology hasbeen superseded.

My concerns first grew as a result of reading anarticle ‘Ensuring the longevity of digitaldocuments’ by Jeff Rothenberg and whichappeared in the respected journal ScientificAmerican in January 1995. I have seen nothingsince in the UK press to suggest that any actionis to be taken. (Some solutions are proposed inthe article). I believe that this article should beconsidered a warning for our future. Theconsequences of inaction are likely to be farmore lasting than any ‘Year 2000’ computerdate problems, which, however disastrous, willdoubtless be remedied, over and forgottenwithin months.

[AM 19 informal note not retained as evidence]

[AM 20 see article by Daniel Rosenthal in TheTimes, 31 March 1998, and letter from LordEgremont and others in response, in The Times,6 April 1998]

[AM 21 letter of acknowledgement: not filed aswritten evidence]

AM 22 (Mrs Susan Pearl, 4/98)I am giving you my views as a regular user ofarchives.

Manorial recordsIt seems illogical and irresponsible to me tokeep manorial records in repositories whichhave failed to obtain HMC recognition. If theserepositories are not fit for future manorialrecords, then they are definitely not fit for any

manorial material. The records should beremoved straightaway to a safe HMCrepository. The appalling loss of manorialrecords (some 80% so far) must stop right now.

Standard 5454All county record offices should be brought upto this standard without delay. It is shocking tothink that we are blindly entrusting wholecounties of records to substandard conditions.

MoneyThe usual plea (rather, excuse) for doingnothing is lack of funds. My answer is: what isthe cost of not investing in our archives? It isthe job of present custodians of archives toensure the continual survival of their recordsintact into the next millennium. If they fail tofind the funds to do so, they have simply failed.Full stop. Might I suggest that you all apply tothe EU (the Economic & Social Committee inBrussels would be a good start) for funds tocover the most urgent needs for the survival ofour heritage into the 21st century?

[AM 23 discussion at the National Council onArchives 1998]

AM 24 (Robert Gomme, 4/98)I am an individual user not attached to anyinstitution and wholly paying his own way, somy views may help. Three aspects of modernand contemporary records strike me.1. How badly behind archives are incataloguing. This applies equally whether oneis speaking of the BL e.g. Macmillan papers, orthe Bodleian e.g. De la Mare papers, or tosmaller holdings e.g. Sulgrave Manor (its ownpapers). The publishers’ records at ReadingUniversity are so uncatalogued that one cannotvisit to see what they have although MichaelBott is as helpful as he can be.2. It often follows that poorly cataloguedrecords are also much in need of conservatione.g. boxes of typewritten carbon copies in heapsunseparated.3. The use of out of date technology e.g. oldmicrofilm or old readers at the NewspaperLibrary Colindale, which make things almostimpossible to read – in fact I can only use themfor about an hour before a headache sets in.PhD theses at the BL also suffer in this respectalthough I hope there are modern readers at StPancras. Those in the North Library at the oldBL were terrible.

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I am more often than not helped by devotedstaff who struggle against odds.

AM 25 (Nina Jennings, 4/98)The present state of affairs is nothing short ofridiculous. We must charitably assume thatthose who make the decisions on these matterswere expensively educated, ie are technicallyilliterate.

Whole buildings are needed to store paperrecords in cardboard boxes although computerstorage became feasible decades ago.Admittedly at one time there was a problemwith the man-hours required to key in all thisdata, but scanners for typescript with opticalcharacter recognition are now cheap andreasonably accurate. These translate intomachine-readable code so that searching andindexing become child’s play. Handwritingrecognition would be necessary for olderdocuments and this is at a less advanced stage.However we should probably be safe inassuming that it will be good enough by thetime the decision-making machinery hascreaked into action.

At present the best kept records we have are theC19 census reports. These are not machinereadable so must be laboriously scanned byhand, Their only advantage is that theyeconomise on storage space; from the point ofview of the historian they are still in the MiddleAges, as they cannot be interrogated, though tobe fair not perhaps the Dark Ages. We cannoteven get, for example, something as simple as aprintout of the inhabitants of a particularfarmhouse from 1841 to 1891, although thisinformation is often contained in the records.

Serious thought should be given to machinetranslation of older documents from Latin, atleast on demand. Many amateur users areconsiderably limited by their lack of thislanguage.

With computerisation all the documents in allthe record offices could be available in everyrecord office in the country, and indeed at hometo any research worker with her own computerand modem. It is quite possible that the projectwould rapidly pay for itself as conservationwould be reduced to the trivial task of backingup at regular intervals. There would be no moredisasters such as the one which destroyed theExeter records. Far fewer staff would be

needed to access records, which could then bestored in (two) cupboards (for security) insteadof several buildings, often in remote places.More importantly the pace of historical studieswould advance by orders of magnitude.

[AM 26 informal letter not filed as evidence]

[AM 27 see Anthony Camp, ‘Easier & cheaperaccess to older civil registration records,’ inFamily Tree magazine, April 1998, p.8]

AM 28 (Dr Daniel Waley, 4/98)Your invitation to people to write in aboutstrategic problems and possible new initiativesis a temptation that I cannot resist, although Ihave long ceased to be involved with archivesexcept as a user. The two points I wish toemphasize are obvious ones, and no doubtothers will raise them also, but I have strongfeelings on them.

National HeritageThis label is now, I suppose, inescapable.However its current interpretation or overtonesare disastrous from the viewpoint of historicalarchives. A major ‘high profile’ campaign isneeded to launch a re-definition of the label.The new definition would give particularemphasis to the written (and other tangible)evidence for Britain’s past. In any suchcampaign the HMC would of course have animportant role. A product of such a campaignwould, I hope, be the availability of moremoney for the preservation of archives (and ofother manuscripts and printed material).Another desirable outcome would be therewording of the regulations governing theexport of written historical material. Thepresent criteria (the ‘Waverley’ criteria) reflect– and reinforce – the current interpretation of‘National Heritage’, the emphasis beingprincipally aesthetic. Hence the absurdsituation whereby ‘export stops’ are placed onFrench and Italian paintings, furniture, statuaryand so on. The money and energy spent onthem should be devoted to the protection ofBritish historical records.

The retention by officials of official and ‘semi-official’ papersArchival material, particularly material ofpolitical interest, is often of this nature and is

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frequently to be found in the possession ofofficials who have retired or of theirdescendants. Obviously it is wrong that paperswhich should be in the public domain shouldhave to be purchased from public funds.Perhaps legislation is required to deal with thepresent situation (and presumably it would notbe feasible to make this retrospective!).

[AM 29 Confidential response not reproducedin the written evidence]

AM 30 (Dr Kate Thompson, CountyArchivist of Hertfordshire, personal;response)I, like all archivists I’m sure, am very concernedat the lack of resources for caring for a vital partof this country’s heritage. In Hertfordshire weare barely able to provide the core service andour cataloguing backlog has been estimated at53 years! While I approve of the emphasisbeing placed on the public service, we aretalking about quantity versus quality andultimately the public service will get poorer. Iam also concerned that all the so-called ‘fringe’activities are being whittled away. I am unsureif making archives a statutory function is theway forward for all the reasons given already,but I suppose it does stop a local authority fromdiminishing the service to nothing.

I’m sure it is not just the local authority sectorwhich is suffering at the moment but, speakingpersonally, I find the current position verydispiriting. I became an archivist to provide avalued service, not to reduce it or charge for it.

AM 31 (University of East Anglia. DeirdreSharp, Curator of Archive Collections, 5/98)Good things already happening on which tobuildThe mapping of holdings in LROs and HEIsExtend in depth in areas already covered, byfollowing up responses to the surveys, and inbreadth by surveying the business/industrialsectors and private owners (the latter with thehelp of BRA and the Inland Revenue list ofarticles of heritage importance granted taxexemption?)

Lottery funds: In principle a good thing, but therelevant boards need to be made ‘archivesaware’ and to develop a strategy in conjunctionwith HMC.

In the HE sector: The recent exchangesbetween CVCP and HMC, and the FundingCouncils’ Non-Formula Funding initiative.There is a need to raise public and politicalawareness of the extent to which HEIs arecustodians of the documentary heritage and toput policies and practices in place which ensurethat a) HEIs are adequately funded be [sic] goodstewards and b) that they actively welcome useof collections by the public. The NFF isshowing that a lot of progress in a wide range ofareas can be achieved, once someone has theguts to make the investment.

Standards of description: I think we are almostthere, but the momentum has to be maintained.The automation side needs to be sorted outquickly i.e. “to EAD or not to EAD”. Andrepositories must have affordable means ofdistributing sophisticated finding aids on theWeb - the Durham University project hasproduced admirable tools, but the cost of doinglikewise is beyond many other repositories,around £30k, I believe.

Major problem areas to be tackled are:Production and widespread dissemination ofgood finding aids and the reduction/eliminationof backlogs of unlisted holdings. Aim to haveevery publicly-funded (inc. Lottery-funded)repository furnished with a web-site which listsits holdings at at least collection level in theNRA and in a format accessible to a NationalArchives Gateway by 2010.

Premises and storage: action to have all LROand HEI holdings housed to the HMC standardby 2010?

Conservation: ‘positive action’ on educationand training in basic conservation – e.g.sleeving & boxing – which can be used in thelowliest repository. More generous grants forspecialist conservation work. Make grant-aidand advisory services more accessible to privateowners. HMC does a great job, but LROs andother locally-based repositories could play amore positive part.

Cultivation of the private owner: by policy-making and funding enable the public-sectorrepositories, where the bulk of the experienceand skill is located, to support the private ownerthrough partnerships to produce finding aidsand to conserve collections even if public accessis not immediately forthcoming.

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Extend consciousness-raising of the importanceof preserving the documentary heritage to theman/woman in the street by giving advice andfacilitating access to conservation resources andmaterials (e.g. at a very basic level by alertingan owner to the perils of mounting photographsin an off-the-peg album and putting him/her intouch with the supplier of a safe alternative) –perhaps even selling basic conservationmaterials to users of the repository? It would beas useful to sell polyester sleeves and acid-freefolders as tea-towels and postcards.

AM 32 [Response seeking guidance on anindividual archive, not filed as evidence]

AM 33 [Response seeking guidance on anindividual archive, not filed as evidence]

AM 34 (Helen Rae Cox, environment andconservation consultant, 6/98)I worked for the Yorkshire and HumbersideMuseums Council for 3 years, undertakingenvironmental surveys of museums in theregion. I have visited more than 150 sites,including museums in the local authority,independent, university, military and nationalsectors, and a number of museum off-site[st]ores. Although I was not specificallylooking at archive collections held by museums,I did make a number of observations:

1. The majority of museums in all sectors holdcollections of archival material, such asphotographs, letters and ephemera, plans andtechnical drawings and books and documents ofvarious types. In some cases the holdings arevery substantial, for example the NationalRailway Museum’s enormous collection ofengineering drawings.

2. In general, the material is not well managed,and is often badly stored and inaccessible.Large documents, plans and over-size bookspresent particular problems, and I saw manyitems which had been damaged throughinappropriate handling and storage techniques.

3. The situation is complicated by differencesin perception and priority between archivists,and curators responsible for mixed collectionswhich happen to contain archive material. Inmuseum terms, it is difficult to define the pointat which a collection stops and an archive starts;whether, for instance, an item should be

considered one of the museum’s workingdocuments; or something for its referencelibrary; or a collection/display object by virtueof its date or provenance.

4. It could be argued that much of the materialcurrently held by museums should betransferred to the local archive, although in thelight of the volume of material involved, it isperhaps unlikely that the archive would be ableto accommodate it.

Initiatives I would like to see in the future are asfollows:

Increased dialogue between archivists andcurators, with a view to defining and agreeingterminology, and establishing what kind ofmaterial should be placed in archive/recordoffices as opposed to museums.

Increased awareness of archival issues amongcurators. The 1998 Year of the Photograph hasstimulated considerable improvements in thecollection management of museumphotographic archives; perhaps the year 2000could focus on other types of archival materialheld by museums.

Increased funding all round! Archival standardsare expensive to maintain, and practical supportfor the sector would be required alongside aprogramme of awareness raising.

AM 35 (Antiquarian Booksellers Association.Anthony Rota and John Wilson, 5/98)Our views fall into three categories, relating to(1) the sale of manuscript and archive materialby our members, (2) export control as it affectsdocuments, and (3) access to archives forresearch.

Sale of archival material to public institutions:The ABA encourages those of its members whoregularly deal in manuscripts to place materialin the most appropriate homes. We continue todeplore the lack of funds at local level forpurchases of small value. Given that grant-aidis generally only available on a partnershipbasis, or for significant purchases, a ‘fast track’access to smaller sums for material often ofconsiderable local, rather than national orinternational importance, would be a greatimprovement.

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Export control: The ABA has alwayscooperated fully at every level in operating andreviewing the system of export control as itapplies to manuscripts. We shall continue to doso, and to press for realistic value limits to beplaced on restrictions of control so that neitherexporters nor those who must process theirapplications are unduly burdened. The greateravailability of funding for local and nationalrepositories would also alleviate the need tolook overseas for willing buyers.

Access to archives: In the process of theirresearch and cataloguing work members of theABA need fast access to information in publicand local archives. The service alreadyprovided on the internet by the NationalRegister of Archives (NRA) is an excellentexample of the way in which large bodies ofpublic information can be made readilyavailable whilst relieving researchers of thestrain and expense of travelling and the providerwith the need for expensive reading-roomaccommodation. The expansion of internetaccess to registers and calendars of archiveswould be a real benefit to all researchers,especially as it is often only necessary to knowbrief details of a document in order to assess itssignificance for research. Internet access toarchives would also have the effect of reducingthe need to handle delicate original material.

AM36 (Newark Archaeological and LocalHistory Society. HV Radcliffe, 6/98)The changes that have [taken], and are takingplace in the brewing industry [are] likely toimperil the records of those companies whohave been absorbed and taken over. May Iexpress this Society’s concern.

Some years ago the records relating to the twomajor breweries of Newark were transferred tothe Courage Group at Tadcaster and the onlyperson known by me to have consulted themseems reasonably satisfied. However, Couragehas now become part of William Younger & CoLtd. who may be less interested in the survivalof the records they have inherited.

AM 37 (Business Archives Council, 12/98)I. Introduction: Business archives in the UnitedKingdomBusiness archives have a long and distinguishedancestry in this country. Institutions such as theBank of England and certain private banks andinsurance companies have been maintaining and

using their archives for over 300 years. SomeBritish companies made provision for theirarchives in the first half of this century, wellbefore parts of the public sector or other privateowners of archives and well before businessinstitutions in other countries. In the last 25years, however, the growth in activity, usage,professional achievement and provision inbusiness archives has accelerated significantly.Examples of this activity include:• the location and rescue of hundreds ofcollections of business records;• an increase in professional care of archives inthe business sector;• recognition by the wider archives community that the collection and care of businessrecords is an important part of the archivesheritage;• improved access to business archives, boththrough rescue and through corporatearchives.

II. The role of the Business Archives CouncilThe Business Archives Council and its sisterCouncil in Scotland are at the centre of thisactivity. (This statement is on behalf of theBusiness Archives Council and is mainlyconcerned with business archives in Englandand Wales.) Established in 1934, the BusinessArchives Council is a registered charity withapproximately 500 individual, institutional andcorporate members. The Council has a smallstaff for administration and for professionaladvice; archivists, historians and businessmenalso give a great deal of voluntary time for thework of the Council. Over the last 25 years theCouncil has:

• rescued and found suitable repositories forscores of collections of business records whichotherwise would have been lost; • encouraged companies and institutions tomake provision for their archives. Between1985 and 1998, for example, the number ofcorporate archives appearing in the Council'sDirectory of Corporate Archives increasedfrom 50 to 87; • advised companies and institutions on theappointment of professional archivists. In thelast 25 years the number of archivists inbusiness has increased from barely a dozen toapproximately 200; • played a leading role in improving access tobusiness archives. Access is taken for grantedby many historians (even at the most seniorlevel) and by other users but this is an area

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where the Council has fought long and hard forbetter access to business records; • initiated and carried out surveys of thearchives of the oldest 1000 registeredcompanies; British banking; the brewingindustry; the pharmaceutical industry; theshipping industry; shipbuilding; and(currently) vet[er]inerary medicine. TheCouncil has provided outstanding ‘value formoney’ in this work in comparison with othersurveys of archives; • advised other regional and industry surveys,including surveys of British insurance andchartered accountancy; • produced a continuous series of journals,other publications, conferences and training.This output includes Managing BusinessArchives (1991), the leading textbook in thefield; • maintained an international influence inbusiness archives through training,publications and conferences.

Looking ahead, the Council welcomes thisopportunity to identify and comment upon thechallenges which face providers and users ofbusiness archives.

III. Business archives and the millennium:challenges to owners and custodiansIn the view of the Council, owners andcustodians of business archives face distinctchallenges and opportunities. The following listexcludes the manifold challenges of InformationTechnology, on the grounds that this category iscommon to all types of archives. The principalchallenges are:

• Managing corporate change. This is anever-present challenge in business archives.Increasing concentration and globalisation inbusiness will require special skills in copingwith - and recording - corporate change;

• The management of multi-site andmultinational collections. Archivists in businessare confronted with increasingly complexvariations in local legal, fiscal and regulatoryrequirements affecting business records. Thesevariations will also affect public-sectorcustodians of business records, particularly indealing with the increasing demand relating to‘discovery’ claims for compensation orretrospective litigation;

• Identifying key strategic needs. Thisdiscipline urgently requires greater attention,

particularly in marking out the types of businessand records which are inadequately representedin collections in private and public hands.

• The development of collecting policies.Traditionally businesss archives have beenbrought together in an ad hoc fashion, in whichcustodians have welcomed almost any recordswhich have survived. In the next millenniumcustodians will require more precise guidelines,linked to the strategic needs outlined above.The development of ‘model’ collecting policiesis clearly an important opportunity forbusiness archivists.

• Inclusion on archive networks and mappingprojects. At present the business sector isinadequately represented in national andinternational projects of this kind. Owners andcustodians will need to decide whether theywish to be included in such projects, working toan agenda which has been set largely by thepublic sector, or whether an independentnetwork should be developed for business andprivate collections.

IV. Business archives and the millennium:challenges to usersThe Business Archives Council has alwaysencouraged the widest possible use of businesscollections. These archives, while obviouslyvaluable to a range of historians, are also animportant source for research in otherdisciplines (economics, geography and the finearts, for example) and in a wide variety ofenthusiasms. These users expect and deservegreater help in tracing sources but they alsoneed to appreciate the distinctive character ofbusiness collections. The challenges facingthese users include:

• Obtaining basic information about the copeof collections and access arrangements prior toresearch visits (in the private sector, businessarchives are rarely open without appointment).At present this information is only availablefrom a patchwork of sources such as theCouncil’s Directory of Corporate Archives,surveys of business archives, and the businessentries in the National Register of Archives.The development of Intemet sites for corporatearchives is a welcome additon to these sources;

• Obtaining help in the interpretation ofbusiness archives, particularly financial records.Publications such as the Council’s Guide toTracing the History of a Business (1987), and

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Business Documents (1987) by John Armstrongand Stephanie Jones, were important initiativesin this area in the 1980s, and new and shorterguides are needed for the new and largerconstituency of users;

• Understanding that business archives aremaintained in the public and private sectorunder certain constraints, particularly as toconditions of access and confidentiality;

• Sharing in the persuasion of owners andcustodians to retain and develop their archives. Although archivists are responsible for ‘makingthe case’ for their collections, users generallytake for granted the availability of thosecollections.

V. Business archives and the millennium:special prioritiesThe Business Archives Council is keen and hasthe capability and experience to play a part inmeeting these challenges. The Councilidentifies the following areas for action andfunding:

• The agreement of priorities for surveys tosave and rescue business archives. Thesepriorities include small and medium sizedbusiness; business in fine arts, applied arts anddesign; and the utility industries;

• The upgrading of access and disseminationof information about business collections. TheCouncil is already developing a proposal for anentirely new resource of this kind, designed toreach the widest possible range of users;

• Full participation in training and educationin business archives. The Council is committedto its existing training programme; it hasrecently begun contributing to one of thepostgraduate archives diploma courses; and itnow has experience of organising internationaltraining and conferences. These initiatives willbe maintained and extended.

VI. Business archives and the millennium:resourcesThe Business Archives Council itself faceschallenges in providing this response. Theprincipal challenge is the shortage of resources.The Council is a small charity with limitedfunds and resources. Its considerable outputand range of activities is financed primarily bysubscriptions from private, institutional andcorporate members; by research grants for its

surveys; and by donations from the corporatesector.

There is a dichotomy here which is ofincreasing concern to the Council and to itsmembers. The main beneficiary of theCouncil’s work is, and always has been, thewider community: the activities described insection II ensure the survival and accessibilityof a large part of the nation’s archive heritage.Yet the contribution from public sources, whichrepresents the interests of the wider community,remains pitifully small. A number ofgovernment departments, museums, and localrecord offices subscribe at the institutional rateof £45 per annum but spending cuts mean thateven these sources are dwindling, mainly as aresult of local government reorganisation. TheCompany Archives Survey is the only one ofthe Council’s many surveys to have receivedpublic support, through the Economic andSocial Research Council (ESRC). In recentyears, however, the ESRC has made it plain thatsimilar source projects are no longer eligible.Although these examples of public support havebeen extremely welcome, they amount to afraction of the support which should beavailable from these sources.

The low level of support from public sources isbest illustrated by the history of the Council’sgrant from the Royal Commission on HistoricalManuscripts. In most years between 1975 and1997 the Council received a grant from theCommission towards the cost of its AdvisoryService. Initially that grant was unconditionalsupport for the Council’s advisory and rescuework (in the manner of public support for sisterbodies in the archives community) and it wasinvaluable in developing the Council’s rescueand advisory work. Latterly, however, thatgrant was only awarded if the Commission wassatisfied with the number of survey lists whichthe Council submitted to the Commission. Atno time since 1980 did that grant amount tomore than some ten per cent of the Council’sannual costs and in some years there was littleor no contribution at all. Here the Council, withits outstanding record of productivity, was beingassessed for support on a very specific criterionrather than for the intrinsic worth of its output.This relationship, in contrast to support forother bodies in the history and archivescommunity, tellingly illustrates the lack ofsupport for the Council’s work from the seniorarchives institutions in the public sector.

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VII. Business archives and the millennium:conclusionIn the next millennium the Council will need toincrease its resources simply to maintain thelevel of activity and output which it has reachedin the last 25 years. With greater resources itcould achieve much more, particularly in thesurvey, monitoring and rescue of records at risk.Part of these resources will be sought from theCouncil’s loyal corporate members. It shouldbe understood, nevertheless, that these membersare more often able to help in kind rather than inmajor funding; most of these members arealready supporting their own archive units,which together make a significant contributionto the archives inheritance of this country.

The Council also needs serious commitmentfrom the public sector to maintain and fortifythis effort. The Council wishes to see a balancerestored in which the public sector representingthe end-user of the Council’s work contributes ameaningful share. The Council and its membersare providing and improving access to animportant part of the nation’s archive heritage.Without a serious contribution of this kind, theCouncil will find it increasingly difficult topersuade the business world that the safety andcare of business collections has a public,educational and cultural benefit.

AM 38 (Stirling Archive User’s Group.Elizabeth Dunn, Secretary, 6/98)Stirling Archives Users Group was set up inSeptember 1997 because of concern about thecuts in finance and the 50% cut in staff of thearchives earlier that year. Opening hours werecut from 10.00am - 4.30pm daily Monday toFriday to 10.00am - 12.30pm. & 1. 30pm -4.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Friday only.Closures at no notice are commonplace due toillness, or when members of staff have to attendmeetings etc. It is hoped that the Group will beable to raise public awareness of the variousstaffing problems and the longer standingproblem of totally inadequate premises, therebyurging the local authority to take appropriateaction.

It is recognised that disaggregation of CentralRegion has been a factor, Falkirk andClackmannan electing to run their own archivesservice. The fact that Stirling’s archives havenever had more than temporary housing formany years before the disaggregation, shows areluctance of the local authority to recognise

their value, and to use them as an easy optionwhen financial cuts have to be made.

The ‘luxurious post’ of Education LiaisonOfficer was axed by the Director of Educationand was a severe blow. The material producedcould perhaps have been sold and other waysfound to financially support such a post. TheGroup is searching for such funding at thepresent time.

Earlier this year the Senior archivist took earlyretirement. Considering that the only positiveelement in Stirling Archives has been theexcellent staff this was yet another severe blow.The current staff, of one archivist and oneunqualified [archives] assistant on a one yearcontract, appears to the Group to be totallyinadequate for the second most used localauthority-maintained archive in Scotland.

An application for Heritage Lottery Funding isbeing prepared by the local authority in Stirling,a positive sign, but likely to fail because of thepast history of neglect and poor staffing levels.

Current inadequate funding of archives inScotland and England are causing cuts in staff,followed of course by cuts in opening hours.Charges now being made in some areas willmake the use of archives elitist. Are thosecharges being made for work done byvolunteers, who give freely of their time for thebenefit of others, and who hope to benefit bysimilar work in different areas, both of placeand subject? The Group recognises the fact thatcharges may have to be made for the use ofexpensive machines, photocopying etc. butdeplores the trend of charging for the use ofarchives.

Freedom of information, at a price?

AM 39 (EN Holmes, 6/98)In response to the question ‘What newinitiatives would you like to see taken at anational level to raise the standard of care forand access to archives?’ I would like to maketwo points which I feel are both absolutely basicand comparatively ignored by interested people.They are:1. Decide what is to be done about theunfinished volumes of the Victoria CountyHistories. The project is almost a century oldnow and it would be good to know if it’s ever tobe finished, modified or abandoned. Would not

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completion be one of the best responses to theabove question?2. Publish the addresses of record offices, thefull list, in each record office, museum. etc. It isnotoriously difficult to find out where they are,and how to contact them. I have beenresearching the address of the Derbyshire ROfor years without success.

AM 40 [Informal discussion at a meeting ofLondon Archive User’s Forum, 23 June 1998]

AM 41 (Revd Anthony E Hardy, 6/98)I would like to draw attention to archivalmaterial covered by the Parochial Registers andRecords Measure 1978. One of the results ofthe creation of many new parishes in the late19th century is that a very large quantity of‘modern’ material has been produced and thiscontinues. The main concern of the Measurewas to safeguard ancient material and it allowsmaterial to be kept locally for 100 years.Church records are not Public Records neitherare they normal private records. With the morefrequent changes of clergy and (particularly intowns and cities) of lay people, the non-registerrecords are more at risk of being mislaid andlost. A much better Schedule of what should bekept and when it should be deposited wouldhelp. Some arrangement to enforce depositwould help even more!

The offices of Bishops and Archdeaconstogether with Diocesan Offices handle largequantities of paper. It seems that without aproper system for archive management much ofhistorical value is being lost.

Records in both the above categories, whichhave been deposited, are sometimes ‘lost’because of delays in cataloguing andconservation in Diocesan Record Offices.There is apparently no statutory requirement forlocal authorities [to] set up and to maintainadequate record offices and no nationalagreement as to how such record offices shouldact as Diocesan Record Offices.

I welcome attempts by record offices to makecatalogues and listings available either on-lineor on CD ROM, Leicestershire Archives Guideto Collections 1948-1997 being the latest.Users can make better preparations to visit andthose unable to visit can order photocopies oruse a local researcher. Where records have

been filmed primarily for conservation reasonsI would like to see copies of the films availablefor sale. I understand that some record officeswill sell only to individuals and others only tolibraries.

So far as Public Records are concerned, ingeneral present arrangements seem to workwell. I have personally benefited fromflexibility at the PRO, which enabled parts ofclosed school files to be examined. It is timethe decisions, taken I believe in the 1960s,about periods of closure were reviewed. I seeno real reason for all hospital patient records tobe closed for 100 years. The dead are dead. Noharm has come from the decision to open the1901 and 1911 Census in Eire but they remainclosed in the UK. The Registrar General insiststhat all his registers from 1837 remain closedeven though duplicate marriage registers fromchurches are usually freely available.

To raise the profile of archives we need toencourage greater use. Students and schoolchildren should be helped to use a wide rangeof material in projects. Local history groups domuch good work and this use needs to befurther developed. An increasing number ofpeople are interested in their family history andorigins and others are interested in the historyof their house. Perhaps record offices could askfor copies of projects and family and househistories. This could encourage better qualitywork such as including references to sources,key words and indexing.I see the main strategic problems as being dueto poor funding. Important literary material andtitle deeds have no statutory protection and areoften sold to Canada or USA. Record officesdo not have staff to follow up archives ofbusinesses and other organisations about toclose or merge. Most new users want to startwith modern records and records not yetdeposited, catalogued, subject to accessrestrictions or only available at high cost putsome off for good.

New sources of funding such as the Lottery arebecoming available and I welcome the OurShared Past Report. We need to grasp theopportunity with better bids, a simpler and lesscostly bid preparation and submission processand a clear statement of national priorities. Inmy view these should be: saving the records,conservation and storage, cataloguing andindexing, filming or transcribing, maximisinguse and user support. There are already many

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users and if a significant proportion can beencouraged to lobby locally and nationally theholders of the purse strings will take notice.

AM 42 [Letter seeking information about thesurvey: not included in the written evidence]

AM 43 (University College London, School ofLibrary, Archive and Information Studies.Elizabeth Shepherd, lecturer in archives andrecords management, 7/98).Clearly, for us one of the significant areas isprofessional education and training. The smallnumber of Schools teaching in the areas ofarchives and records management has longbeen a matter of concern. From time to timefunding and staffing for one of the schools isthreatened, usually in connection with localcircumstances. It is in the interests of theprofession at large to maintain some diversityand choice of taught programmes in the UK,within the curriculum guidelines set out by theprofessional body, the Society of Archivists.The obvious gap, that of a course for theScottish region, is still unfilled. The limitednumber of places on the existing courses ispartly a reflection of the relatively smallnumber of jobs but is also a response togovernment and institutional limits onrecruitment and on the number of grants tosupport students. We would hope that a casecan be put to the British Academy to increasethe support for students on accreditedprogrammes and would hope also to see moreremote provision for example by open anddistance learning. We would also like tostrengthen ties between the academicdepartments and employers who support thetaught programmes through the provision ofstructured placements, occasional teachers andexaminers for the programmes. In a time oflimited budgets, employers are finding itincreasingly difficult to justify putting scarceresource into, for example, placements.However, without this practical input, thestudents graduating from the programmes willbe much less employable.

Research is another area of concern. TheSchools are all trying to increase the quality andquantity of research both from their ownacademic staff and through their researchstudents. Ideally, in future, we would like tosee more research into professional issues aswell as in those traditionally allied areas such as

diplomatics. The Schools are working on anational research strategy, in conjunction withthe Society of Archivists, and it is hoped thatboth research and the publication of its outputscan be strengthened. The UK profession is,perhaps, behind other nations in publishing onprofessional issues.

The issue of continuing professionaldevelopment is a third area in which we areinterested. The Society of Archivistsregistration scheme for newly qualifiedarchivists and its creation of a Training Officerpost is an excellent start, but more is needed. Itis to be hoped that government money, throughthe New Opportunities Fund, will beforthcoming for re-training of archivists intraditional skills (such as Latin palaeographyand diplomatic) and new ones (such as themanagement of electronic records). Theuniversities have not traditionally been strongin the provision of continuing education,although this is slowly changing.

In our contact with working professionals, keyconcerns seem to be funding, cataloguingbacklogs, standards development, conservationand preservation (especially through provisionof suitable storage areas), increasing numbersand range of users and electronic records.Funding will continue to be a problem,especially in areas where there has beenstructural change such as local government.More needs to be done at government level toensure that archive and records managementservices are regarded as core, even statutory,services and funded as such. New dataprotection and freedom of informationlegislation may make some difference here.The National Archives Policy document needsto be revised and strengthened.

Cataloguing backlogs are beginning to be agreater concern as automated and remote accessare increasingly possible. The lack of access toarchives that are not arranged and described ismore obvious when the guide descriptions areavailable remotely. This problem is a reflectionof long term resource shortages and while it canbe alleviated by one-off projects (as it has beento some extent in university archives under theJISC initiative) the matter of long termresourcing for core activities is critical.

Linked to this is the issue of standards, whichhas been especially prominent in the area ofarchival description. The ICA standards are

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gradually being introduced in the UK, and therecent seminars by the Society of Archivistswith Liverpool and London Universities arepart of the process. The NCA Rules and thenational names authority files project are bothcrucial to the achievement of the objective of anational on-line network for archival resources,which seems to us to be a very significant moveforward. If this can be supported and resourcedat national, regional and local level, then itseems to be an achievable object.

Standards are also important in the area ofpreservation and conservation. It is to be hopedthat the high standards of BS5454 can bemaintained and that the HMC Standard forRecord Repositories can be used to ensure thatbodies holding archives are properly managedand resourced, enforced if necessary by astrengthened central inspectorate. In the area ofarchive preservation it is notable that theeducation and training opportunities are evenfewer than for archivists and records managers.

A number of government initiatives are puttingthe front line research services under increasingpressure. For example, the increasing emphasison the use of archives in education when manyrecord offices still do not have an archiveeducation officer, may mean that teachers donot get what they want from record offices andarchivists do not make best use of the archivalresource in education.

The final area on which we would like tocomment is that of electronic records. A fewarchive professional [sic] in the UK arebeginning to see the importance of managingelectronic records and are developingtechniques to do so. However, the majority ofthe profession still seem to be unaware of theimportance of this issue for our future and if theprofession does not take action soon, there willbe a missing part of the documentary heritage.It seems to us that there needs to be moreresearch into the implications for ourprofession, perhaps building on the DLM-Forum held in Brussels in 1996 and the followup day at the PRO [in June 1998].

AM 44 (Friends of the Cumbria Archives.Edmund Carr-Saunders, 7/98)In this large county we are fortunate in havingfour record offices under one management,which provide an excellent service, although weunderstand that some of the storage facilities

are not quite up to the recommended standard.The unity of the service is at present threatenedby a proposed reorganisation of the CountyCouncil into local areas of management whichwe feel would seriously interfere with theservice, and we have made representationsabout this.

Having Cumbrian records in four distant placeshas the disadvantage at present of havingseveral indexes; it is hoped to link themelectronically when funds are available.

On the national scale we have been concernedat the increasing pressure to providephotocopies of fragile documents. It would behelpful if there could be a national attempt todevelop a method of copying that imposes lesswear on the originals.

We have also been concerned at the effect ofthe increasing market value of written records.We know of several instances of owners beingapproached by dealers and urged to withdrawtheir archives from record offices for sale. Thework done by archivists in cataloguing andpreserving these records has contributedtowards an increase in sale value which has putthem out of the reach of the small purchasegrant of county record offices.

AM 45 [Doc Rowe Collection: details of thecollection supplied: not reproduced here]

AM 46 (Christie’s. Felix de Marez Oyens,Director, International Book Department,7/98)Since the purpose of such enquiries ispresumably to improve a situation, we will notdwell on all that is obviously right with the stateof archives in this country, and hope that youwill find it more useful if we concentrate onwhat we see as wrong or dangerous in thepresent care of the nation’s archives.

Our impression is that few archivists from thepublic sector involved in the administration andcare of local or national records, are able and/orwilling to accept the commercial realities of thethriving market that exists in archive material.Many of your colleagues prefer to ignore theserealities. In our experience this attitudeimpedes their relations with owners who haveplaced their records on deposit with institutions,

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and often prevents the acquisition by the nationof important archive material, even when adisposal to a record office is of evident andsubstantial benefit to both sides throughavailable tax incentives.

To illustrate our concern we should turn tospecifics and provide you with somerecommendations:

A. Loans1.Loan agreements: Our experience is thatmany record offices have no appropriate loanagreement form available for consideration bythose depositing archives. Numerous depositstherefore exist that are not documented or ruledby a loan agreement. Recommendation: TheCommission should devise a standard form andcirculate this among record offices.

2. Insurance/indemnification: It remains rare,even today, that a borrowing institutionprovides an owner with either indemnity orcommercial insurance cover. At local recordoffices the vast majority of archive materialdeposited on loan in the past is covered by noinsurance or indemnity at all. In recent yearswe have encountered more than one case wherethe archivist responsible has given the ownerthe erroneous impression that importantmaterial on deposit was of little or nocommercial value. When the owner thenobtained a professionally prepared valuationthis gave rise to tensions with the borrowinginstitution, which threatened to end a long-termloan arrangement that had been of benefit to therecord office.

We suspect that archivists at record officesacting this way are not always so ignorant, butare motivated by the difficulties they expect inpersuading local authorities to underwritecommercial insurance of important archives ondeposit; however, in our experience suchinsurance is sometimes provided by the localauthority. Here is an area where theGovernment indemnity scheme administered bythe Museums and Galleries Commission onbehalf of the Department of Culture, Media andSport exists to fill a real gap. Surprisingly, ourexperience is that Government indemnity israrely granted for records on deposit at localarchives, even when security and conservationstandards in the local record office meet thecriteria set by the MGC. This probably reflectstwo sad facts: few archivists are aware of therelevance of the scheme to their institutions; the

MGC appears only to apply the scheme to caseswhere there is a perceived threat that the ownerwithdraw his papers from deposit unlessindemnity is provided. This in turn may stemfrom the ceiling of £600 million placed by theDCMS on the Government indemnity scheme,and from the perception that if all archives ondeposit with record offices were indemnified atcurrent values this would absorb an undueproportion of the ‘cover’ available.Recommendations: (a) The MGC should beinstructed by the DCMS to offer Governmentindemnity as of right to any local record officeon all archive material accepted on deposit. (b)Any steps needed to bring security andconservation standards at local record officesup to MGC’s requirements should be funded bycentral government. (c) When (a) and (b) havebeen achieved, archivists should notify ownerswhose papers they hold on deposit of theexistence of the Government indemnityscheme, recommending that the owner shouldobtain outside valuation advice in regard todeposited material so that indemnity can beobtained at current values. If an owner iscontent to rely on the local archivist for a valuefor the purpose of indemnification, then such avalue should be grounded in commercialrealities. (d) When dealing with valuationquestions in relation to such indemnification,archivists should be encouraged to seek advicefrom qualified and experienced outsideprofessionals.

B. The acquisition of archive material bynational and regional institutionsAgain, we frequently observe that when aninstitution is given the opportunity to acquire anarchive by way of a negotiated sale, whetherunder the acceptance in lieu arrangement or byway of private-treaty sale, those involved on theofficial side choose to ignore the commercialrealities of the situation. Sometimes matters arepursued with no sense of urgency and archivistswilfully ignore the evident commercial value ofthe archive. Often there is great reluctance totake outside advice from an experienced dealer.Moreover, for some unknown reasonexperienced valuers of archive materialemployed by auction houses are never asked toadvise an acquiring institution or the officialside in an acceptance in lieu transaction.Recommendations: (a) The Commission shouldcreate a panel of experienced dealers andauction house experts (i) to assist national andregional institutions in the acquisition ofarchive material by way of private-treaty sale

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and (ii) to help the MGC in the task ofassessment and valuation of archive material inthe context of its offer in lieu of tax. (b) Expertson the Commission’s panel could also helprecord offices and the MGC in dealing withmatters relating to Government indemnity (seeA2(d) above). (c) The Commission might laydown a standard basis of charging by dealersand auction house personnel engaged in suchwork, perhaps by way of a recommendedhourly rate. Although many of those involvedmay be content to offer a concessionary rate forundertaking such work, it cannot be conduciveto the giving of proper advice, and one cannotexpect it to be given on a free of charge basis.In fact, it is our experience that in administeringthe offer in lieu scheme, the inability of theMGC to remunerate its experts often makes itdifficult for it to find competent expert advice;this unsatisfactory situation gives rise tounnecessary delays and difficulties with in-lieuoffers of archive (and other) material.

It seems to us that in all the foregoing areas theCommission might do much, perhaps with theassistance of the trade, to educate archivists inthe public sector. If it would assist theCommission in taking forward such aneducational programme, Christie’s would bewilling to consider establishing a schemewhereby, junior archivists from the publicsector might be seconded, for say a year, towork in the Book and Manuscript Department atChristie’s. Although we could not to offer asalary, we would be willing to consider makingsome contribution towards the living expensesof those participating in such a scheme. If youwould like to discuss this or any of the othermatters mentioned in this letter, please do nothesitate to contact me.

AM47 (British Film Institute. JohnWoodward, Director, 7/98)As the HMC will be aware, the British FilmInstitute has responsibility for the conservationof the national heritage of film and televisionand related materials. These collections havebeen amassed over a period of more than sixtyyears and it is now one of our priorities toenable ever wider access to them. TheCollections include 350,000 films, 7 millionstills, as well as posters and designs from arange of British films. The BFI also has aunique filmographic database, SIFT, whichprovides the basis for a sophisticated searchengine across this range of holdings.

The British Film Institute undertakes thesearchival responsibilities through its variousoperational units which include the NationalFilm and Television Archive and the BFINational Library. The Institute is currently inreceipt of a major award from the HeritageLottery Fund which will enable an accelerationof its conservation programme for the film andtelevision collections. This work is additionalto the archival work which is carried out underterms of our Financial Memorandum andagreement with the DCMS. Additional workthat will be carried out in the next 5 years is asfollows:� identifying and cataloguing material acceptedinto storage but never accessioned� transfer to safety stock of any material at riskof irreparable loss� transfer of 2" video to digital formats

One important result of this programme will beto enable much greater access to the film andvideo collections in their analogue form.

Library collectionsIt is important to recognise the breadth of theBritish Film Institute collections. These includebooks, periodicals and other written materials(including personal and company papers,marketing documentation and press books, andscripts), as well as still images, posters andoriginal designs alongside the film and videomaterial. The extent of the BFI’s documentcollection is detailed in the attachment to thispaper [available on application to theCommission].

The British Film Institute has recentlyembarked on two ‘digital library’ pilot projects.These will test various uses of digitallydelivered moving images and the relatedmetadata and other textual or graphic materials(including scripts and designs) across a range oflocations for different users.

The British Film Institute also runs the Museumof the Moving Image which enables the displayof material within a historical and educationalcontext. The additional collections relatingdirectly to the Museum are objects which donot fall under the aegis of the HMC.

As a body which does preserve historicalmanuscripts (narrowly and broadly defined) aspart of its ongoing programme of work the BFIhas a very clear view of the current strengthsand weaknesses in our particular sector. We

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would define this sector as all organisations andinstitutions in the UK whose collections have aunique and direct bearing on an understandingof the culture and development of film andtelevision in this country. They include thebroadcasters and their archives, both paper andvisual (the BBC, the ITV companies), as wellas public and university libraries, regionalarchives and other organisations.

Our primary objective for the future is toincrease accessibility to these collections intheir totality while maintaining the highest levelof care and attention. Increasingly access willbe to a digital surrogate available widely usingnetwork technologies. We recognise that manyoriginal artefacts will continue only be madeavailable in their analogue form for bona fideresearchers. We see Information Technologydevelopment as the linchpin for many of thesefuture access developments. The BFIcontributed evidence to the Heritage LotteryFund inquiry into the use of digital technologyto improve access (the Ross Report) andbroadly endorses its conclusions. However,clearly the financial implications of such adevelopment would be considerable when thecost of digitisation of moving image materialand network bandwidth are included.

Different user groups will require differenttypes of access. For moving image material, inparticular although not exclusively, intellectualproperty rights are an issue which needs to betaken into account. The British Film Institutehas commented on these issues both to theEuropean Commission and the CopyrightDirectorate in response to the Draft Directiveon Copyright and Related Rights in theInformation Society.

We have noted above the existence of a numberof collections of film and film related materialthroughout the UK. The British Film Instituteactively supports the development of a regionalnetwork of film and television archives. Onekey imperative is to establish a commoncataloguing standard for Collections so thatresearch on an easily accessible electronicdatabase will be feasible when resourcespermit. The British Film Institute works withinthe International Federation of Film Archives(FIAF) and its television equivalent (FIAT) toestablish common cataloguing and preservationstandards which need to be adopted by allorganisations which hold collections. TheBritish Film Institute intends to establish a

directory of these collections to enable betteraccess for researchers.

In conclusion we would suggest that thefollowing issues require particular attention at anational level: resourcing for both access andpreservation; cataloguing standards; crossdomain searching; co-operation across publicsector organisations.

AM 48 (John Dunn, Stirling, 7/98)It concerns me that not enough is being donenationally to conserve our heritage for thefuture. Local authorities are working to verysketchy outlines and it is easy for them to cutthe service of archives to bring down theirbudgets, doing only the minimum required tokeep their own records. Some Councils havecut the number of days that the records may beaccessed by the public, knowing that theKeeper of the Records of Scotland has the rightto call in certain records if the public are unableto access them.

It is my belief that the Government shouldlegislate on the following: -1. Storage of records. Each Council should havea minimum standard of building in which tohouse all its archival materials.2. Management of records. The number ofarchivists employed should be laid down so thatall duties can be carried out in a reasonable timescale, allowing time for cataloguing,conservation and dealing with the public.Librarians should not be used to replacearchivists.3. Access. The public should have the right toresearch – they are their records – five days perweek throughout the UK, with no charges forbasic research. At present it is not alwayspossible to arrange a timetable to visit a numberof archives across the country when so manyare closed to the public at awkward times. Wemust also consider people visiting from abroadas well as those from UK.4. Funding. The Government should allocatefunds to local councils to help specifically withrunning costs of archives as they do for othereducational and leisure activities.

The introduction of IT is very important but it isalso important that the original documentsshould be available to the public.

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We must never forget that our past hasdetermined where we are now and what ourfuture will be.

AM 49 (Bath Central Library. ElizabethBevan, Senior Assistant Librarian, 8/98)[Details of the service are provided: availableon request to the Commission]Local problems: Bath is fortunate that it has aRecord Office that holds its own uniquecollection. There is little duplication – mainlyin map provision. It could only benefit users tohave all local materials (and family history) inone building with trained staff. A city the sizeof Bath with its long and varied history wouldmerit it. The central library also has a largearchive collection of newspapers most of whichare on microfilm. It would be beneficial to allof us to have a comprehensive list of ourcollection, and aim to fill the gaps. Anassociated complication with the area is that alarge number of records relating to areas withinBath & North East Somerset are held atSomerset Record Office in Taunton.

New initiatives: I would find [useful] a libraryorientated ‘clearing house/forum’ providingaccess to accumulated experience and objectiveand informed guidance on choice of appropriatesystems and software. A form of informationexchange, keeping staff up-to-date on currenttrends would be an asset. Any new initiativesthat we undertake should involve cooperationwith the Record Office. The libraries andRecord Office are within the same directorateand have the same Head of Service and we lookforward to consolidating our links together forthe benefit of our users. Although I am by nomeans complacent I am happy about the waywe have improved the care and maintenance ofthe valuable materials for which we areresponsible.

AM 50 (Society of Genealogists. JimWillerton, Chairman, Library & RecordsCommittee, 9/98)The Library and Records Committee of thisSociety offers the following principles to guideissues of care of and access to national archives.

1. Records should never be destroyed withoutstringent attempts amongst interested parties tofind a home for them and, if none can be found,notice should be published asking those withspace or money to take them into their custody.

2. No sampling. Future research needs cannotbe predicted. The whole collection should bekept if at all.3. Public records should be made public at 100years old at the latest.4. There must be sufficient conservators (andothers in training) to keep up with the currentarchival accessions let alone the backlog.5. There must be sufficient money to employconservators.6. There must be sufficient archivists (andothers in training) to cope with backlog ofaccessions. Currently, items which archivistswould like to keep are being refused/destroyedbecause of lack of manpower and space.7. There must be sufficient money to employarchivists.8. There must be adequate and suitable storagefacilities.9. Due priority must be given to computercataloguing of archives which is currentlylagging behind the cataloguing of bookcollections.10. Access needs to be vastly improved by re-doing inadequate existing indexes and creatingindexes where none exists. In allocating scarceresources of staff and money, the emphasisshould be placed on cataloguing and indexingthose archives which are, or will be, most used(where this can be predicted). Also, greater useshould be made of volunteers and students,under appropriate guidance and supervision.Mediaeval archives are less used than thosecreated in the nineteenth century; they aresmaller in number and their users are likely toalready possess knowledge of Latin andpalaeographic skills. Indexing of modernarchives is more cost effective in terms of theusage made by the majority of researchers andmore likely to save heavily used but unindexedsources from wear and tear.

AM 51 (Graham Collett, 8/98)In terms of the ‘Archives at the Millennium’review enquiry may I suggest:1. Greater publicity for HMC and itsfunctions/services.2. A change of name to a more meaningful one(and one which will avoid confusion withsimilar named organisations).

AM 52 (Corporation of London. TCSimmons, City Secretary, 8/98)The Corporation’s archival responsibilities aredealt with by: 1. The Corporation of London

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Records Office; 2. The Manuscripts Section ofGuildhall Library; and 3. London MetropolitanArchives...The views set out in this letter arethose of the officers and not those of either aCorporation committee or the Court ofCommon Council.

Legislation: The officers consulted havestressed that statutory requirements governingarchives need to be strengthened considerably.The present legislation relating to archives isconsidered to be very unsatisfactory, being of apermissive rather than a compulsory character.The Local Government Act of 1972, forinstance, requires all principal councils to make‘proper arrangements’ for documents, but thereis no definition of these arrangements. It is theofficers’ view that the provision of adequatearchive services should be made a statutoryresponsibility for principal councils, although itis recognized that the financial consequences ofthis would need to be thought out and plannedfor. The Greater London Archive Network(GLAN) has already drawn attention to thedeficiencies of archive services in London in itsreport Towards 2000: the future of London’sArchives (1993).

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CORPORATION OF LONDON RECORDS OFFICEVIEWS

National archives, general

Strengths: 1. The richness of archives of the UnitedKingdom, including those of central and localgovernment, the church, business, commerceand industry, and private individuals andinstitutions.2. A good network of national and local recordoffices, staffed by professionally trainedarchivists and conservators. The second half ofthe 20th century has seen a remarkableexpansion both in the provision and use of localgovernment archive services.3. The general accessibility of historicalarchives to the public, the vast majorityaccessible without charge.

Weaknesses:1. Financing:The financing of archive servicesis not based on secure foundations, partlybecause of the permissive character of presentlegislation. Archive services (as is also the casewith library services) are a favourite target for

cuts. Very little (if any) credit, financial orotherwise, is given to the many local authoritieswho are custodians of public records, such asthose of courts and hospitals. They also holdlarge quantities of deposited material at no costto the individual or organisation which hasdeposited the records. Consideration shouldalso be given to offering greater tax advantagesto organisations or individuals who are preparedto donate their records to national or localarchive services. The definition of collectionsof major national interest needs to be expandedto cover a wider variety of records.2. Local government re-organisation: Localgovernment re-organisation, much morefrequent than in the past, is a constant threat toarchive services. These have traditionally beenprovided by principal authorities, particularlycounty councils, but the creation of unitaryauthorities within the counties threatens thetraditional arrangements. The history of jointlymaintained services offers some encouragementfor the future, but the weakness of thearrangements is that funding is usuallyinfluenced by the financial contribution of theleast committed partner.3. Selection/preservation guidance: There is nogeneral national guidance in England and Walesconcerning the selection and preservation oflocal authority records, although the Society ofArchivists has pioneered some studies onparticular classes (e.g. the records of SocialServices Departments). Given the standardnature of many local government services, itshould be possible to develop some guidelines.4. Opening hours: Public demand is changingand standard working hours are no longernecessarily the best hours to make archiveservices available to the public. This change indemand has already been partly recognised bythe Public Record Office and is also reflected inthe much more ambitious opening hours of thenew British Library. Although some localoffices have late evening opening, the problemsof meeting this demand have not been seriouslyaddressed. Altering opening hours has seriousstaffing and financial implications.5. Export of manuscripts: Many important UKarchives have been exported because of therather loose control over such exports in thepast. The Committee on the Export of Works ofArt should be given greater control over theexport of manuscripts and archives, includingmodern papers such as literary archives.

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City of LondonWith regard to the City itself the followingcomments would appear to be relevant:

Strengths1. There is a long tradition of record-keeping atthe Guildhall. Access to its collective memorythrough the medium of its records has been avital factor in maintaining the independence andprivileges of the City since the 13th century.The records are remarkable both for theircompleteness and for their continuity.2. Since 1876 the archives of the Corporationhave been made available to the public in asearch-room staffed with a professionalarchivist. There has also been a verylongstanding interest in conservation which hasbeen regularly undertaken since the reign ofKing George IV. The collection has generallybeen housed in good quality accommodation,with the result that the vast majority of thearchives are in good condition and capable ofbeing consulted.3. Although funding of the City archives has notbeen lavish, it has been above average and inrecent years there has usually been moneyavailable to buy equipment and storagematerials of good quality. CLRO archivists andconservators all have access to computers andan attempt has been made to update these asregularly as the budget permits.

Weaknesses1. Space: The public and staff areas of thepresent accommodation are very unsatisfactoryand compare unfavourably with those of boththe Guildhall Library and the LondonMetropolitan Archives. Larger modernisedaccommodation at Guildhall is urgentlyrequired, although it is realised there are severeconstraints on any space in the EC2 area.2. Cataloguing: The amount of time availablefor the permanent staff to do detailedcataloguing is very restricted due to otherpressures on staff time. A recent initiative ofthe Corporation’s Establishment Committee,acting on a request from CLRO, has enabled avolunteer to work on the early records of theHusting Court and this is indicative of howmuch can be achieved by one person workingexclusively on a single project. There needs tobe further development of this type of approach.

Urgent issues1. Conservation: Many important recordsremain at risk, both those in public and those inprivate hands. Unsatisfactory storage

conditions and storage materials are stoking upmajor conservation problems for the future.With current recording materials, very littleattention is being paid to how long they willlast, e.g. recycled paper. Those involved withIT have very little interest in looking beyondcurrent and semi-current storage to permanentpreservation. Consideration might be given to anational task force to give advice and practicalhelp to owners of records, both in the public andprivate sector. This implies an expanded rolefor the Royal Commission and perhaps theNational Preservation Office. It would be veryuseful, for example, to have a UK equivalent ofthe ‘Svensk författningssamling SFS 1989:1’(The Swedish state testing laboratory’sdeclaration on writing materials ... for archivepurposes).2. Modern records: There should be a more co-ordinated approach to the cataloguing andpreservation of the records of local government,as is the case in the Netherlands wherearchivists have a much clearer idea of whatshould be kept and what destroyed. There is acase to be made for making the preservation ofcertain records and giving access to them astatutory obligation. This accords well with thegovernment’s recent paper on freedom ofinformation.3. Higher profile for archives: Given the qualityand extent of archives within the UnitedKingdom and the high volume of usage of therecords by the public, it is surprising the lowprofile and status the profession enjoys incomparison with other European countries, e.g.France. Some consideration needs to be givenas to why this is the case and the ways in whicharchives and archivists can be given a higherprofile.

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GUILDHALL LIBRARY - MANUSCRIPTS SECTIONVIEWS

Strengths1. ‘The Square Mile’: This is a compactcollection area. The MSS Section is wellknown within it, and seems to have a goodreputation. Most of the obviously importantcollections are already deposited; the rest willalmost certainly follow in due course. Mostcollections are deposited on the initiative of theowners, not the MSS Section.2. Financial resources: The ‘Square Mile’ isvery wealthy (esp. businesses). The MSSSection has had considerable success with fund-

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raising for conservation (for over 20 years) andfor general Library purposes (within the last 5years). In the past the Section has receivedabove-average funding from the Corporation(staff, buildings, computers, conservationworkshop, binding vote, publications suspenseaccount, etc.). In addition the Section hasachieved success in attracting transfers ofarchives as gifts rather than loans – c. 25% oftotal holdings now belong to Guildhall Library.3. New technology: Guildhall Library Website:For several years all the Section’s newcataloguing has been loaded straight ontodatabase. There has been substantial fundingfor the retro-conversion of old manualcatalogues, and there is a strong possibility thatthe Section will be able to make its cataloguesavailable on the World Wide Web in theforeseeable future.

Weaknesses1. Staffing: There is no market for a ‘pool’ ofshort-contract archive cataloguers; andprocedural restrictions might make it difficult toaccess if it did. Cataloguing cannot keep upwith accessions. Computers are part of theanswer (and the Section has them); but moretime and more professional expertise, to analysearchives thoroughly and prepare detailed andaccurate lists, is badly needed. Additionalpermanent staff are not necessarily the solution;dedicated staff on fixed contracts of a fewmonths each would often work better. This is anational problem, not least because there is noestablished market for such staff, and thereforeno ‘pool’ of people to call upon. It is thusdifficult to spend windfall money on listing, asopposed to conservation where the contractmarket is well-established. In addition, localauthority staffing procedures, are not alwaysflexible enough to employ contractors withinpublic buildings for finite periods of weeks ormonths without the need for full-scaleCommittee approvals etc. If local authoritiescould be more flexible, a ‘pool’ of suitably-qualified staff would almost certainly follow, toeveryone’s benefit.2. VAT/local authority financialregulations/charitable status: These again arenational problems. Gifts of money from ownersof archives towards their maintenance attractVAT. This discourages fund-raising. Also,many local authorities refuse to countenancesuspense accounts: any funds raised throughdonations either have to be spent by the yearend, or automatically go to offset existingspending. This stifles local fund-raising since

there is no visible benefit for the work involved.In addition, record offices within localauthorities cannot offer tax advantages oncharitable donations. Local authority/charityrules need to be loosened, so that fund-raisingbecomes more worthwhile both for donors andrecipients.3. Local record offices: The whole edifice oflocal record offices is based on freemaintenance by local government of otherpeople’s property. Although record offices holdplenty of ‘official’ (i.e. local government)records, the most glamorous material is oftenthe stately home archives, with photogenicestate maps, famous political and militaryfigures etc. The system of welcoming suchrecords on loan at no charge worked excellentlyin the early years, and in many ways still does;but it is now increasingly ‘normal’ forcollections to be removed from record officesby families and sold - usually back to the recordoffice! This again is a national problem. Weneed a greater emphasis on gifts of collectionsrather than deposits, possibly through taxinducements: owners must have somerecompense for parting with archival assets ofenormous potential vale. Public attitudes alsoneed to change so that owners of archives cometo expect to surrender ownership when theyplace their records in a record office.4. The Church of England: Many archives inlocal record offices come from the Church ofEngland (parish, diocesan, capitular). LondonDiocese is above reproach in the way it hasagreed to support Guildhall Library financially,but on a national level the Church’s obligationsunder the Parochial Registers and RecordsMeasure 1978 are being met almost entirely byLocal Government staff, buildings and money.5. Social change: Society seems to be changingever faster. New technology leads toamalgamation/ rebranding of businesses,charities, voluntary organisations, etc.Archivists risk being marginalised in this bravenew world, concerned as they are with therecords of past ages with a slower pace.Archivists also suffer through their (entirelycorrect) emphases on the unbrave areas of (a)preservation of fragile originals and (b)individual service to the public, both of whichare extremely time-consuming for offices withsmall staffs and small budgets, and likely toengender an introverted outlook. In additionarchives are generally visually unattractive andvulnerable to over-exposure to light. Theytherefore do not lend themselves to publicity,TV or long-term exhibition. Archives are also a

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minority interest compared with public librariesor museums: the number of archivists istherefore small, and their collective voice issmall too. The public remain pretty ignorantabout archives, in spite of genealogy beingperhaps the most popular hobby in the UK.6. Research services: The public increasinglywant record offices to offer research services.Archivists are the victim of their own successhere, since the public see them as moreefficient/reliable than professional recordagents. However, as long as records remain atrisk through neglect and mismanagement inprivate hands, and as long as record offices areburdened with listing backlogs of 25% of theirholdings and above, the old-fashionedarchivists’ emphases upon ‘preservation first’and upon cataloguing remain valid. Researchwork is extremely time-consuming, has noguarantee of success, satisfies the public on atransient individual basis, and brings in triflingsums of money; if we respond too much topublic demand for research services in-house,we will seriously dissipate our energies. This isnot an anti-public attitude. Guildhall LibraryManuscripts Section already devotes around40% of its staff resources every day to thepublic desk service, which is probably typical ofother offices too. It is a question of keepingcompeting demands and duties in balance.7. Public demand: Guildhall LibraryManuscripts Section does not get enoughreaders through its doors. This is a localproblem, although it probably reflects a nationalpattern. The numbers of readers are steady ataround 10,000 p.a. We could cope with more onmany days. Attempts to publicise the servicehave produced plenty of satisfied individuals,but the user figures have not changeddramatically, and are not likely to do so. Ourlocal authority funding is unlikely therefore toimprove radically. However, in times of budgethardship it may become more difficult to justifycollecting classes of records (e.g. some businessrecords) which attract relatively few readers,even though in a significant number of suchcases we are rescuing these archives fromdestruction.

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LONDON METROPOLITAN ARCHIVES VIEWS

1. The impact of ‘soft’ money on core work:The pressure for idealistic projects such as thedigitisation of archives is leading to themisapplication of existing scarce resources.

This pressure is in general exercised bytrust/charitable funding and forces recordoffices to ignore basic core work such ascataloguing.2. The cataloguing backlog: The most importantsingle problem experienced by LMA is thesignificant cataloguing backlog (up to 6 miles).The pressure to develop outreach and otherpublic activities has completely eliminated theLMA’s ability to deal with collections acquiredmany years ago, but which remain unassessedand unlisted.3. Unworkable professional standards: Whileattempts at drafting standards are commendable,they have fluctuated from the over idealistic tothe woolly. BS5454 has led to a very highexpenditure on bricks and mortar at the expenseof analytical and thinking work. It is interestingthat European and US archives have notadopted it as a standard and that the HeritageLottery Fund is challenging the cost of thestandard. Conversely the cataloguing standardISAD(G) is so loosely drafted that it does notcover the physical description of the item nor itsstate of conservation.4. Anarchy of the university archives sector:This lack of discipline and ‘blitz’ approach ofthe university sector has had a negative impacton the local authority sector and the professionin general. A number of librarians have beenappointed to archival posts. University librarieshave been encouraged to collect archives,poaching in other offices’ well establishedcollecting areas.

AM 53 (Lewisham Local History Council.Diana Rimel, Chair, 9/98)This Council is concerned that the archiveservice in Lewisham is under-funded and under-resourced. Storage conditions in the mainarchive repository are satisfactory, but those inthe out-store are not. There are not enough staffto seek out archives and arrange for theiracquisition, nor for the cataloguing of thosearchives that have been acquired. The archivescatalogue is not yet computerised, let aloneavailable on the Internet. The Councilrecognises that these problems are by no meansunique to Lewisham and that the under-fundingof archive services is widespread. The Councillooks forward to the greater deployment ofinformation technology, e.g. archivesthemselves being available for consultation onthe Internet, as well as finding aids.

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AM 54 (Association of Chief Archivists inLocal Government. 8/98)1. The state of local authority archive serviceshas been exhaustively recorded in the recentlottery mapping exercise and the reportsummarising the conclusions of this has drawnattention to the continuing and in many casesexacerbating problems facing this sector, whilerecognising also some of the advances beingmade. The original Survey of Local AuthorityArchive services and the 1996 update bothdemonstrated that while very significantadvances have been made in some services, theposition of small and underfunded offices hastended to become worse and the differentialbetween them and the better off services greater.Since then even the traditionally moregenerously funded services have been undergreat financial pressure.

2. The financial problems which have facedlocal government as a whole have been madeworse in those areas affected by structuralchange. Not only has this led to an absolutediminution in budgets in many cases; it has alsoadded further uncertainty and complexity to thebudgetary process for the future through jointarrangements for the maintenance of archiveservices for the area of the county before thecreation of unitary authorities etc. We welcomethese joint arrangements as preferable to thecreation of new record offices and the possibledivision of holdings, but there can be no doubtthat the financing of services will be morecomplex as a result.

3. Linked with both the financial problems andthe structural changes are the very considerableorganisational and management changes whichhave taken place in large numbers of localauthorities, bringing record offices into muchcloser working relations with other cultural andheritage services (bringing, indeed, some clearbenefits) and distancing them from the centraldepartments in which they traditionally sat. Onthe whole these changes have left heads ofarchive services lower in managementstructures and in some cases they have removedtheir access to elected members and even theirseparate budget, as well as reducing theirstaffing levels.

4. There seems little, doubt that furtherstructural changes will come and that thegovernment is committed to some form ofregional government. There is great concernabout the effect of such further change on local

authority archive services. Even at the presentstage, some authorities are considering radicalchange in the running and funding of theirarchive services and examining possibilities ofexternalisation and trust status, though it has notyet been made clear how such options provideviable funding alternatives.

5. The reports resulting from the recent DCMScomprehensive spending review weredisappointing in their almost total failure tomention archives. The emphasis of thesereports on increased delegation to the regionsand on closer working together of the museumsand libraries sectors (DCMS seems to viewarchives as a sub-set of libraries) confirms theconcerns expressed above about a likely periodof further disruption. The creation of someform of regional advisory structure for archivesto parallel in some measure existing structuresfor museums and libraries now appears to be apriority so that if these bodies are combinedthey will include an existing archive presence.We are concerned that any movement of thecontrol and planning of these services towardsthe regions in advance of the creation ofregional assemblies will erode the democraticbase on which they were created and haveflourished; and (whether before or after regionalassemblies) may also conflict with DCMS’sstated aim to ‘devolve decision makingprocesses as close to the final user as possible’.

6. The problems now facing archive services arein many cases acute. At the same time there iscontinuing growth and much excitingdevelopment. Interest in archive services andnumbers of customers continue to grow and thepowerful support shown in the localgovernment review process still exists.

7. In particular great strides are being made incomputerised cataloguing and towards thedevelopment of a national network, This willonly fully be realised with substantial nationalfunding through the Heritage Lottery Fund, andsuch an approach could at last make realprogress in lessening the gap in standardsbetween the relatively well and the poorlyfunded offices, as well as transforming publicaccess to our archive heritage. Even withoutthis, considerable progress is being made in thedevelopment of common standards and thesharing of data.

8. New record office building is still takingplace, including some services with a history of

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serious under-funding. There is great concern,though, that the opportunities provided by HLFin this respect have been seriously diminishedby the new ceiling on grants they would expectto give. The Lottery mapping exerciseemphasised that a continuing programme forimproving and replacing archive buildings is ofthe first importance to the archival health of thenation.

AM 55 (Scottish Record Office [now NationalArchives of Scotland]. Patrick Cadell,Keeper of the Records of Scotland, 10/98)The scene in Scotland is constantly changing,and it is difficult to fix upon a moment todescribe without the risk of being out of date bythe time the Millennium is actually reached.However the following is intended as asummary of the current situation with someconsideration of likely future developments.

At the national level, the Scottish Record Officehas become the National Archives of Scotland.This change reflects the need to communicatebetter with the public by means of a name that ismore generally understood and is in any case abetter description of its activities. Both theNational Archives of Scotland and the ScottishRecords Advisory Council have been subjectedto Quinquennial Reviews, and both have beenrecommended as carrying out effectively thework for which they were called into being,NAS has been invited to extend its outreachactivities, and has been encouraged in particularin its work in developing the Scottish ArchiveNetwork, SCAN, and of course in themanagement of electronic records emanatingfrom the Scottish Office.

The SRAC, has been specifically charged withlooking more closely at the Scottish NationalArchives Policy partly with a view to takingfurther soundings, of public, and specificallyuser opinion of the policy, and partly with aview to considering the possibility of archivelegislation. In response to the SRAC report for1997-98 in which the National Archives Policywas strongly recommended to the Secretary ofState, the latter suggested that he would behappy to see an archives act early in the life ofthe Scottish Parliament.

All necessary preparations are now in place forthe Scottish Archive Network, and at the time ofwriting all that is needed is the final agreementof the Heritage Lottery Fund to release the

funding that has been sought for this highlyinnovative project to go ahead. The emphasison collaborative effort, on access, and onmaking archives available to as wide a public aspossible, which are a priority for thegovernment, European Union and the Councilof Europe, combine to make SCAN aparticularly appropriate project for the end ofthe century. It has two particular advantages.The first is that all the archives in Scotland haveagreed to support it, They may not all be able tobenefit from it from the outset, but the purposeis to create a genuinely national archivessystem. The second advantage is that a greatdeal of technical development work has beendone, which places Scottish archives at thecutting edge of developments in archivenetworking. The European Archive Network(EUAN), which is a collaborative effort byScotland, Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands,has been granted European Union funding toinvestigate progress in networking on a widerscale. SCAN is viewed as a prototype for theNational Council on Archives ‘Archives on-line’ project,

The Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994in which for the first time local archives weresubjected to some proper legislation, has hadsome effect, an effect which has on balancebeen just positive. While some of the formerregional archives have been broken up(Strathclyde and Central in particular), in wayswhich have done extensive damage to existingservices, in other places - South.Lanarkshire,West Lothian, Clackmannanshire - archiveshave been set up for the first time, and in otherplaces - all three councils in Ayrshire forexample - a very modest service has been.strengthened and developed beyond allrecognition. While one appreciates the financialand other difficulties that all local governmentfaces, I believe that little by little progress isbeing made towards a proper archive service inall authorities. Sometimes this progress is on thebasis of the more traditional perception of thearchive as an aspect of the cultural andhistorical work of the councils - but surprisinglyoften there is an acceptance that recordsmanagement is important, and several councilsnow have at least partial records managementsystems in place, and view their archive as animportant contribution to good administration.

Not all is rosy. Some of the smaller formerStrathclyde councils still have no archive

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service, and of course Fife remains an archivalblack hole.

Follett funding has put large sums of moneyinto university archives, and some remarkablesuccesses have been achieved, notably in theconservation service at Dundee UniversityArchives. Some Follett initiatives will probablyend when the funding is no longer available, butit is to be hoped that the conservation service atDundee will be able to flourish independently.

It would be agreeable to be able to say withconfidence that Scotland was on the verge of agreat leap forward in its archive services. Thereis no evidence to suggest that this will happen.Nothing indicates that there will be more moneyfor government services at either national orlocal level; there is nothing which suggests thatfurther demands for resource based learning inschools or universities will really have animpact on archives, or that administrators - withsome notable exceptions - are paying more thanlip-service to the need for records management.

Yet there is steady pressure which, given time,will I believe compel all administrations to takearchives seriously. Electronic records pose amuch greater threat - if not properly managedfrom the outset - than any by the Millenniumbug. Freedom of Information and DataProtection will require administrators to knowwhat they hold and to be able to find it.

In Scotland the possibility of a new archives actwhich is strongly supported both by theNational Archives Policy, and by the work ofthe Scottish Records Advisory Council, willconcentrate efforts on setting up a legislativeframework for the future of archives inScotland. At present the act has barely reachedthe planning stage, but the prospect oflegislation should concentrate minds on archivalmatters at all levels of government andthroughout the private sector in a way thatnothing has done before, While at theMillennium itself archives may not perhaps benotably prosperous in Scotland, the future ingeneral is bright.

AM 56 (Mrs Audrey Franklin)[Copy of a letter of 23 May 1998 to MrsBarbara Tuttiett, British Association for LocalHistory, forwarded by the latter, 10/98]The Summer 1998 issue (no 47) of LocalHistory News asks for the views of individuals

on the archival health of the nation. Of thenation as a whole, I cannot speak, but as a userof record offices, I would like to record myviews, which are certainly held by many others.Most of these views have been put forward byothers in history magazines but as little has beendone to amend matters, it seems that thearchives industry has not been listening andneeds further hard prodding.

Because archives have been taken inhaphazardly in the past, it is impossible to knowwhere to go to look for information. InNewbury and the surrounding areas, we mayfind what we want in Newbury Museum;Newbury Library; Reading Central Library; theBerkshire Record Office at Reading;Trowbridge Record Office; the BodleianLibrary at Oxford; the Public Record Offices inLondon. To use the Bodleian, the researcherhas to go in person to apply for a ticket, thenhe/she has to find references to assure goodbehaviour and have those put through thesystem before being allowed over the hallowedportals.

The overall impression is that in general recordoffices see themselves as guardians of relicsrather than as a public service. They perhapsoffer one late-night opening a week and that daythen becomes extremely busy so that a seat hasto be booked well in advance if it is to be had atall. A few hours’ research cannot be done withany real satisfaction at the end of an alreadyhard day at work in a shop or office or factory,especially if a visit to the record office entails along journey or one that takes place in the rushhour in difficult traffic conditions. Weekendopening is desperately needed but the excuse fornot providing this is usually lack of staff. Notonly do they not open on Saturdays, some closeon Mondays as well to do work that cannot bedone with members of the public present. Thisis in addition to the two weeks’ closure inOctober/November for stocktaking andcataloguing.

Help given by staff is variable. Trowbridgestaff are very helpful and will get a freephotocopy to me after a telephone request, byreturn of post. At other places. any photocopywill cost at least 40p, sometimes more and willtake three weeks to be delivered. Telephonerequests for help are met with, ‘Can’t you comein and do the research for yourself'?’ This is notjust my personal impression: it is borne out byother users.

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Car parking is not usually provided, though upto now at the Berkshire Record Office we havebeen able to use the parking facilities for theShire Hall, but that has now closed and theRecord Office will eventually have to move out.They are pressing for car parking at the nextpurpose-built place, but there is no guarantee ofthis.

We have also been able to use the restaurant atthe Shire Hall, which has been muchappreciated by those wanting to spend wholedays working on the archives. When the nextmove takes place there will be no such facility,perhaps not even a coffee machine, so mealswill mean a trek into the town centre, a littledistance away from the proposed site.

This is also the situation where archives arestored in libraries, which do not even offertoilets in some instances. A new library inNewbury is being built in the middle of thepresent car park so any full-day users will haveto pay £3 to park and we’ll probably be asked touse the public toilets there too. We alreadyhave to pay to use car parks if we need to useReading Library, which might cost £10 a day - Ihaven’t tried to park there for a full dayrecently, so I can’t tell exactly - and there's noway I can get there by any transport other thancar. The last time I was in there, the brand-newtoilets in the library were closed because theyhad been attacked by vandals. The nearestpublic toilets are a block away.

In libraries. it is not possible to leave one’sbelongings in situ while off the premises asbags are suspicious objects. If work is left on aviewer to come back to, chances are somenuisance has fiddled with it and made it difficultto find the part previously being worked on. Inmy local library, I have to tote my handbag withme every time I go to the photocopier, which issome way from the Local Studies Room. Nolockers are supplied in which bags and coats canbe stored.

When using machines such as micro-filmviewers, no provision is made for a writingsurface: the user is expected to balance aclipboard or a laptop computer on a knee orwhatever surface if left free around the machine.On the other hand, I have always met with greathelpfulness at the Berkshire Record Office insetting up my lap-top on the normal writingtables. Although I take along an extension flex,the staff normally manage to put me in a seat

next to a wall socket, which cuts out dangersfrom others tripping over my cable.

I can see the point of the British Library inrefusing to send out by post books that wereprinted before a certain date: they are fragileand may be rare copies. However, this makeslife difficult for those living, say, in Yorkshire.How are they to get to London to see the booksneeded? If they manage the journey, how muchtime will it take to go through a book makingmeticulous notes? It is possible these days toscan books into computers and disk or cassetteversions might be made available, which isprobably a cheaper option than microfilmingand one that takes up little storage space.

We aren’t all on the Internet yet but there seemsto be no hurry on the part of archivists toprepare for the time when postmen are nolonger daily visitors to every home. I lookforward to the day when I can sit at homeperusing old documents on screen, with anindex that tells me where to find them all. Itwould also be the answer to the problems facingthe major libraries that presently have legaldeposits of every book in print. Modernprinting firms invariably work with computers,so the deposit sent to the British Library couldgo via e-mail and/or be recorded straight ontocompact disk.

Clearly, ‘researchers’ are seen as non-humanforms. We are just robots following the rules ofthe game laid down by the authorities. By thetime we get around to being treated as human,technology will have taken over and we’ll be nomore than computer screens to those guardingour heritage. Somewhere along the line wesimply have to get the balance right. Thetwenty-first century is going to be vastly morecomplex than anything that’s gone before andthat will make it more urgent to get the humanscale in the right perspective.

AM 57 (London Archive Users’ Forum.Executive Committee, 10/98)1. Our single greatest concern is probably theunevenness of local authority archive services inGreater London, and indeed their virtual totalabsence in some places. In part this must be dueto the more general problem that local authorityarchives have a very weak statutoryunderpinning. There is a need for strongerprovision, for a move from a discretionary to amandatory service, backed up by minimum

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standards. There may also be a place forperformance indicators (even for ‘leaguetables’) as an incentive for enhancingperformance, for example in prompt listing ofaccessions.

2. It appears that archive services have notbenefited as greatly as some other sectors fromlottery funding, and that this would have auseful part to play especially in digitisingexisting catalogues, ideally with a view toputting them on the Web.

3. One of the most constant themes we take upwith record offices is opening hours. This canbe a problem as much with national as withlocal repositories. We believe it ought to bestandard that publicly funded repositories makesome provision for access out of normal officehours, that is to say either weekend or late nightopening (though ideally both). Furthermore latenight opening needs increasingly to takeaccount of the current ‘long hours culture’regrettably commonplace for office workers:closing at 7 p.m. or 7.30 is often inadequate tomake an evening visit worthwhile.

4. A further cause for concern is any move tocharging for access. We believe this is whollyunacceptable in publicly funded services, andthat it is equally unacceptable to differentiatebetween different groups of users. Creatingcategories is invidious and arbitrary, and it isknowledge and scholarship which will suffer inthe long run.

5. While different considerations must apply tothe private sector, we would like to support anyinitiatives to encourage archive provision andaccess. There may be scope for tax concessionsas an incentive; there are of course precedentsfor this in other fields.

6. We believe that the British RecordsAssociation has a key role to play, and thatanything that can be done to increase theirresources, enhance their profile and enable themto be more proactive, would be worthwhile. Inrelation to the private sector the same can besaid of the Business Archives Council.

7. Finally, but not least, we believe that theCommission itself can and should take the leadin raising the profile of archives and educatingthe public in their importance and potential.

AM 58 (Avon Local History Association.William Evans, Honorary Secretary, 10/98)Avon Local History Association, a registeredcharity, is an umbrella group representing over50 local and family history organisations in thecounties of Bristol, Bath and North-EastSomerset, North Somerset and SouthGloucestershire. The area it represents has apopulation of over 900,000, and as well as thecities of Bath and Bristol includes the urbansettlements of Weston-super-Mare, Nailsea,Clevedon, Portishead, Norton-Radstock,Keynsham, Thornbury, Chipping Sodbury,Yate, Filton and Kingswood.

1. The Avon problem: The Commission willalready know of the difficulties for localarchives services created by the formation in1974 of the county of Avon and Avon CountyCouncil’s subsequent decision not to establish arecords service. Those difficulties remain, andappear likely to be compounded by the furtherreorganisation of local government which tookeffect on 1 April 1996 and which divided thecounty of Avon into 4 unitary authorities, eachwith statutory responsibilities regarding localrecords. The present position is that the area isserved by Bristol Record Office (which is alsothe diocesan record office for the diocese ofBristol); Somerset Record Office at Taunton(which is also the diocesan record office for thediocese of Bath and Wells); and GloucestershireArchives (which holds the Gloucester diocesanrecords, apart from the Hockaday transcripts,which are in the Gloucestershire Collection inGloucester City Library). Some records are alsoheld by Bath City Council and Bath CityReference Library. Bristol City Council’smodern records office, part of its corporateservices department, holds those records of theformer county of Avon which relate to Bristol.

By and large, records dating from before 1 April1974 held by those offices are professionallymaintained as well as resources allow. Exceptfor those former Avon records which havetransferred to Bristol, records from 1 April 1974have not been systematically selected, collected,maintained or indexed, and public access islimited. In particular, North Somerset Counciland Bath and North-East Somerset Council areunderstood to have no proposals for systematicacquisition or maintenance of public records,and regard the issue as one of low priority.South Gloucestershire Council is consideringbuying in a basic service from another provider,probably Gloucestershire County Council. The

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extent of that basic service appears at presentlikely to be limited to advice to the Council andlocal organisations on records retention andarchives; receipt of South GloucestershireCouncil’s inherited and new deposits; oversightof parish records and receipt of records fordeposit; archives education to schools; adviceand talks to local organisations; receipt ofdeposits and gifts; and an annual report.

2. The public libraries problem: The two localgovernment reorganisations this area hasexperienced have highlighted and exacerbatedproblems to do with how responsibility forkeeping manuscript records is demarcatedbetween public library, museums and recordsservices. Bristol Central Reference Library and,to a lesser extent, Weston-super-Mare libraryhold significant manuscript collections, as doBath and Bristol museums and art galleries.Given (1) the further fragmentation of thelibrary services in 1996, (2) the budgetaryconstraints imposed on them by their parentlocal authorities, and (3) the tendency forlibraries to diversify from books into generalinformation and learning resources in all kindsof media, there may be a case for transferringlibraries’ manuscript holdings to record officesin order to ensure that they are managed byspecialist professionals, and for all printedmaterial to be held by central reference libraries.There may also be a case for rationalisingholdings so that cognate materials can beconsulted in one place. In Bristol, for example,census information is split between the centralreference library and the record office, whichare over a mile apart and with the latter noteasily accessible by bus. If the Commission is primarily concernedwith strategic issues, it may wish to considerwhat benefits might be achieved by (1)systematic rationalisation of the care of localhistory source material, which is at presentdistributed, but not necessarily by design,amongst record offices, museums, art galleries,some branch lending libraries, central referencelibraries, local studies libraries and specialistcollections; and (2) the encouragement of theproduction of comprehensive local lists showingthe location of all materials in all forms.

3. Personal archives: Several local historiansand some groups have made sizeable personalcollections on various topics. When the ownerdies or, in the case of a group, is disbanded.there is a risk of the material being dispersed,lost or destroyed. The Commission may wish to

consider what could be done to encourageindividuals and groups to make provision forthe retention, custody and housing of this sort ofmaterial should the compiler die or, in the caseof an organisation, cease to exist. The localrecord office seems a suitable place for suchmaterial.

4. Funding and accessibility: As elsewhere,records services are underfunded andunderstaffed. Bristol Record Office is closed tothe public one day a week. Indexing andcataloguing are not up to date. Conservation (asdistinct from safe keeping) is not well funded.Modern information technology is notdeployed, though it is understood that BristolCity Council through its public library servicerecently made a bid to the Department forCulture, Media and Sport for funds to aid theconversion (by voluntary labour) into electronicform of various printed and card-indexedbibliographies.

There are local issues about access to records inthe sense of access to the buildings in whichthey are kept, as distinct from access to therecords themselves. It is understandable thatlocal authorities should seek sites where land ischeaper than in town centres, and should seek tomake optimum use of buildings. One result isthat the record office may not be on aconvenient bus route or, as in Bristol, the recordoffice shares its car parking with otherorganisations, so that visitors may be deterredby parking difficulties.

5. The family history problem: The number ofpeople who wish to research family history hasgreatly increased of recent years. Local serviceshave not expanded to meet the demand. Thishas put excessive pressure on places which holdcensus and similar information. Bookingsystems for the use of microform readers arenow in operation at Bristol Central ReferenceLibrary (which makes a booking charge, whichfurther inhibits access) and Somerset RecordOffice. Family historians are often not able tosee the records they need; and other researcherscannot get at sources because they are beingused by family historians. Search facilities areuncomfortably and unpleasantly cramped. Notevery local library holds census data for its area.Local authorities, perhaps with guidance fromthe Commission might usefully adopt a strategicapproach to finding ways to meet the high, andapparently increasing demand.

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6. Public access and information technology:Whereas the National Register of Archives hasincreased ease of access to its indexes bymaking them searchable through the Internet,none of the local authorities here has yet donethe same with its catalogues or indexes.Guidance from the Commission on how to worktowards this might be helpful.

7. Destruction of legal documents: In spite ofLaw Society guidance to solicitors, destructionand misuse of legal documents, particularly pre-registration title deeds to land, continues apacein this area. Few solicitors see the local recordoffices as appropriate destinations for olddocuments. Matters are not helped by the localpresence of businesses which use deeds as rawmaterial for interior furnishing and decoration.Pressure from the Commission on the LawSociety and local law societies would not comeamiss.

8. Videos: BBC West and HTV make manylocal interest programmes. It is not known whatpolicies, if any, the broadcasting organisationshave regarding the archiving of these videos orpublic access to them. They often containvaluable material, such as views which havesince vanished. If this sort of material is withinthe Commission’s remit, it may wish toconsider what advice needs to be given toensure that (1) such material is preserved; (2)there are facilities for public access, eg via locallibraries (who already rent out videos); (3) thereare facilities for inter-institution loans(analogous to the inter-library loan system); (4)there are comprehensive indexes maintainedlocally of what exists, who holds it, and how itmay be accessed; and (5) someone, perhaps thecounty archivist, is charged with responsibilityfor surveying the broadcasters’ output andindicating whether particular material warrantspreservation.

AM 59 (MGC/V&A Purchase Grant Fund.Julia Marsh, Assistant Purchase Grant FundOfficer, 10/98)Collections careArchives have benefited over the last decade,and latterly from the Heritage Lottery Fundfrom a spate of new buildings and conversions.Whilst there are some very good repositoriesoffering a high level of environmental andphysical security for their collections, there arestill repositories which offer very pooraccommodation for their collections. A

concerted effort is needed to bring thoserepositories who cannot offer a minimum levelof acceptable accommodation up to standard.

The HMC recognition scheme is an extremelyuseful benchmark for standards of archival careand could offer a mechanism through which theraising standards of collections care could beencouraged and could be used to raise theprofile of archives in general. It would alsofollow on from the work of the ArchivalMapping Project which identified the needs topreserve and care for the nation’s archives. Thescheme should, therefore, be extended andformalised, incorporating the variouspermissions to hold manorial and tithe andpublic records schemes which are still inexistence. It should certainly be discussed ingreater detail with the PRO and other interestedparties before taking forward. It could bepresented to owners and governing bodies as amark of attainment of a certain level of care andin time could perhaps be, like the MuseumsRegistration Scheme, a prerequisite for grant aidfrom ourselves and other funding bodies.

AccessRecord offices and specialist libraries haveworked hard to make their collections widelyavailable, not least through increasing theeducational use of their collections. Everyeffort should be made to make best use of theopportunities that arise for archives to linkthemselves ever more closely to theircommunities.

The use that has made of IT, especially theInternet in communicating archival collectionsto a wider public is impressive. Its continuationand the plans to establish a UK archival networkshould be encouraged.Selling of archives:Owners are increasingly selling archives andsingle items which record offices have spenttime (in some cases many years) cataloguing,conserving and making available; in somecases, thereby increasing the research andfinancial value of the archive. Somerepositories ensure that their contribution isacknowledged through deposit agreements withfinancial penalties levied on those owners whomerely use the RO to store, catalogue andconserve the collection before selling it on theopen market. This practice should becomestandard and where archives are sold to theholding institution, the input of the repositoryshould be acknowledged in the price.

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FundingHEFCE funding has allowed some developmentin this area and the importance of this source ofresources cannot be understated.

Local authority funding is getting increasinglytight, and in some cases, local governmentreorganisation and subsequent boundarychanges have led to the increase inresponsibilities without a commensurateincrease in resources. One must be vigilant toensure that core funding is not pared down inthe expectation that HLF will pick up theshortfall. It is being made increasingly clearthat this; will not happen.

AM 60 (Greater London Archives Network.David Mander, Chairman, 10/98)You have already drawn on the concern weexpressed in Towards 2000. The future ofLondon’s archives, which we launched in 1993.While there have been substantialimprovements in the position of the formerGreater London Records Office since thepublication of the report and some individualchanges for the better in certain London localauthorities, the position for many of theremainder remains largely unchanged, and theproblems we identified in 1993 remain.

In the interval GLAN has been working to drawup a submission to the Secretary of State forCulture, Media and Sport raising the issues ofthe capital’s archival heritage in advance of thecreation of a mayor for London, and I enclose acopy. The action points we suggest wouldequally apply for consideration by theCommission. While GLAN has supportedwherever possible the application of thestandards drawn up by the Commission andpublished as A standard for record repositoriesand welcomes the revision of the criteria forrecognition as an acceptable place of deposit,we would welcome the Commission beinggiven greater powers to intervene in caseswhere local authority are plainly failing to meettheir archival responsibilities. In turn this willrequire changes in the legislation to preventsuch authorities stone-walling, since werecognise that it is impractical to assume thatdeposited records can be easily transferred toanother authority, and that such a move wouldnot remove the need for the authority to makeproper provision for its own records. Voluntaryguidelines will not provide a framework that islikely to be heeded.

We have also linked the issue of recordsmanagement to archives as part of the documentlife cycle. Within a local authority there shouldbe a close association between the managementof information in whatever format, recordsmanagement and the preservation of thosecouncil records identified for permanentretention. This could be achieved by jointworking between the Commission and bodieslike the Audit Commission to agree applicablestandards, and could link the preservation ofrecords to the cost effective and efficientdelivery of information as a whole within localauthorities. In turn this would raise the profileof archives within the local authority world.

The Commission’s Annual Review 1997-1998emphasises the importance of the digitisation ofcatalogues to ensure that local authority recordoffices can participate in the NationalNetworking Strategy. Not all of the Londonoffices are as well placed as Hackney, and themajority will need external funding to improvetheir finding aids and convert them to digitalform. Assistance will be required to encourageand channel resources if the archivalcontribution to the Net is not to be very patchy.I would hope that the on-going work ofpublishing the guide to London local authorityholdings, undertaken by GLAN in associationwith the Corporation of London, will have apart to play in this project, though the Guidewill not provide a direct substitute for directaccess to digital catalogues. I would hope thatthe work of supporting digitisation will form animportant part in the Commission’s futurestrategic planning.

Enclosure: Draft of Presentation to minister, asfollows:London’s historical records - in safe hands?The present provision of archive services toGreater London has evolved spasmodically overa long period of time and has been affected byvarious local government reorganizations Thispaper aims to provide a basis for futurediscussion on access to archives, as well asarchive service provision in London.

Access to archives in the metropolitan area isfacilitated by a variety of service providers.They include the Corporation of LondonRecords Office, Guildhall Library ManuscriptsSection and London Metropolitan Archives (allfunded by the Corporation); some, but not all,London local authorities, county record offices

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adjoining London, and in addition, many non-local authority repositories. Despite thiscoverage, the resulting framework lacksuniformity and leads to sporadic serviceprovision, especially within London localauthorities. This paper does not set out tocriticise repositories already meeting orsurpassing existing standards. It does aim,however, to highlight inadequate archive serviceprovision in some London boroughs, whereimprovements are imperative and in many caseslong overdue.

Why is London special?The ‘Green paper’ on the future of Londongovernment contained a passing reference toonly one archive in London, namely LondonMetropolitan Archives, which was described asfulfilling its role. But it is impossible for LMAto meet all of London’s archive needs - eachLondon borough should be responsible forcollecting records relating to its own area andmanaging its own official records. Localauthorities’ duties in respect of their ownrecords, (under Section 224 of the LocalGovernment Act 1972), are very general and ineffect allow the extent of duty to be defined bythe authorities concerned.

National legislation governing local authorityarchives and local studies collections iscontained in the Local Government (Records)Act 1962, and though it enables all Londonauthorities to make archive provision and createcollections, it is permissive only. Standards ofprovision therefore vary considerably betweenauthorities. Standards of service weresummarised in Towards 2000 – the future ofLondon’s archives, published by the GreaterLondon Archives Network in 1993. Of the 33London local authorities, 14 boroughs had noprofessional archivist.

Some boroughs make no provision for thearchives created by the local authority itself,much less make provision to take in historicrecords created by institutions, businesses orindividuals within the local area. Organisationscreating historic records of local significance, aswell as national bodies responsible fordistributing records to repositories, experienceconsiderable difficulties when depositingrecords in London, as some boroughs remainunable to receive collections of archivematerial.

What does London need?London needs an even standard of provision asa matter of urgency, so that council chargepayers in all metropolitan areas can expect thesame standards of archive provision from theirlocal council. This does not entail excessiveexpense, but should meet the standards laiddown by the Royal Commission on HistoricalManuscripts for the custody of records, accessto collections and the provision of reasonableopening hours for consulting archive materials.A local authority archive service has littlerelevance if the public are not given adequate,access to the records it retains.

Why are London local archives important?• to retain records of the authority itself to avoidoperational and reputational risk• to facilitate the fight of local people to consultCouncil records• to preserve records relating to the activities ofcommunities at local level• to promote records for educational use in localschools• to establish an unique and irreplaceable recordof the history and identity of a local community• to create a resource for interpreting the actionsof those in local communities and the physicalevidence, including the buildings, artefacts andstructures, they leave behind• to collect records reflecting the ethnicdiversity of communities that make up eachLondon authority

Action: what next?• to ensure all London local authorities meetacceptable standards and make adequateprovision for the custody of, and access to,archive and local studies materials• to promote cooperative ventures betweenboroughs where a single authority cannot makeadequate provision from its own resources• to enhance the powers of HMC to superviseand enforce standards within London localarchive services• to urge local authorities to achieve official,recognised repository status by adopting theHMC Standard• to strengthen the link between local archiveservices and record creating functions within theauthority itself to stimulate efficient and cost-effective management of records andinformation

Opportunities for actionRecord keeping is often taken for granted, butwithout good record-keeping and management

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now, in the future there will be no records orinadequate records. Record keeping andmanagement has an important role to play inunder-pinning current initiatives such as theData Protection Act; Freedom, of Informationand Best Value in local services, and theseinitiatives provide an opportunity to examineand improve on the currently unsatisfactorysituation.

Stakeholders of London’s government needadequate local archive services now, to ensurethat their right of access to informationcontained in local records can be fulfilled and tocreate a future framework for adequate recordretention.

AM 61 (National Manuscripts ConservationTrust. Lewis Golden, Chairman, 10/98)The National Manuscripts Conservation Trustis a registered charitable trust which wasestablished by the British Library and the RoyalCommission on Historical Manuscripts in 1990,following a survey carried out by theCommission in 1985 which had revealed theparlous state of the nation’s documentaryheritage. There are three trustees: one appointedby the Library, one by the Commission, and onerepresenting the private benefactors. The trustis administered by the British Library Researchand Innovation Centre on behalf of the trusteesand at no cost to them. The trustees are alsoable to draw on the expert advice of both thecommission and the library in the assessment ofapplications.

From the outset the trust has received fundingfor awards directly from the government, andfor some years it has received an annualsubvention of £70,000 from the Department forCulture Media and Sport, an amount whichrepresents about two thirds of the total sumawarded in grants each year. The trustees havealso raised a substantial amount of funding fromprivate benefactors, and investment incomefrom this is the source of the remaining sumawarded. The trustees’ aim has been toestablish an endowment fund of at least £2million, income from the investment of whichmay be used for grant-aid, and ultimately tocease to rely on government funding. At theend of 1997 the endowment stood at almost£1.2 million after taking account of unrealisedgains on investments.

Since 1990 over £900,000 has been awarded ingrant-aid but, as applicants must providematching funding, this represents a totalexpenditure on conservation of more than £1.8million. Over 130 awards in total have beenmade for a wide range of projects in all types ofrepositories. Awards have ranged from £147 to£38,000, with the majority falling in the rangeof from £10,000 to £20,000 for projects with atotal cost of from £20,000 to £40,000.

The trustees are aware, from the various surveyscarried out since 1985, that the greater part ofthe nation’s manuscripts and archives remain atrisk for want of conservation. They submit thefollowing comments from the perspective of theonly grant-awarding body establishedspecifically to provide assistance in this veryimportant area. They wish merely to focus onthe need for secure funding for manuscript andarchive conservation, and also to focus on issueswhich have been drawn to their attention in thecourse of their work. They feel that otherrespondents will be better qualified to commentin depth on the overall archival health of thenation.

At their June 1998 meeting the trusteesexpressed their dissatisfaction at the low levelof financial support the trust received fromgovernment, and at the continual uncertaintyabout that level of support. They expected toreceive more applications for grants becauselottery support for libraries and archives wasthought likely to decrease.

Since that meeting of the trustees theDepartment for Culture Media and Sport hasannounced that its support for the trust willcease from April 1999. This is an extremelydisappointing decision which will make futurefund-raising much more difficult; significantlyreduce the ability of the trust to assistcustodians and owners of archive andmanuscript collections; and place the verycontinuation of the trust in doubt.

There being no other source of fundingspecifically for manuscript and archiveconservation, the need for funding for essentialconservation work remains very large indeed.This has been demonstrated over and over againby the various recent reports and evaluations ofthe archive sector. Enormous backlogs in otherimportant areas such as cataloguing, storage,and information technology have prevented the

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preparation of applications for much neededconservation work.

Publicly funded grant-awarding bodies such asthe trust require matching or partnershipfunding. The new competition from largenumbers of lottery applicants in the search forpartnership funding, in many cases for quiteconsiderable sums, is making it more difficultfor applicants to the trust to raise matchingfunding. However, trust grants are accepted bythe Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) as partnershipfunding, so the trustees may decide to reviewthe requirement for matching funding in thelight of the government’s recent decision tocease its support of the trust.

Despite the enormous potential impact of theHLF there still remains a role for smaller grant-awarding bodies such as the trust. Compared tothe HLF it has a much simpler applicationprocess; it can process applications speedily; itcan deal with projects with a total cost of under£5,000 or, in certain circumstances, withapplications relating to material in privateownership, both of which fall outside the HLFnet; and it can provide partnership funding forHLF projects.

The trust is already working in partnership withthe Pilgrim Trust to make more effective use ofgrant-aid and other resources such as expertadvice. Such alliances among funding bodiesmay increase in future to ensure that the bestuse is made of all funding available for thearchive sector.

Inadequate storage conditions, that is failure tomeet the requirements of BS 5454, is one of thecommonest reasons for rejection by the trust ofgrant applications or for the imposition ofspecial conditions of grant.

Few applicants place their project proposalswithin the context of an overall preservationstrategy. The trustees consider that carefulthought needs to be given to overallconservation needs and to the establishment ofpriorities before specific projects areformulated.

The Royal Commission on HistoricalManuscripts’ approval scheme for archiverepositories is welcomed by the trustees. Theynote the potential usefulness of a similar schemecovering preservation matters currently under

consideration by the National PreservationOffice.

AM 62 (The Librarian and Archivist to theMarquess of Salisbury, 10/98)Lord Salisbury wishes me to say that it remainspossible for him at present to make properprovision for looking after the archives atHatfield, as his family have done for manygenerations. As you know, these archivesinclude the highly important Cecil Papers,dating from Tudor and early Stuart times, whichhave been calendared by the HistoricalManuscripts Commission. (The Calendar waspublished in 24 volumes between 1883 and1976) The archives are housed in a newstrongroom, equipped to maintain correct levelsof temperature and humidity, which was createdin 1974.

We have always had close links with theCommission. We value its roIe as an unbiassedsource of advice, not just to ourselves but alsoto other private owners who keep the custody oftheir family and estate archives. We hope thatthe Commission will preserve its independenceand continue with its present work.

We are, on the whole, happy with existingarrangements for archives. Our main concernrelates to the question of public access in future.We are accustomed to receiving a steady streamof requests from academic researchers toconsult the papers at Hatfield and, in response,access has always been given generously.However we apprehend a growing pressureupon owners to allow access which may not beappropriate, as may arise, for instance, out ofthe provisions of the 1998 Finance Act. Fromwhat we hear, we are anxious that thoseresponsible for framing the terms of conditionalexemption from inheritance tax may not be wellinformed about the nature of archives. We hopethat the Historical Manuscripts Commissionwill have an opportunity to offer them its expertadvice on this.

We feel that the long-term preservation ofdocuments should always take precedence overother considerations, such as making themavailable to the public, and that givingunrestricted access would be totallyirresponsible.

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AM 63 (The Royal Archives, Windsor Castle.Lady de Bellaigue, Registrar, 12/98)

IntroductionThe Royal Archives were not included in thevarious specialised reviews and reports listed inthe Secretary’s circular of March 1998; andonly a brief indication of their holdings appearsin the National Register of Archives database(although a fuller listing is being prepared bythe Royal Archives for inclusion, it is hoped, inthe near future). It is therefore thought that theCommissioners may find it useful to receivefrom the Royal Archives a brief survey of theirhistory and holdings, together with an accountof their present organisation and managementwith particular reference to conservation,finding aids, access, accessions and futuredevelopment. Fuller accounts of the history andcontents of the Archives, and of the RoyalPhotograph Collection which forms part ofthem, can be found in the articles of whichcopies are enclosed. [Enclosed: (1) the sectionon the Royal Photographic Collection fromRonald Allison and Sarah Riddell (eds) TheRoyal Encyclopaedia (Macmillan 1999),pp.472-474; (2) Sheila de Bellaigue, ‘Courtsand history: 1. The Royal Archives, WindsorCastle’ from The Court Historian, vol III no 2,July 1998, pp. 10-21.]

History and holdingsThe Royal Archives were established by KingGeorge V in 1912 with the appointment of thefirst Archivist, Lord Esher. John Fortescue, theRoyal Librarian at Windsor Castle, becameDeputy Archivist at the same time; but it wasnot until 1914 that the archives were given ahome, in the Round Tower of the Castle. Thisrelatively recent foundation is a frequent causeof surprise. But there are several historical andconstitutional reasons for it. Lack of dynasticcontinuity accounted to some extent for theabsence of a corpus of pre-eighteenth-centuryroyal family papers; as for official royalcorrespondence, at least until the end of theseventeenth century, while the affairs of thenation were directed personally by theSovereign in Council, the Sovereign’s paperswere the State or Privy Council Papers, and assuch were deposited in the State Paper or thePrivy Council Office, and there was little needfor the Sovereign to maintain personal archives.The growth of Cabinet government, acceleratedby the accession of a Hanoverian dynasty with,at first, a poor command of English, set thescene for the gradual expansion of the

monarch’s personal correspondence as distinctfrom records of government. The King did notattend Cabinet meetings, and had to be keptinformed and consulted by letter. King GeorgeIII, born and bred in England, unlike hisimmediate predecessors, was the first monarchboth to conduct an extensive correspondencewith his ministers and to keep careful records.And he is the first monarch whose archive ispreserved at Windsor. But his papers came toWindsor only in 1912. A third reason why thefoundation of the Royal Archives was so late incoming was the disappearance of the Georgianpapers for over eighty years.

The Sovereign’s papersIt was the rediscovery of King George III’spapers in 1912, together with those of KingGeorge IV, which led directly to the creation ofthe Royal Archives. The papers had beenpresumed lost, but had in fact been stored in thecellars of Apsley House since the death ofGeorge IV, one of whose executors was the firstDuke of Wellington. Returned to Windsor bythe fourth Duke, the papers were added to twocollections already under the care of the RoyalLibrarian: the Stuart Papers (the eighteenth-century papers of the exiled Stuarts, purchasedby the Prince Regent) and the CumberlandPapers (the papers of William Augustus, Dukeof Cumberland, 1721-65). Also at Windsorwere the extensive archives of Queen Victoria,entrusted by King Edward VII to Lord Esher,who had published his edition of her earlyletters in 1907 and was working on an edition ofher girlhood diaries which was to be publishedin 1912. King Edward VII’s own papers, at thistime still in the charge of his Private Secretaryand literary executor Lord Knollys, were addedto those of Queen Victoria after the destruction,at his own request, of nearly all of his privatecorrespondence.

Lord Esher relinquished the post of Archivist in1919, and the King’s Private Secretary LordStamfordham took over as Keeper of the RoyalArchives. The appointment has been linkedwith that of Private Secretary ever since, andappropriately so, since the Private Secretary isthe main channel of communication between theSovereign and the outside world and hasresponsibility for the Sovereign’s publicprogramme, so that his office is the source ofthe principal records of each reign. The papersof the four monarchs (Kings George Ill and IV,Queen Victoria and King Edward VII) whichformed the kernel of the original Royal

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Archives consisted largely of ministerial andofficial correspondence conducted eitherpersonally or through their Private Secretaries,together with their private correspondence andpapers, often inextricably mingled with officialcorrespondence.

The papers of King George V and King GeorgeVI - that is to say, their Private Secretary’sOffice papers - were deposited in the Archivesin the 1950s and in 1980 respectively; thelatter’s official papers also included those of theshort reign of King Edward VIII. The privatepapers of King George V and Queen Mary werealso placed in the Archives, after the death ofQueen Mary; and some of those of King GeorgeVI were transferred to the Archives with hisofficial correspondence.

Royal Household papersWith the correspondence of George III andGeorge IV found at Apsley House anddeposited in the new Royal Archives were PrivyPurse papers, dealing with their privateexpenditure. Queen Victoria’s and KingEdward VII’s Privy Purse papers were also sentto join their correspondence in the Archives.But the administrative records of the RoyalHousehold itself were not included.Traditionally these records - principally those ofthe three Great Officers, the Lord Chamberlain,the Lord Steward and the Master of the Horsehave been deposited in the Public RecordOffice, which holds most of their survivingrecords up to the end of the nineteenth century.The reason lay in the political status of theseGreat Officers, who were governmentappointees until 1924. In fact by the end of thenineteenth century only the Lord Chamberlain’sDepartment was depositing records of any bulkor significance at the PRO. The Lord Steward’srole, meanwhile, gradually shrank to becomelittle more than honorary, while hisdepartment’s work came under the effectivecontrol of the Master of the Household, anofficial appointed directly by Queen Victoriaand acting under her personal direction, so thatmany of his records came to join her archives.As for the Master of the Horse, most of thesurviving late eighteenth and nineteenth centuryrecords of his department remained in the RoyalMews until recent years, and were thentransferred to the Royal Archives. With theabolition of the political status of the three GreatOfficers of the Household in 1924, the reasonfor their records to be deposited in the PROfinally disappeared, although no decision to

change this practice seems to have been taken atthe time. In fact, however, only papers up to theend of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1901 weretransferred by the Lord Chamberlain’sDepartment to the PRO, and all departmentalpapers from that date were retained at theDepartment’s offices in St James’s Palace, withthe exception of a small collection transferred tothe PRO in the 1950s. In 1992 it was agreedbetween the Royal Household and the Keeper ofPublic Records that these records should go tothe Royal Archives. Although this meantbreaking the continuity with the pre- 1903papers in the PRO, the Keeper felt that tocontinue to transfer the records to the PRO‘would dissociate them from other records ofthe Royal Household’.1 One particular body ofpapers had, however, already becomedissociated: in 1988 it was decided to transfer tothe British Library all correspondence relatingto plays submitted to the Lord Chamberlain forlicensing from 1900 to 1968, when licensingwas abolished. The playscripts themselves hadbeen transferred there earlier. Since thesepapers represented an obsolete function of theRoyal Household and were no longer needed forreference, and since their interest was moreliterary and theatrical than royal, it was felt thatthey should be made more freely available thanwas possible at St James’s Palace. Related fileson the licensing of theatres over the same periodare at present in the Royal Archives, but it ishoped to transfer these also to the BritishLibrary.

The Royal Archives have thus expanded from asingle muniment room housing the personalcorrespondence of four monarchs to become therepository both of the Sovereign’s official andprivate papers and of the records of the RoyalHousehold as a whole. The Household nowconsists of six departments.2 Since precedentand continuity play an important part in theorganisation of the public programme of theSovereign and in the running of the Household,departments tend to retain their own records forlong periods. Indeed it has been customary insome departments, notably the PrivateSecretary’s, to retain all records of a reign untilits end and for some years thereafter. As aformer Assistant Keeper expressed it, ‘one ofthe assets of monarchical government is that thememory of the sovereign is long. Personalmemory, if it is to be of any use in publicaffairs, must be supported by archival memory,and the latter must go back further than the

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former.’3 For this reason the Archives holdrelatively few records of the present reign.

Summary of present holdingsTo summarise the holdings of the RoyalArchives, which amount to some 2,000 linearmetres of records: these consist of official,private and family correspondence and papersof the Sovereign from 1760 to 1952, that is tosay, those of all monarchs from King George IIIto King George VI, with the exception of KingWilliam IV, whose papers have not survived,while the private papers of King Edward VIIwere mostly destroyed at his request, after hisdeath. They also include the official and/orprivate correspondence of other members of theRoyal Family whose papers have from time totime been deposited in the Royal Archives,although this has always been a matter of choicerather than automatic. In addition, the Archiveshold departmental records of the RoyalHousehold as follows: the Private Secretary’sDepartment, 1910-1952 (earlier departmentalrecords are subsumed with the Sovereign’scorrespondence); the Keeper of the Privy Purse& Treasurer’s Department, c. 1837-1983; theLord Chamberlain’s Department, 1903-75; theMaster of the Household’s Department, c. 1839-1990; the Crown Equerry’s Department, c.1760-1952,. the Royal Collection Department(c. 1904-1980). Of the present reign’sdepartmental records, naturally, only those nolonger required in the departments are in theRoyal Archives, but there is a continuousprocess of transfer.

Estate recordsThe administration of the Sovereign’s privately-owned estates such as Balmoral andSandringham is the responsibility of the Keeperof the Privy Purse, whose records thereforeinclude material about the estates which istransferred from time to time to the RoyalArchives. The estate records themselves arealso deposited in the Archives; but certainrecords not directly concerned with themanagement of the estates, but of particularinterest to local historians, such as a collectionof early deeds and maps relating to theSandringham estate before it was purchased forthe Prince of Wales in 1862, and recordsconcerning the school at Crathie near Balmoral,have been placed on permanent loan ortransferred outright to local record offices.

Ancillary collectionsBrief mention should be made of the ancillarycollections which have come into the RoyalArchives, mostly by gift, sometimes bypurchase. The Cumberland and Stuart Papershave already been mentioned. Three otherimportant collections, given by direct orcollateral descendants of the original owners,are the Grey Papers (the correspondence of the2nd Earl Grey, 1764-1845, with King WilliamIV), the Melbourne Papers (the politicalcorrespondence of William, 2nd ViscountMelbourne, 1779-1848) and a collection ofWardrobe Accounts for 1660-1749, presentedby the seventh Duke of Buccleuch whoseancestors the Dukes of Montagu were Mastersof the Great Wardrobe. Many other smallercollections of royal correspondence (e.g.Elphinstone, Sutherland and Ponsonby papers)have been given by descendants of formermembers of the Royal Household. Purchaseshave occasionally been made: Sir OwenMorshead, Assistant Keeper from 1929 to 1958,acquired a number of royal establishment booksand household account books dating from thefifteenth to the eighteenth century; and royalletters or papers on royal matters, includingrecords relating to royal residences or to theRoyal Collection, have been acquired from timeto time.

Royal Photograph CollectionThis collection, which forms part of the RoyalArchives and which contains over 300,000images, has been assembled over the past thirtyyears from many sources (principally the RoyalLibrary and the various royal residences). Amember of the Archives staff was appointed tolook after it in 1970, and became its first full-time Curator in 1977. It is a remarkablecollection, consisting not only of Royal Familyphotographs, both private and official, but alsoof many works collected for their artistic,historical or geographical interest. Thecollection began with the photographscommissioned and collected by Queen Victoriaand Prince Albert in the early days ofphotography, and it includes works by RogerFenton, Oscar RejIander, Francis Bedford andmany other well-known photographers.Collections formed by King Edward VII, QueenAlexandra (who became an accomplishedphotographer herself), King George V, QueenMary, the Duke of Connaught, Princess Victoria(daughter of King Edward VII) and othermembers of the Royal Family have also comeinto the collection, as have many albums

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recording overseas tours and officialengagements of members of the present RoyalFamily, together with an increasing number ofvideo films (earlier cinematic films have beentransferred to the National Film Archive). Alarge collection of royal photographs datingfrom the beginning of the century to the 1970s,which formerly belonged to the Central Officeof Information, was given to the RoyalPhotograph Collection in 1990. and in 1998 theCollection also acquired some 100,000photographs and negatives relating to HMYBritannia from the Royal Navy’s PhotographicArchive at Portsmouth.

OrganisationAs has already been stated, the Sovereign’sPrivate Secretary is, ex officio, the Keeper ofthe Royal Archives, and important questions ofpolicy and access are referred to him andthrough him to the Sovereign as the owner ofthe papers under his care. The administration ofthe Archives is delegated to the AssistantKeeper, who holds the post jointly with that ofLibrarian. In the latter capacity he is alsoresponsible for the administration of the RoyalLibrary and the Print Room and the importantcollections of books, objets de vertu, drawings,prints and watercolours which they contain.The day-to-day running of the Archives is in thehands of the Registrar, assisted by a Deputy andtwo Assistant Registrars: all four are archivists,the title ‘Registrar’ being a survival from the1920s. Help with listing and indexing and withappraisal of modern records is provided by asmall number of part-time and volunteerassistants, occasionally young people seekingwork experience. The Photograph Collection isrun by the Curator with one Assistant Curator.Conservation is carried out by the PaperConservator, who also holds a qualification inphotographic conservation; and secretarial,accounting and administrative tasks are carriedout by two part-time clerical assistants, ARecords Management consultant has recentlybeen appointed to advise on the problemscreated by the very large accumulation ofmodern records in the departments of the RoyalHousehold, and to implement procedures forregular and controlled transfer to the Archives.

The Royal Archives, although administrativelypart of the Private Secretary’s Department, arefinanced by the Royal Collection Department,whose funds are derived not from the Civil Listbut from the income generated by the openingof Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and the

Palace of Holyroodhouse to the public and byother commercial activities.

AccommodationSince the opening of the Muniment Room in theGreat Hall of the Round Tower in 1914 theArchives have gradually expanded to take overthe whole of the tower. The eight-foot thickmediaeval walls have helped provide arelatively stable and satisfactory environmentfor archives. Although, as one of the firstarchivists put it, a climb of 124 stairs made thetower ‘a most objectionable place for thestorage of archives’,4 its proximity to the RoyalLibrary and Print Room with their linkedcollections and common administration, the fineMuniment Room and surrounding offices, and,crucially, the lack of any other availableaccommodation within convenient reach bothfor archivists and researchers, outweigh manyan objection.

By the end of the 1980s, however, more storagespace was urgently needed, and in 1992 anadditional floor containing three archive store-rooms was built in the Round Tower, within thevoid in the upper part of the tower, created inthe 1820s when King George IV raised theheight of the outer walls of the original squattwo-storied edifice to give it a more imposingappearance. It was possible to construct theextra floor without harming the mediaeval andlater fabric because following subsidence anddamage to the tower caused by waterpenetration in 1988 the whole building wasunderpinned, with extra strengthening beneaththe central courtyard, allowing the new floor tobe supported on columns rising through thecourtyard. The new store rooms were providedwith air-conditioning in accordance with BS5454. They are intended to ensure adequategrowing space for thirty years, provided thataccessions are carefully appraised and weededbefore arrival.

At the same time, new air conditioned store-rooms for the Royal Photograph Collectionwere created on the ground floor, providing thedrier and cooler environment required forphotographs and negatives.

Further accommodation, chiefly for modernrecords which have not yet been processed andfor rarely consulted classes of records, isprovided in a partly air-conditioned warehousein the Castle grounds.

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ConservationThere has been a bookbinder at Windsor sincethe days of King George III, and the presentbindery (in which the original tools are still inuse) now employs two binders under thedirection of the Chief Bookbinder. The RoyalArchives benefit from their skills in conservingthe many bound volumes, both of papers and ofphotographs, among its holdings. Prince Albertacted as Queen Victoria’s archivist, and set up afiling system for her official and privatecorrespondence, annotating and summarisingthe papers himself, and having them bound inhandsome leather and cloth bindings. Thissystem was continued after his death. Aftertheir transfer to the Archives, however, thevolumes of Queen Victoria’s officialcorrespondence were broken up into loose-leafbinders, with the original outer coverspreserved, so that additional papers that came tolight could be inserted, and papers consultedindividually, without spoiling the appearance ofthe bindings. Many of these bindings are nowin need of conservation, and a programme ofrepair is under way, with those in the worstcondition being replaced. Some volumes ofprivate correspondence which are still in theiroriginal bindings are also being re-boundbecause letters were sometimes folded to fit intovolumes, resulting in weakness or tearing alongfold lines. The same problem, unfortunately,occurs with the Stuart Papers, which KingGeorge V’s bookbinder mounted and boundinto 541 volumes of identical size, foldinglarger documents to fit inside them. Becausethese papers get relatively little use, however -they are widely available on microfilm - theyhave suffered little damage as a result.Damaged outsize papers are removed, repaired,sleeved and kept separately.

A Paper Conservator was appointed to workexclusively for the Royal Archives in 1977.The initial spur was the urgent need for theconservation of the Cumberland Papers, whichhad been in the Royal Library since the earlynineteenth century. Work had been startedmany years earlier on mounting these papers ongood-quality rag paper (the same manner inwhich the Georgian Papers had been treated,and which had become standard practice in theRoyal Bindery for all papers coming into theArchives); but the work had stopped owing topressure of other tasks, and some fourteenthousand documents remained to be conserved.The Paper Conservator was given the task ofcleaning and repairing these documents, and it

was decided that they should be placed inpolyester sleeves rather than mounted (sleevingrather than mounting has now become the normfor the conservation of papers in the Archives).The conservation of the Cumberland Papers wascompleted in 1997, and following this acontinuing programme of wholesaleconservation of major parts of the collection isunder way, beginning with the Privy Purseaccounts of King George IV. They are of greatimportance to the study of the Royal Collectionof pictures and works of art and are frequentlyconsulted. Unlike the King’s correspondence,however, they were never mounted and areconsequently in a fragile state.

In addition to these major projects theConservator carries out conservation work onother papers in poor repair as the need arises.and with increasing use of items from theArchives for internal and external exhibitions,the Conservator is frequently required toprepare documents or photographs for display.

In general the condition of the papers andphotographs in the Royal Archives is fairlysatisfactory, both because of the conditions inwhich they have been stored and becauseconservation work is constantly in progress. Ithas to be said, however, that a great deal morework remains to be done than can beaccomplished with present resources.

A factor which has clearly helped preserve thepapers in the Royal Archives is the relativelylimited handling they receive. Becausefacilities for researchers are limited, and muchresearch is carried out by the archivists onbehalf of members of the general public whowrite in with enquiries, the number of peopleactually handling the papers is small comparedwith larger institutions which are able to admitmore researchers and which expect members ofthe public to carry out their own research. It iswith the important duty of preservation in mind,as well as the wish to make papers more widelyavailable, that many series of papers in theRoyal Archives have been microfilmed and canbe consulted in other institutions. In addition, afew particularly fragile items have beenmicrofilmed for internal use, to reduce handlingof the originals.

Photographic conservationIt is intended to appoint a specialistphotographic conservator in the near future,when a systematic survey of the condition of the

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Royal Photograph Collection will take place anda conservation programme be set in train. Onemajor conservation task, however, has alreadybeen completed by the Paper Conservator (who,as has been stated, has a qualification inphotographic conservation) and the AssistantCurator: this is the cleaning and re-housing inspecialist cabinets of some 3,000 Victorianglass-plate negatives. In addition, much workhas been carried out on conserving and sleevingloose photographs, and a rolling programme ofconservation of the bindings of the photographalbums has begun this year.

Finding aids: documentsThe system of finding aids created in the earlyyears of the Royal Archives consisted of awriter and addressee card index to bothGeorgian and Victorian papers, and a calendarof the Victorian papers in which QueenVictoria’s major ministerial correspondence upto 1852 was listed and indexed. This wasabandoned in favour of a card index by subjectfor later papers. In addition to this, box-listsand room inventories were maintained. Verylittle listing in the classic archival sense wasattempted, and there is therefore no catalogue assuch. Nevertheless it was and remains possiblefor the archivists to find specific informationand papers using the available indexes muchmore quickly and accurately than would bepossible with a catalogue alone.

All of these finding aids except the calendarhave been maintained since then, and they nowcover practically all of the Sovereign’s officialand private correspondence up to the end of thereign of King George V, although for mosttwentieth-century and some nineteenth-centuryRoyal Household departmental papers only theworking indexes passed on with the papersexist. No subject index exists for the papers ofKings George III and IV; but so many of themhave been published in the four series of thecorrespondence of the two Kings editedsuccessively by Sir John Fortescue andProfessor Arthur Aspinall that the indexes tothese publications go a long way to fill the gap.

In 1986, when the time had come to begin workon the papers of King George VI, it was decidedto abandon manual card-indexing except foraccessions related to papers already indexedmanually, and to set up a computerised systemwhich would carry out the functions of bothwriter/addressee and subject indexes. It washoped that the database would be very much

quicker both to create and to consult. ACAIRS-IMS system running on a Microvaxwith four dumb terminals was set up in 1987,following closely the model devised atSouthampton University Library for theWellington Papers. The archivists themselveskeyed in the information, working directly fromthe papers, writing a précis of each document orgroup of documents, and adding details ofnames, and controlled index terms. During the .initial 10-year contract all the main series ofKing George VI’s Private Secretary’s paperswere completed, and several of the secondaryseries, although the original estimate of the timeto complete the listing of the whole collectionwas far too optimistic.

The system worked well, but had the majordisadvantages of being geared only to one groupof papers, and of having no hierarchicalstructure: files and single documents were listedat the same level. At the end of the contract in1997 it was therefore decided to convert thesystem to a networked CAIRS-TMS system,with nine levels of archival description (fonds,sub-fonds, super-series, series, sub-series,file/volume/bundle/, sub-file, sub-sub-file,item), following ISAD-G recommendations asclosely as possible.

It is intended that the new system will be usablefor all modern accessions, and that ultimatelythe entire holdings of the Royal Archives willbe included at least at the higher levels. At thesame time, the opportunity given by the greaterpower and flexibility of CAIRS-TMS has beentaken to create five other databases to assistwith the administration of the archives: theseare for accessions, correspondence, loans,conservation and inventories. The first three ofthese have been set up so far. the accessions andconservation databases will be linked into thehierarchical databases.

Finding aids: photographsTwo finding aids to the Royal PhotographCollection existed when its holdings began to beassembled in the Royal Archives in 1970: atyped index to the subjects of about eighty ofQueen Victoria’s albums of portraits, and a cardindex to about a hundred other albums. Sincethen the contents of some hundred and fiftyalbums, portfolios and boxes of photographshave been listed. The demand for reproductionsof photographs in the collection has led to theformation of a large collection of modernnegatives, which have been arranged in boxes

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corresponding to the files in which the originalsare kept, for easy retrieval.

In 1994 it was decided to include the RoyalPhotograph Collection on the RoyalCollection’s computerised inventory system(RCCIS), on which every item in the entireRoyal Collection of pictures, sculpture, objetsd’art, furniture, books, prints and drawings waslisted in a seven-year project completed in 1997.A team of four inventory assistants has beentaken on to carry out this work which, given thevery large number of photographs in thecollection, will not be completed for severalyears. It will, however, become an invaluablefinding aid, particularly because it is now hopedto incorporate an imaging facility into theRCCIS, so that eventually it will be possible toview the contents of the Photograph Collectionon screen, which will greatly aid research and,as importantly, reduce the handling of thecollection.

AccessDespite the impression spread by occasionalpress reports, reinforced by photographs of theRound Tower from its most fortress-like angle,that the Royal Archives are as good asinaccessible, this is far from the truth.

The Archives may be consulted in person or bypost, fax or telephone. A large number ofrequests for information or photographs comesfrom the general public both in this country andabroad. Most are answered by post, with thearchivists and curators. carrying out thenecessary research on behalf of the enquirers.Between two and three thousand such requestsare dealt with annually. A discretionaryresearch fee of £10 may be charged for familyhistory and other non-academic enquiries, and£20 for enquiries from professionalgenealogists. In the Royal PhotographCollection a 10% research fee is charged on alllarge orders. Where the amount of informationor the number of photographs available is large,the enquirers may well be invited to come andsee the original material for themselves; andmany photocopies and copy photographs aresent out in response to enquiries.

The number of researchers consulting theArchives in person is in the region of twohundred a year, carrying out anything from aday to several weeks of research. The numberis, inevitably, limited by the number of placesavailable for researchers (a maximum of four at

a time to consult records, and two to studyphotographs), and by staff resources. For thisreason, any enquiry which can be answered bypost is dealt with by the archivists, reservingresearch places for those with more complex orlonger research to carry out.

Apart from the purely practical considerationsof limited space and staff resources alreadymentioned, there are other reasons why accessto the Royal Archives has to be subject to somecontrols. They are the repository of theSovereign’s correspondence on both official andprivate matters, and also of private familypapers; and these categories are often closelyintermingled, an inevitable result of theindivisibility of the public and private personaeof the monarch. This is something of whichthose in charge of royal archives cannot but beaware, and which, as one of them put it, makesguardian dragons of them.5 Problems of accessinevitably arise when papers on the Sovereign’sofficial activities and public role cannot easilybe separated from those dealing with privatematters; nor would it be desirable to try toseparate them, as much because the privatematerial may complement the official material,and may be just as relevant to research, asbecause such separation destroys the originalcontext of the papers. But, clearly, access toprivate papers or private family photographs is amatter for their owners, whether royal or not.

Some limitation on access is thereforeinevitable, and there are a few general ruleswhich operate to ensure this in a reasonableway. Where numbers might becomeoverwhelming, a few general restrictions apply.No school children or students belowpostgraduate level are admitted (althoughinformation is often supplied by post, and it isplanned to prepare material in copy form for useby schools). Postgraduate students, formerlyexcluded also, may now be admitted undercertain conditions which, again, are intended tolimit numbers and research time spent. Theymay study material up to 1910, provided that itis not available elsewhere, and also providedthat the Royal Archives are not their sole ormain source of original material.

Aside from these general rules, anyone mayapply for access to the Archives, and eachapplication is considered on its merits. Accessto the Photograph Collection is not, in principle,restricted, although some of the sameconsiderations with regard to numbers of

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researchers and to private material apply.Applicants, whether wishing to see papers orphotographs, are asked to be specific in theirrequests, so that staff time and researcher placesmay be channelled towards those for whomthere is relevant material available, and so thatthis material may be identified and produced asquickly as possible. With regard to requests tosee papers, priority is given to academics andprofessional historians, the results of whosework will become available in print for others toconsult. The more ephemeral, and usuallyinstant, demands of press, radio or televisionresearchers, are generally dealt with by post ortelephone.

In general the Archives staff manages to keepup with the demands of researchers; butpressure on resources is undoubtedly increasing.No doubt in common with other archiveservices, the Royal Archives have found that thedemands and expectations of enquirers havechanged considerably in recent years. Forinstance, researchers are more likely to insist onconsulting original sources and less willing tomake use of published material. This is ofcourse a welcome development in many ways,but it puts extra strain both on archive servicesand on the original material itself, and it is notalways sensible - if, for instance, a publishedsource is full and authoritative, or the researcheris ill-equipped to read or interpret originalmaterial. There is also an increasingexpectation that photocopies can be supplied atwill. While this is not yet seen as a seriousconservation hazard in the Royal Archives (withthe important exception of the many documentsin bound volumes, which are very rarelyphotocopied), the staff time available forphotocopying is very limited, and orders have tobe kept to a minimum.

The final arbiter on matters of access is ofcourse the owner of the papers and photographs,who is the Sovereign; and applications to carryout research for biographies of members of theRoyal Family or on other major royal themesare always submitted to The Queen.

With regard to papers relating purely togovernment business, where the counterpart ofcorrespondence in the Royal Archives may bein the Public Record Office, it is the policy ofthe Royal Archives to follow voluntarily theguidelines on closure and release to which thecounterpart papers in the public records aresubject, although the Royal Archives

themselves are not covered by the PublicRecords Act. Thus when the fifty-year rule wasreduced to thirty years in 1967, Royal Archivespapers on government business (which aregenerally Private Secretary’s Office papers) upto 1937 were made available in parallel to theircounterparts in the public records. As has beenexplained, however, the equivalent papers forthe present reign have not yet been transferredto the Archives. It should be pointed out,nevertheless, that the Keeper has willinglyagreed to recent changes in government policyon public records dealing with royal matters,including present reign papers. These wereformerly closed, regardless of content, for 100years, but under the Code of Practice set out inthe White Paper of 1993 on Open Governmentthey are now treated in the same way as allother records and are closed for longer than 30years only if they fall under the general criteriagoverning closure. Correspondence with theRoyal Household on government businessduring the present reign is therefore graduallybeing made available at the PRO.

Because of the inevitable restrictions on access,it has long been the policy of those in charge ofthe Royal Archives to make material from themmore widely available through publication. Theextensive editions of the correspondence ofGeorge III and George IV by Sir John Fortescueand Professor Arthur Aspinall are well known,as are the three series of the Letters and Journalsof Queen Victoria. Private family letters havenot been excluded, as readers of Aspinall’s 16volumes of Georgian papers and RogerFulford’s 5-volume edition of Queen Victoria’scorrespondence with her eldest daugher thePrincess Royal, completed by a final volumeedited by Dr Agatha Ramm, will know. A listof publications is appended to the attachedarticle on the Royal Archives from The CourtHistorian [not reproduced here]. It includesten commercially produced microfilm series ofimportant collections of royal papers, amongthese a very large proportion of QueenVictoria’s political and diplomaticcorrespondence; and over seven thousandVictorian photographs from the RoyalPhotograph Collection.

One further aspect of access must be mentioned:exhibitions. Documents from the RoyalArchives are loaned to external exhibitions fromtime to time, whether in the original or infacsimile; and a representative selection ofmaterial was displayed in the Royal Collection

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exhibition, A Royal Miscellany, mounted at TheQueen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace in 1990.

But not unnaturally it is material from the RoyalPhotograph Collection which is most frequentlyexhibited. The first exhibition of photographsfrom the Collection, Crown & Camera, wasstaged at The Queen’s Gallery in 1987-8. Asecond one, Presenting an Image, was mountedin 1994 and shown at Windsor Castle, thePalace of Holyroodhouse, The Queen’s Galleryat Buckingham Palace and the Grundy ArtGallery at Blackpool. In addition, photographshave been lent to a wide variety of externalexhibitions both in this country and abroad; andfurther Royal Photograph Collection exhibitionsare planned.

AccessionsAs has already been indicated, the chief sourceof records coming into the Royal Archives is theRoyal Household, for whose departmentalpapers they are now the sole repository.Records of the public activities of Members ofthe Royal Family other than the Sovereign arealso generally deposited in the Royal Archives.Private Royal Family records are placed in theArchives by the owners’ choice, and are ofcourse subject to the owners’ wishes withregard to closure or release. Similarly the RoyalPhotograph Collection receives both official andprivate photographs: in the former categorycome photographs of Royal Family publicengagements, State Visits or other overseastours. in the latter private photograph albums orindividual photographs.

Although closely involved with recordsmanagement in Household departments and theoffices of members of the Royal Family in orderto ensure the transfer of appropriate records, theRoyal Archives do not have an active collectingpolicy with regard to outside sources. TheHMC sales catalogue monitoring service andauction and other sale catalogues sent regularlyto the Archives are, however, watched formaterial of interest, whether for the history ofthe monarchy or the Royal Family, of royalresidences or of the Royal Collection, andpurchases are occasionally made. The generalpolicy is to acquire material that complementsexisting holdings and adds significantinformation, but not. on the whole, material thathas been published or of which the Archivesalready holds copies (such as original lettersfrom members of the Royal Family of whichthey kept copies). There is no desire to sweep

into the archives every letter from a royal handsimply because it is royal. And material earlierthan that held in the Archives (i.e. pre-eighteenth century) is very unlikely to beacquired.

Gifts of royal letters, or of papers of employeesof Royal Households about their service, are notinfrequently offered to the Royal Archives, andthese are generally accepted unless it is thoughtthat they would find a more appropriate homeelsewhere, for instance if they had beenextracted from a significant collection of anindividual’s or a family’s papers. Althoughthere are many examples of such papers givento the Royal Archives in the past, the likelihoodnow is that donors would be discouraged frombreaking up collections.

Future developmentA major task for the future will be the transferto the Royal Archives, in due course, of recordsfrom the present reign, which have beenaccumulating in Royal Household Departmentsover more than 46 years; only a smallproportion of these has as yet come to theArchives. This task is currently under activeconsideration.

Several other developments are being pursued,all of which relate to improving access tomaterial in the Royal Archives:

1. National Register of Archives listing. Asalready mentioned, a fuller entry is inpreparation, which should be helpful ininforming researchers about holdings, and alsoin showing what is not held - for instance thepapers of monarchs before George III, whichmany enquirers, not unnaturally, expect to findin the Royal Archives.

2. Publications: further microfilm series. Thepossibility of producing CD-Roms may also beconsidered. Publications about the RoyalPhotograph Collection will be produced inconnection with planned exhibitions.

3. Material for schools: it is hoped to producematerial in photocopied or printed form thatcould be used for history projects. Somematerial has already been selected for trial inprimary schools.

4. Exhibitions: with increasing interest in thehistory of photography, it is likely that therewill be increasing use of the Royal Photograph

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Collection for exhibitions. Some are already inpreparation. Material from the Royal Archives,both photographic and documentary, will beused in the major exhibition on the Victorians tobe mounted at the Victoria and Albert Museumin 2001.

5. World Wide Web: the Royal Household has aweb-site using information supplied by thePress Office at Buckingham Palace. This has asection on the history of the monarchy to whichthe Royal Archives and Royal Librarycontribute information, and which uses materialfrom the Royal Collection for illustration.

As for other developments, mention has alreadybeen made of the ongoing work on finding aidsusing computer technology, and of programmesunder way for the conservation of documents,volumes and photographs, with the plannedappointment of a specialist photographicconservator, and the creation of a conservationdatabase.

ConclusionFor the first four or five decades from theestablishment of the Archives in 1912, theefforts of those entrusted with their care weredirected chiefly towards conservation andarrangement, and towards the detailed indexingof the papers, an ambitious and laborious taskwhich has proved of great value to theirsuccessors. The number of researchers admittedto the Archives grew slowly from none (the firstresearchers were not allowed to see originaldocuments, but only typed copies) to abouttwenty a year; greater access was probablyneither expected nor encouraged. Since thosedays emphasis on access has steadily increased,as has undoubtedly happened in archivesthroughout the country, and the number ofresearchers visiting the Archives each year hasmultiplied to around two hundred, paralleled bya very great rise in the number of postal andtelephone enquiries. At the same time staffnumbers have increased only modestly, whilethe holdings of the Archives have grown at leasttenfold. Running costs, naturally, have risen.The balancing act between the demands ofconservation, accessions and modern recordsmanagement, finding aids, and access hasbecome much more difficult, and consequently,archivists, curators and conservators are comingunder increasing pressure. As in otherinstitutions where archive services are run intandem with libraries and art collections,resources have to be shared. But despite the

heavy demands of maintaining the RoyalCollection, the rich and unique historicalresource represented by the Archives andPhotograph Collection is recognised, and theirpreservation and good management areencouraged and supported as generously asfunds allow,

Footnotes1. Letter from the Keeper of Public Records to theLibrarian, Windsor Castle, 13 February 19922. The six departments of the Royal Household are: thePrivate Secretary’s Department, the Keeper of the PrivyPurse & Treasurer’s Department, the Lord Chamberlain’sDepartment, the Master of the Household’s Department, theCrown Equerry’s Department and the Royal CollectionDepartment.3. Sir Robin Mackworth-Young, ‘The Royal Archives,Windsor Castle’, in Archives, xii no. 59, Spring 1978.4. Memorandum by Sir John Fortescue, 27 April 1924,RA/PS/GV/PS 39290.5. Sir Robin Mackworth-Young, '’he Royal Archives,Windsor Castle’, in Archives, xii, no. 59, Spring 1978.

AM 64 [Renumbered AM79]

AM 65 (South Gloucestershire HeritageForum. Mrs Shirley Holloway, Chairman,10/98)Until 1996 County of Avon archives were heldin Bristol and at reorganisation only thoserecords which related solely to this area weretransferred to South Gloucestershire. Thoserecords which could not be ‘disaggregated’were deposited with Bristol City Council whoare managing them on behalf of the foursuccessor Councils.

Gloucester Record Office has, historically,cared for a large amount of archival materialrelating to this area - particularly for Northavonwhich was a part of Gloucestershire before1974.

South Gloucestershire Council is consideringthe way forward for its own archival service,but, because of the financial constraints, it isunlikely to be able to offer more than a basicservice. This will probably include:(a) Advice to the Council and localorganisations on records retention and archives(b) Receipt of archives inherited frompredecessor authorities and new Council archivematerial.(c) On behalf of the Council, oversight of parishrecords and receipt of records for deposit.(d) Archives education to schools.A modern records centre is currently beingcreated. This will include storage for deeds and

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modern records which do not need to be kept inoffice space.

The South Gloucestershire Heritage Forum areendorsing the recommendation that the Councilshould ‘buy-in’' to the services of GloucesterRecord Office. This would alleviate the needfor South Gloucestershire to set up its ownspecialised service which would be extremelycostly and would ensure the proper retention ofhistoric material, the receipt of manuscripts andarchives relating to the people of SouthGloucestershire as well as public access andinformation services. I shall be presenting theForum’s opinion to the Leisure and CommunityServices Committee on 17th November [1998].Should council decide not to take this wayforward, the Forum would be very concernedabout future provision for SouthGloucestershire.

AM 66 (Library Association. Sue Broughton,Secretary, Preservation and ConservationSub-Committee, 11/99)The Library Association is the professionalbody representing librarians and informationmanagers in the United Kingdom. Under theterms of our Royal Charter we have a duty topromote high quality library and informationservices and advise government, employers andothers on all aspects of library and informationservices. Many of our 26,000 members haveresponsibility within the public sector andelsewhere for archives and archival documentswithin libraries and information units.

We recognise the increasing importance ofarchives in promoting cultural and educationalpolicies and goals, and their increasing visibilityin the public sector with the growth of interestin family, local and national history.Furthermore the Library Association iscommitted to ensuring the widest possiblepreservation of, and access to, informationresources of all kinds. To this end we arecommitted to supporting the conservation ofcollections of archives and their maintenance asa part of the cultural heritage of the nation andto promoting the development of policiessuitable for supporting such access, whetherphysical or electronic.

The Association has itself been concerned aboutthe condition of archives in recent years, andabout problems raised by legislation, funding,storage and dispersal of collections. All these

are points which have been raised by membersworking within the library and informationsector, and the response we have framed to yourinvitation to comment on the health of thenation’s archives draws together these concernsand comments and presents them as generalpoints.

Archives are important not only for their use asa record of past achievements. but also as aworking research tool on a daily basis forinformation which affects decisions and actionstaken today. Complementary records ofgovernment departments, and local and nationalorganisations can between them offer a widerpicture for research. Archives are being used.for lifelong learning initiatives and foreducational work at all levels, and the public;interest in them has been reflected in theincrease in collections of archival materials,particularlv local ephemera, which are availablefor study in public libraries. Recent research -using medical records from the 1920s - hasshown the considerable value of long termcollections which reflect patterns of populationgrowth and health for future health careplanning. Material which is deposited for legalreasons may still have a use outside of its purelylegal function - witness the increased interest in,and use of, the birth, marriage and deathregistries, parish records, and armed forcesrecords, by family history researchers andbiographers. The cultural wealth of the UK’sarchival holdings is of interest at all levels, aheritage recognised as providing a uniqueaccess to a past otherwise lost to ourunderstanding. The Archival Mapping ProjectBoard has been researching the requirements oflocal archive services throughout England, andtheir report, Our Shared Past: An ArchivalDomesday for England highlights in greaterdetail many of the points made in this response.

LegislationThe present legislation governing archives ispermissive rather than mandatory, and statutoryrequirements governing archives need to bestrengthened considerably to protect existingarchives and archive services. The LocalGovernment Act 1972 requires all principalcouncils to make ‘proper arrangements’ fordocuments, but does not define thesearrangements further. The provision ofadequate archive services should be a statutoryresponsibility for principal councils, and thenature of such a service should be clearlydefined. The report of the Greater London

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Archive Network, Towards 2000: the future ofLondon’s Archives has drawn attention to thedeficiencies of the archive services in London,and there have been individual reports frommembers which have revealed deficiencies inother local archive services owing to the lack oflegislative support.

FundingThe financing of archive services is veryuncertain, reflecting the permissive nature of thelegislation. Many local authorities arecustodians of public records, such as those ofhospitals, courts and schools, but gain littlecredit, financial or otherwise, although thesecollections may be unique, and of great researchand historical value. The authority may alsoaccept deposited material, such as companyrecords, and many now hold large collections atno cost to the depositing individual ororganisation. The system of welcoming recordson deposit free of charge worked well in earlieryears, but is now expensive in terms ofmaintenance and storage, and it has becomeincreasingly common for such collections to beremoved from record offices by the owner andsold - often back to the record office, whichmay have already expended considerableexpense on cataloguing, storing and conservingthe collection. Consideration should be given tolegislation which would offer incentives toorganisations and individuals who are preparedto gift their records to national or local archiveservices, rather than placing them on long termdeposit - tax concessions on such gifts are anexample.

Gifts of money from owners of archivestowards their maintenance attract VAT, whichdiscourages fund-raising. Local authorityaccounting procedures can also mean that fundswhich are raised may be lost unless spent by thefinancial year end, or that such funds may gotowards offsetting budgetary overspends inother areas, because of the roll-over accountingprocedures in local authorities. This canremove the incentive to raise external fundssince there is no visible benefit for the workinvolved, and it can also lead to difficulties withfund raising bodies who see their work going towaste. In addition, local authority recordoffices cannot offer tax advantages on charitabledonations. Some local authorities have startedto raise funds by making charges for access torecords, by charging for the use of microformreaders, for example. This has raised problemsfor those who use such records on a regular

basis, and is also questionable practice in viewof the Library Charges (England and Wales)Regulations 1991". Local authority/charityregulations need revising to make fund-raisingmore worthwhile for both donors and recipients,perhaps by setting up similar systems as obtainin the USA, or by encouraging the creation ofFriends Groups with their own charitable statusand access to independent funds. Theavailability of other sources of funding alsoneeds to be investigated.

GuidelinesThere is no national guidance in England andWales concerning the selection and preservationof local authority records, although the Societyof Archivists has pioneered some studies onparticular classes of records, (for example,records of Social Services Departments).Consequently, the holdings of local authorityarchives may differ widely in both nature of thecollections, and the length of time material isheld. Some local authorities have created theirown guidelines to what should be held, butgiven the standard nature of most localgovernment services, it should be possible tocreate guidelines which would offer guidance tolocal authorities, and also relate to the holdingswhich should eventually be deposited at thePublic Record Office. There is also a case, onfreedom of information grounds, for making it astatutory duty to preserve and provide access tocertain records. Some records, such as those ofephemera held within local studies collection, orthe records of commercial companies, areunique in nature, and their loss irreplaceable.Without guidelines there is a danger that with achange of ownership, a change in the scope ofthe authority, or a drop in funding, suchcollections can be, and are, consigned to theskip.

Dispersal of collectionsThere has been rather loose control over exportsin the past, and many important UK archiveshave been exported as a result. The Committeeon Export of Works of Art is now looking atwidening the remit of the Waverley criteria, butit also requires a greater control over the exportof manuscripts and archives, including modernpapers such as literary archives. Suchcollections are increasingly being offered foropen sale, and the sale of other, privatecollections within the control of smallerorganisations, which are often sold because theorganisation cannot finance their properpreservation and use, is also leading to dispersal

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of valuable research collections within the UKand elsewhere. Some private collections maybe lost through ignorance, or because theowners value the monetary worth over theintrinsic value. While this cannot be preventedby law, a more robust attitude is needed toactively collect material and protect valuableresearch resources from being dispersed beforethey come under threat.

PreservationMany important records remain at risk, both inpublic and private hands. In particular,unsatisfactory storage conditions, another aspectof archive provision of particular interest andconcern to our members, are creating futureproblems with the loss of some records fromlong term neglect. While recommendations touse permanent paper have been promoted byorganisations such as IFLA, the NationalPreservation Office and The LibraryAssociation, little attention is being paid to howlong records on recycled paper will last, and ITsolutions are being offered by those who havelittle interest in permanent preservation. Thepromotion of digitisation, which is not apreservation medium, has led manyorganisations to neglect the preservation of theoriginal medium in order to fund thepresentation of IT solutions they perceive asmore accessible to their users. Changes intechnology and the unsuccessful migration ofthe electronic medium may make someelectronic records redundant in the future, butthe original materials may by then be beyondpreservation. Greater education and advice isrequired to alert all organisations to thesefactors before they spend funding on short termsolutions. Moreover, such initiatives as chargesfor use of microform readers can only dissuadeusers from accessing alternative preservationmedia, and put original records at greater risk.Consideration might be given to a national taskforce to give advice and practical help to ownersof records, or to an expanded role, and increasedfunding for organisations such as HMC and theNPO which might carry such role. Recognitionof the importance of preservation must alsoinclude tangible recognition of the importanceof those institutions which are equipped to takeon the burden of acquisition of material as itbecomes available from sources which nolonger wish or cease to be able to sustainpossession. This means the availability ofsupplementary funds to ensure proper housingof material of importance

CataloguingThe suggestion that there should be a more co-ordinated approach to the cataloguing andpreservation of local government records is oneat least partly covered by the report Making theMost of Our Libraries and this approach isfollowed in the Netherlands. Such catalogueswould be accessible to the wider community viaInternets and Intranets, as suggested in theconsultation paper Archives On-Line, and theirexistence would allow organisations to compareholdings, benchmark their practice, and beaware of duplications within their ownorganisations.

The most important single problem is thesignificant cataloguing backlog experienced bymany record offices, which has become worseas the pressure to develop outreach and otheractivities has diverted staff time away from therecords and into user education or other areas.Even well resourced record offices such asthose maintained by the Corporation of Londonhave a substantial and growing proportion ofuncatalogued resources. The pressure on theseorganisations to house a wide variety of‘donated’ collections increases the problem,particularly when no funding comes with thecollections to support their accession. A greatdeal could be achieved by having a dedicatedprofessional post. but there is at present no‘pool’ of archival expertise from which to drawsuch persons, not least because the need forsuch a market is not widely acknowledged.This makes the spending of windfall funding onsuch a post difficult, and funding tends to bespent instead on conservation or purchase,where more easily identifiable goals areapparent.

Sound recordings and film archivesThis is a much neglected area with its ownspecific problems with funding, preservationand promotion. There are large collections ofsound recordings and film in both private andpublic control. They require specialist storageand often specialist equipment to use them andare difficult to catalogue, which often meansthat they get only basic cataloguing, if any atall. Long term problems related to storage andtechnology may require much higher fundingthan that for paper-based resources, and shortterm solutions such as digitisation ofphotographic collections bring their ownproblems, as noted earlier. Existingorganisations, such as the National PreservationOffice, or NAPLIB, can provide advice, but

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trained staff and extra funding are required topreserve these collections for the long term.

SummaryThe Association is strongly supportive of anyattempt to put the problems and requirements ofthe wider archival community into perspective,and to recognise particular factors which arecommon to all, and for which specific action,such as legislative changes or improvements infunding, would be an appropriate solution. Wewould welcome future opportunities to beinvolved in advising on, and promoting theimplementation of new initiatives to protect,preserve, purchase and promote the archivalheritage of the nation, and would be pleased tosupply further comments to clarify or amplifyour position.

AM 67 (British Records Association. 10/98)Current strengthsThe strengths of the present arrangements forthe preservation of and access to archives in thiscountry are manifold. Underlying everything isthe rich and diverse archival legacy inheritedfrom past generations. The duty of the presentgeneration is to ensure that this legacy ispreserved and made as accessible as possibleand also that arrangements are in place that willensure the proper preservation of the archives ofour own time.

The archive community can point toconsiderable achievements. First, there arestrong national institutions, such as the PublicRecord Office, the Scottish Record Office, theNational Libraries of Scotland and Wales, thePublic Record Office of Northern Ireland, andthe Historical Manuscripts Commission itself

At the local level, the 20th century has seen thecreation throughout the country of a network oflocal authority record offices. Thoughestablished independently of each other as aresult of local initiative, they have over a periodof decades developed into a nationwide networkwhich has today become fundamental to thesystem of archive preservation.

Archives are also maintained at their ownexpense and made available for public research,often free of charge, by many other institutions,including museums, universities, galleries.businesses, schools, historic houses, cathedrals,religious organizations, charities, the armedforces, pressure groups and livery companies.

The vital and unique role of these specialistrepositories, often undervalued and existing onlimited resources, must be recognized.

The last half-century has seen the developmentof professionalism among archivists, recordsmanagers and conservators, a professionalismwhich has a strong foundation in initial trainingleading to recognized qualifications and whichis supported by professional bodies promotinggood practice, professional development andfurther training.

We believe that the British Records Associationtoo has played an important part in promotingboth understanding of methodologies andawareness of archival resources and also inproviding a joint forum where users, owners andcustodians of archives can meet. In particular,the Records Preservation Section deservespraise for its work in ensuring the survival ofrecords which might otherwise have been lostthrough neglect or deliberate destruction as aresult of ignorance of their importance. Everyrecord office in the country must hold recordswhich have been distributed to it through theBRA.

Promoting the distinctive nature of archivesThe distinctive nature of archives and of thearchive professions needs to be promoted inorder to avoid their becoming subsumed into themuch larger and more publicly recognizablelibrary and museum sectors. This is particularlyimportant at a time when archives areincreasingly being merged with libraries and toa lesser extent with museums. Although suchdevelopments can undoubtedly bring benefits tousers by providing opportunities for therationalization of information provision, theymay also mean that the needs and priorities ofarchives are not given sufficient importance.The result of such mergers may sometimes bethat the chief archivist is pushed down theorganizational hierarchy without access to thegoverning body and even without control of aseparate budget.

It may be symptomatic of the invisibility ofarchives that the Comprehensive SpendingReview issued recently by the Department ofCulture, Media and Sport contains only twospecific references to archives. Similarly, UKlegislation and EU directives, such as the DataProtection Act, 1998, are often passed with littleor no apparent consideration of the far-reachingimplications they may have for archives.

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It is therefore appropriate for the archivecommunity to undertake more promotionalwork. This may include the encouragement ofgreater use of primary sources byundergraduates and schools or the staging of amajor exhibition of historical documents at aprominent London museum which couldsubsequently tour the UK.

Modern records managementThe growing use of electronic data presentspotential benefits and dangers for thepreservation of modern records. The storage ofinformation in digital form offers obviousopportunities for saving space and also forspeedy and efficient information retrieval, butthe archival professions urgently need toaddress the problems of the durability ofsoftware, the obsolescence of hardware and thesafe-guarding of the integrity and the evidentialvalue of electronic data.

There may be a need actively to promoterecords management and archive preservationwithin large organizations, such as health trusts,for which the relevant local authority recordoffice may lack the resources to house andadminister their archives. The archives of suchbodies may suffer destruction by inadvertenceor at least be put at risk through mistakes madeby custodians untrained in archivaladministration.

It would be helpful if the Commissioners wouldseek to establish to what extent organizations(whether public or private sector) already makeprovision for archive preservation and/orrecords management and, in the case of thoseorganizations which provide both, to whatextent their strategies and practices complementone another or are separate operations with onlyad hoc contact.

Transfer of archives to repositoriesLocating archives outside professional custodyand securing their transfer to appropriaterepositories will remain as great a need in thenew millennium as it has been in the past. Therole of the BRA in this area remains essential.It is of course necessary for repositories toundertake survey work, though it is in realityoften beyond their resources of staff and storagespace. Educating holders of archives, includingsolicitors and businesses, to appreciate theirpotential historical value is also an importantpart of this task. Apart from the problem ofrecords being destroyed through lack of

awareness of their historical value, it has beenknown for solicitors regrettably to sell offclients’ title deeds and other records.

Public access to archives

Cataloguing and conservation backlogs: Withinmany record offices, the task of overcomingcataloguing and conservation backlogs is a clearobjective for the new millennium. This taskwill generally require additional resources. Inassessing priorities for use of record officeresources, all those with a legitimate interest(governing bodies, managers, users and staffthemselves) need to be aware that cataloguingand conservation are essential components ofthe service to the public. They should not beregarded merely as backroom activities for theself-indulgence of archivists and conservatorswhenever there is a lull in public demand butshould be recognized as prerequisites forenabling the public to exploit fully the researchpotential of archive collections.

Enhancing access by use of InformationTechnology: We welcome the commitment bythe Public Record Office to achieving fullelectronic catalogues and web-based access by2001. We also welcome the initiatives of otherrepositories in investing in software forcataloguing and in retrospective catalogue dataconversion. The digitization of finding aidsoffers clear benefits in facilitating datasearching and remote access. In order to exploitfully the potential of IT, it will be desirable todevelop the proposed National ArchiveNetwork and to continue to develop agreedstandards and methodologies for cataloguing.To ensure that the potential offered by IT isrealized in a manner that does not threatenexisting duties of record offices, additionalresources may be needed in order thatretrospective data conversion does not divertresources from the cataloguing of hithertouncatalogued material.

Guiding users to appropriate repositories: Forthe mass of archive users working on aspects oflocal and family history, the appropriate localrecord office may appear to hold all that theyneed. However, a remarkable amount ofmaterial is invisible to these users because,owing to valid historical reasons or the need torespect archival provenance, it is located inunexpected places, such as specialistrepositories, county record offices holding out-county material and even overseas archives and

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libraries (eg Herefordshire records inMelbourne).

The NRA has an obvious role to play in theexchange of information about such material butthis requires the creation and enhancement ofunified place-name and (to a lesser extent)personal-name indexes, specifically to thismaterial in unexpected places. It also requiresthat local record offices collect and forwardinformation on their out-county material,something which at present is often regarded asof lower priority than their local material.Information also needs to be collected ondispersed archives, such as the tens of thousandsof English deeds in North American libraries.

The World Wide Web is already being used byrepositories to publicise themselves and theirholdings, allowing relevant material to beidentified by researchers who might neverotherwise find it. The Web will become anincreasingly valuable tool for both repositoriesand researchers as more information ispublished, its potential for improving access tocollections is immense.

ConservationStandards: The position of conservators in theUK today is very different from the early daysof the profession. Improvements in traininghave had much to do with this. One of the earlyinitiatives was the Society of ArchivistsConservators Training Scheme, offeringexcellent practical training in the workplace,and in recent years there has been an increase inthe numbers of training courses. As a result ofbetter training, conservators now have betterstandards, more professionalism, betterknowledge of theory and practical problem-solving, and higher aspirations.

The work of present-day conservators issignificantly more varied than that undertakenby ‘repairers’ of the past and the status ofconservators within institutions is slowlyimproving to reflect these changes. In somerepositories, conservators are carrying out therole of preservation managers, withresponsibility for buildings maintenance,reprographics, etc. The benefits of havingprofessionally-qualified conservators on thestaff are great, as they are available to carry outsuch roles, as well as to assist in collectionmanagement. Out-sourcing conservation workcan never be a substitute for this and while werecognize that some repositories have no

alternative to outsourcing, the abolition ofexisting in-house conservation units in favour ofout-sourcing is a retrograde step which must bedeplored.

The issue of standards in conservation needs tobe addressed. There is still an unacceptablywide standard of work being produced in thename of archive conservation. Much dependson the skill of individuals, but also on thetraining they have received, the opportunitiesfor further training, their attitude to their work(whether viewing it as a vocation or just a job)and the support, or lack of it, of management.Accreditation for conservators is beinginvestigated currently and it is hoped the resultswill benefit the profession. There needs to be asystem whereby conservators can prove theycan achieve a certain level of competence afterinitial qualifications have been gained. Thismay also be a warning to those whose workdoes not achieve an acceptable standard. Manygraduates from the current training courses arenot immediately capable of undertaking allaspects of conservation work to acceptablestandards. They still need time to learn in theworkplace and conservators should see theircareer as a continuing learning experience.

Use of surrogates: Of concern today is theamount of use original documents receive.More demands than ever before are beingplaced on original documents because of theever-increasing interest of the public ingenealogy and local history. The enhancementof access by the means discussed in section 5above will only increase these demands. Moreuse of documents means more wear-and-tear tounique. often fragile, originals and there istherefore a need for the wider use of surrogates.It is sensible to microfilm heavily-useddocuments and limit the use of the originalsthemselves.

Digitization also offers distinct promise in thisarea, with the additional benefit of permittingremote access to images of documents byInternet. Being able to ‘clean up’ images viacomputer may make material available forconsultation which cannot at present easily beused. However, we must be certain thatdigitization will be with us for the foreseeablefuture and that it will be a stable medium,before investing too much in it. The microfilm,while seeming rather ‘low-tech’, is stillconsidered the benchmark storage system andprobably will continue to be. Indeed, it is the

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‘low-tech’ aspect of microfilm which makes itso suitable for long-term application, thehardware being unlikely to become outmoded.

For repositories to undertake programmes ofproviding surrogate copies, in whatever form,will require investment in equipment for whichadditional resources will be needed. Co-operation among repositories to providefacilities for microfilming and digitization torecognized standards may assist with thisproblem and avoid the costs of employingcommercial agencies.

It is also hoped that the importance ofpreservation will be more fully recognized asthe first priority of an archive institution.Whilst having many functions, institutionsshould have at their core the preservation oftheir holdings for future generations. Allmembers of staff should be committed to thisaim, which should overrule even that of present-day access. In the past, unique materials havebeen damaged or even destroyed throughirresponsible photocopying, exhibition,handling, etc, and this must not be permitted tocontinue. One danger of the practice ofmerging with libraries, referred to in section 2,is that long-term preservation may be in dangerof being subordinated to immediate publicaccess.

Local authority archive servicesStatutory basis: The weakness of the position oflocal authority record offices is perhaps themost serious of the problems facing archiveservices at the start of the new millennium.First, despite the fundamental role andachievements of local authority record offices,as discussed in our opening paragraphs, theyhave almost no status or protection in statutelaw. The Local Government (Records) Act of1962 is purely enabling legislation, while therelevant section (224) of the Local GovernmentAct of 1972 is notoriously vague. The holdingsof most local authority record offices do bringthem within the ambit of the Public RecordsActs and of the Manorial and Tithe DocumentsRules but these do not in any sense constitute astrong statutory foundation, especially in theface of governing bodies seeking to cut costsand to meet only their minimum obligations forarchive provision.

Financial provision: There is a wide disparityacross the country in the level of resourcesavailable to local authority services. Funding

throughout local government seems to dependupon local politics. If those in power have aninterest in archives, adequate funding may beprovided; if they have little interest, fundingmay be poor. Some local authorities are willingto fund new buildings and the levels of staffneeded to operate services effectively, yet therecord offices of other authorities receivefunding levels which can scarcely even beconsidered minimal. Even - or perhapsespecially - in such cases, archive budgets arelooked upon as an easy target for cuts whenbudget reductions are being sought. At present,lacking either a strong statutory foundation orpowerful political support, archive services areperceived as a softer target for budget cuts thanschools or libraries.

Central government, too, must recognize theimportance of archives at local level whenallocating revenue grants to local authorities.The Government has stated that education isone of its priorities and it needs to recognizethat archives are an indispensable part of theoverall provision of education and lifelonglearning. Therefore, when the Governmentincreases funding for education provision, anidentifiable element of that funding should bespecifically targeted at archives.

Local government re-organization: A thirdthreat to which local authority record offices aresubject is local government reorganization. Therecent round of re-organization which has lastedthroughout the 1990s has seen the fragmentationand even abolition of counties and we canhardly believe that there will not be further re-organizations in the near future. There is indeedthe possibility that the introduction of regionalgovernment may one day lead to the abolition ofcounty level administration altogether. The re-organization which has already taken place hasundermined record offices by weakening theirfinancial base, depressing staff morale andraising the spectre of the dispersal ofcollections.

Need for effective statutory protection: Theconclusion to be drawn from an examination ofall these threats to local authority archiveservices must be that a secure statutory basis,preferably setting out realistic minimumobligations for local authorities, is indispensableto securing into the next millennium the vitality,and even the very survival, of services whichare fundamental to proper archival provision inthis country.

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AM 68 (Archives Council Wales/CyngorArchifau Cymru. Gwyn Jenkins, Convenor,0/98)Wales at the MillenniumBy way of background, it is important to notethat Wales, as the Millennium approaches, isexperiencing a period of fundamentalconstitutional transition. In 1999 the NationalAssembly for Wales will meet for the first time.Although the National Assembly’s powers willbe limited, there is no doubt that it will have amaterial effect on archival services in Walesand that it is likely that its powers will increasewith time. The relationship between Wales andthe other nations which make up the remainderof the United Kingdom, as well as with Europe,is therefore changing and this will requiremonitoring internally by ACW and externallyby bodies such as the HMC.

Cyngor Archifau Cymru: Archives CouncilWales (ACW)ACW was formed in 1995 with the followingAims:� To bring together institutions andorganisations involved with the administrationof archives in Wales and to provide a forum forthe regular exchange of views between them.� To influence policy on archives in Wales.� To bring to the attention of the public,government or relevant institutions ororganisations, matters of current concern in thefield of archives in Wales.� To provide a focus for collaborative projectsin the field of archives in Wales.

ACW has concerned itself with many issuesrelating to archival provision in Wales but thereare three major matters which have dominatedits discussions. These are:

� the effect of local government reorganisation(1996) on the county archive services in Wales.� the establishment of a Welsh ArchivesNetwork.� the case for a Welsh Record Office.

The main points at issue are described in thefollowing sections:

Local Government archive servicesThe re-organisation of local government inWales which became effective from 1 April1996 was the most radical change in provisionof local authority archive services since theprevious reorganisation of 1974. Effective

lobbying had ensured that the LocalGovernment Act (Wales) 1994 containedspecific reference to archive services, as therewere fears that poorly funded services wouldproliferate and collections be dispersed.

Schemes under Section 60 of the Act were to beprepared for the Welsh Office by each localauthority on how they proposed to deliver theirarchive and records management services. Anadvisory group was appointed to inspect theschemes. Apart from anything else this hasadded another element to the statutory basis forthe services. Guidelines were also issued by theWelsh Office advising on the transfer ofresponsibilities for collections to the newauthorities. Future changes in service provisionwere to be reported to the Secretary of State.

Although the reference to archive services in theAct was seen as advantageous, its benefits havebeen more apparent than real. The WelshOffice has continued to be reluctant to intervenein local authority archive provision.

Joint archive services have been achieved inGlamorgan, West Glamorgan and Gwent. Theformer county of Dyfed was divided into its oldcounties with their relevant repositories, and theformer counties of Gwynedd and Clwyd weresplit into six authorities, each expressing anintention to run full archive services but onlyfour of which inherited repositories. Powys hasremained the least affected by the changes, thenew legislation having if anything strengthenedthe service’s role especially in recordsmanagement.

No record offices have closed, although budgetcuts, whether connected or not withreorganisation, have in some cases had more ofan impact on services than they would havedone. No archives have moved, although name,boundary, and collecting policy changes innorth Wales have caused confusion amongstdepositors and other users.

Re-organisation has enabled Ceredigion,formerly a part-time public service to open fulltime and West Glamorgan’s joint service hasbeen able to open two new public servicepoints. Wrexham and Conwy however have notmade much progress regarding full archivesservices but both have archivists and sources,mostly microform, available in libraries. Thetrend towards placing responsibility for archiveservices in large Education/Leisure and Culture

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directorates has been confirmed by theadministrative changes and the distance ofheads of repositories from the decision making-process, if anything, increased. The effect onconservation services has also been inconsistentwith one service gaining a full service and twoothers losing direct provision.

In the main, however, the period leading to themillennium has been notable for its lostopportunities. Uncertainty regarding the post-reorganisation future caused delays in planningfor improvements to accommodation, IT, lotteryfunding applications and other elements of theservice. A settled period for administration anda restoration of budgets will be necessary toallow archive services to recover.

Welsh Archives NetworkA computer network would greatly assist thearchival community in Wales in promoting itswork and bring about substantial improvementsin its public services and professionalcommunication. As the twenty-first centuryapproaches, however, it is easy to see that theinformational demands of both existing andpotential users of archives in Wales are notbeing met. Lack of resources, in terms of staff,capital, equipment, training, and time, are majorconstraints on the development of the networkwhich would best meet those demands.

Even so, ACW has been instrumental inpreparing the way for the setting up of a Welsharchives network. In July 1997 it launched itsown web site, which established the presence ofthe Welsh archive community on the Internet.Comprising basic information about therepositories: their names, addresses, location,opening times, facilities, services, publications,and collection policies, ACW’s web site, ineffect, forms the nucleus of the plannednetwork.

Adding to that nucleus the archival descriptionsof the repositories’ holdings requires additionalresources, and ACW’s search for thoseadditional resources began with a scoping study,which was carried out in August-September1997. This was followed by the production of afurther research report and the formulation of abusiness plan during the period September-December 1998. The research report andbusiness plan will provide the basis for a bid forfunding early in 1999.

ACW is aware that its plans accord with similarambitions being expressed throughout thearchive community world-wide. It sees thenascent Welsh Archives Network as an essentialelement in the creation of the UK network putforward by the NCA in its Archives On-linereport, and as a positive contribution to theemergence of a global network as envisaged bythe ICA.

If sufficient funding is obtained, ACW hopes tosee its network coming into operation early inthe new millennium, playing a notable part inthe growth of the information society withinWales, and offering the rest of the world anopen invitation to learn more about thehistorical and cultural heritage of our nation.

A Welsh Record OfficeUnlike Northern Ireland and Scotland, Walesdoes not have its own ‘national archive’ or‘public record office’ to hold the records ofgovernment emanating from Wales. The PublicRecord Office at Kew serves England andWales but there has been a long-standing desireto set up a separate Welsh Record Office andthis was one of the recommendations of theArchives Policy for the United Kingdomdocument published in 1996 (under PrincipleNo. 2).

In November 1997 ACW submitted a documententitled ‘A Welsh Record Office: A proposalsubmitted to the Secretary of State for Wales byArchives Council Wales’. Subsequently, inMarch 1998, amendments were passed to theGovernment of Wales bill (clauses 16, 17 and18) which would allow for the NationalAssembly for Wales to preserve not only itsown records but also, subject to the approval ofthe Lord Chancellor, the historical records ofgovernment in Wales, including those of theWelsh Office. A new category of publicrecords is to be created called ‘Welsh publicrecords’.

In the debate in the House of Commons on 25March 1998, the Secretary of State for Walesstated that the ‘new clauses will facilitate theprovision of a record office rather than requireit’ and it appears that the Welsh Office does notintend to prepare the ground for theestablishment of a Welsh Record Office at thistime. However, it is to be hoped that theNational Assembly will, when it meets in 1999,take a positive attitude to this matter. ACWwill continue to make representations and it is to

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be hoped that a Welsh Record Office will beestablished in the near future.

ConclusionsThere are many other issues which concern thearchive community in Wales but, based on thecomments above, ACW considers that thefollowing steps should be taken during theperiod leading to the new millennium:

• that the Advisory Group which advised theSecretary of State for Wales on the schemesunder section 60 of the Local Government(Wales) Act should be revived to monitor localauthority archive provision in Wales and tomake recommendations to the Secretary of Stateand the National Assembly for Wales.

• that the establishment of a Welsh ArchivesNetwork is an essential element in thedevelopment of the ‘information society’ inWales and that it should be supported byappropriate funding bodies.

• that the National Assembly for Wales, havingascertained advice from appropriate bodies,should draw up plans for the establishment of aWelsh Record Office.

AM 69 (Scottish Universities SpecialCollections and Archives Group. JacquelineM Seargeant, Secretary, 11/98)Scottish university archives and specialcollections possess a rich and diverse array ofheritage material of national and localsignificance. Specific detail of this material canbe found in the recent JISC publicationAccessing our Cultural Heritage and theSUSCAG publication Ensuring Scotland’sCultural Heritage.

While there have been exciting developments inuniversity archives and special collections overthe past few years, it is undeniable that thefuture looks somewhat bleak and uncertain.Storage, management, cataloguing,conservation, access, publicity and promotionare all at risk from a general paucity of fundingin this sector.

Of particular concern is the low level ofrecurrent funding which is allocated to specialcollections and archives holdings in HEIs. Thetremendous boost given to these collections inthe last few years by the distribution of funding

under the Follett initiative has served both toraise awareness of the strength of thesecollections for researchers and to improvephysical access to the records, as well asencouraging developments in IT which haveimproved on-line access to these collections.

However this funding has also raised awarenessof the gaps in long-term funding provision, andour resulting inability to make long termstrategies in caring for our collections. Inaddition project work has encouraged aproliferation of short term contract work forarchive and special collections staff. There isfurther concern with regard to its impact andcorrelation with core institutional staff. Suchstaff must spend time working with theseprojects to ensure a degree of continuity, whichis necessary for adherence to locally devisedand national standards so that they can besuccessfully integrated, however due to otherpressures this is often not possible. Whileraised user expectations will continue after thefunding runs out, it is difficult to see howdemand can be met once institutions return totheir original inadequate core funding. Accessseems once again destined to decline.

The HMC has already recognised the centralimportance of the role of university repositoriesand special collections departments in acquiringand caring for archives and manuscripts ofnational and local significance. The HMCproposals to the Committee of Vice-Chancellorsand Principals in 1997, which recognised theproblems faced by university repositories, wasrecently reinforced by the survey commissionedby JISC and undertaken by TFPL: Study of theArchival Records of British Universities Oct1997. While we are grateful for the support andencouragement offered by the HMC in thesematters, no Scottish university archive orspecial collection repository currently meets allthe criteria used in the HMC inspections forapproved status.

Furthermore, within the HMC framework thereare calls to increase both education and accessand yet there is an apparent contradictionbetween the HMC’s desire to have a strategicplan to use lottery funding for the UK heritagesector and the HLF perception that theuniversity sector should not attract suchfunding. SUSCAG hopes that in the future HEIrepositories will be more successful in their bidsfor lottery funding, in order to enable theirInstitutions to offer greater access to the wider

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educational community, as these collectionsbecome more widely known and appreciated.We strongly welcome the opening of a localHLF office for Scotland, to be situated inEdinburgh, as this will hopefully prove veryhelpful for the development of this stream offunding.

On a similarly positive note SUSCAG welcomethe lottery mapping exercise commissioned bythe HMC, Public Record Office and ScottishRecord Office. This should enable thedevelopment of a coherent national archivesstrategy which will benefit both the archivecommunity and its users.

Finally, and of particular relevance to theScottish sector, is the advent of the new ScottishParliament, and any subsequent changes thismay bring to the archival establishment.SUSCAG wonders whether devolution willaffect the HMC’s representation of Scottisharchives, and whether they will still receivefunding to support the work of Scottishrepositories. It is hoped that the new parliamentwill provide a new act that will give us a firmerplatform on which to develop services.

SUSCAG looks forward to working with theHMC in order to develop future strategies ofbenefit to the nation’s archives and specialcollections.

AM 70 (Historical Association. Professor CJWrigley, 10/98)The Historical Association represents a broadmembership of several thousand peopleinterested in History, either as a vocation or aleisure pursuit. A high proportion of these areregular or frequent archive users. Several areprominent members of Friends of archives oreditors of record society publications.

As a body the Historical Association has beendismayed at the often bad effects of repeatedlocal government reorganisation in the quartercentury from 1973 on levels of funding and onwillingness to conserve important archives fromvoluntary and other private sources. As in somany areas expected standards of conservationhave risen while often levels of staffing havefallen. There does appear to be a need forserious consideration of the creation of moreassured and regular national funding of archiveservices. At present the conservation and theavailability to researchers of some archives of

national significance is dependent on a series ofawards from a variety of funding sources.Apart from the uncertainty this creates, it alsoinvolves archivists in understaffed archives invery time-consuming preparation of bids.

The Historical Association generally warmlywelcomes developments which make archivesmore accessible to potential users. Suchdevelopments have included more varied andlonger opening hours, availability of morematerial on microfilm and CD-ROM andprovision of more information on the Web.

At the national level many people remainconcerned about the destruction of importantfiles in the process of ‘weeding’ at the PublicRecord Office. For instance, the MI5 Files onindividuals during the Cold War would havebeen very valuable sources for historians of thefuture, both on the people concerned and for theinsights given on the outlook of MI5 operatives.Even with the Blair government’s praiseworthyactions on releasing many hitherto closed files,it would be good if all but a very few veryexceptional cases were released after 30 years.Most scholars find it astonishing that some filesover 100 years are closed.

At the local level there has been concern inrecent years of some talk by some councillors ofcouncils only funding the preservation ofarchives they have a statutory duty to conserve(very old, legal, local government). It might beconsidered whether a new national archivepolicy will benefit from being buttressed by anew legislative measure.

The Historical Association would wish to paytribute to the generally high quality of workcarried out in most archives by notablydedicated staff.

AM 71 (Historic Houses Archivists Group.Mrs Christine Hiskey, Secretary, 11/98)From the point of view of the national heritage,there is much to be said in favour of preservingthe archive as an integral part of the historichouse; from the point of view of the owner, thepractical use of the archive is maintained forboth historic and current purposes; from aprofessional point of view, the archivist isenabled to develop a particularly specialisedknowledge of the archive and of the body thatcreated it; and from the point of view ofhistorical research, there are often benefits from

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treating the archives as an integral part of thehouse, family and estate, and from thespecialised knowledge of the archivist.

The HHAG makes the following observations,under the heads suggested by the questionsposed in the Commission’s invitation torespond.

Current management, cataloguing, conservation,etc.Private owners are responsible for some largeand important archives. Consequently theirarchivists share the professional interests of allarchivists, in the fields of storage, management,cataloguing, conservation and access forresearch, but the emphasis on these differentaspects may vary.

Their professional interests are exemplified bythe Historic Houses Archivists Group, whichprovides a lively and active forum, includingtwice-yearly meetings (one whole day, the othertwo full days) incorporating informative visitsand professional discussions as well as businessmeetings, a newsletter, a representative on theSpecialist Repositories Group of the Society ofArchivists (in addition to members’ individuallinks with professional bodies) and stronginformal links with the HMC; and theproduction of papers such as ‘RetentionSchedules for Landed Estates’, ‘GenealogicalEnquiries’, and ‘Access to Historic HouseArchives’. Over the past year, exchange visitshave been initiated with German archivistsconnected with private archives.

Strategic problems, locally and nationallyAlthough national organisations connected withthe administration or use of archives purport toembrace all archive interests, they frequentlyreveal a preoccupation with public local archiveservices. This is not surprising, given themodern network of local authority recordoffices, the numbers of archivists and otherrecords professionals employed there, and theirever-increasing use by members of the public.

It is particularly important, therefore, at nationaland local levels, to acknowledge thecontribution made by private owners to thenational heritage, by maintaining importantarchives at their own expense; to understand thedifferent but equally valid approach to themanagement of those archives, and to recognisethe particular skills and needs of their archivists.

New initiatives at national levelThe HHAG therefore seeks:i) a stronger voice in the national archivesforum for private owners and their archivists;ii) improved communication and co-operation between private and local authority archives.,iii) improved contacts with private company archives, possibly through the SpecialistRepositories Group of the Society of Archivists;iv) the continuation of the valuable supportprovided by the Historical ManuscriptsCommission. In particular, the Group wouldwelcome the establishment of regular dayconferences on archival issues, on the lines ofthat convened by HMC at Hatfield in 1996,where views relating to both public and privatearchives can be aired. A conference, forinstance, devoted to ‘Access’ would appear tobe needed as a matter of some urgency.

AM 72 (National Library of Wales/LlyfrgellGenedlaethol Cymru. Gwyn Jenkins, Keeperof Manuscripts and Records, 11/98)BackgroundApart from being one of the six legal depositlibraries in the British Isles, NLW is also thelargest repository of manuscript and archivalcollections in Wales. Since its foundation in1907, it has acted as a ‘national archive’ forrecords other than public records (although itdoes hold some public records as a designated‘place of deposit’). The Department ofManuscripts and Records is the curatorialdepartment responsible for managingmanuscript and archive collections in NLW. Ofthe two other curatorial departments in theLibrary, the Department of Printed Books andthe Department of Pictures and Maps, the latterholds collections such as photographs, audio-visual materials and manuscript maps which, inother institutions, are sometimes managed byarchivists.

Comment1. The advent of the National Assembly forWales in 1999 will change the way in whichWales is governed. It will be important for theNational Assembly to recognise the role ofNLW and other archive institutions in Wales inpreserving the written heritage of the nation.2. In recent years, NLW has played anincreasingly active role in fostering co-operation in the archive community in Wales,most notably through Cyngor Archifau Cymru:Archives Council Wales (ACW). NLW’sKeeper of Manuscripts and Records acts as

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convenor for ACW and NLW provides clericalsupport. It considers that ACW should continueto play a prominent part in influencing policy onarchives in Wales and the National Assemblyshould be encouraged to consult it whereappropriate. It also considers that if theInterdepartmental Archives Committee is to begiven a wider remit then it should includerepresentation from ACW and NLW.3. NLW supports the conclusions relating to theestablishment of a Welsh Record Officesubmitted by ACW in its submission. However,NLW considers it vital to clearly define ‘Welshpublic records’ and ensure that there are nooverlaps in the collecting policies of a WelshRecord Office and NLW.4. NLW believes that the establishment of aWelsh Archives Network is vital to theadvancement of the ‘information society’ inWales and wishes to play a full part in thisdevelopment.5. The shortage of bilingual professionallyqualified archivists continues to be a cause forconcern, despite arrangements between NLWand the Archive Administration Course at theUniversity of Wales to improve the situation.The National Assembly should take this intoaccount when it examines issues relating toeducation, training and the Welsh language.

AM 73 (Business Archives Council ofScotland. Ann Jones, Secretary, 11/98)The BACS is a registered charity funded bydonations from Scottish businesses and a grant-in-aid from the Scottish Record Office. Its aimis the preservation of business archives, broadlydefined to include those of professional bodiesand associations. It employs a surveying officerbased in Glasgow University Archives, whichhouses what is believed to be the largestbusiness records store in Europe, certainly inBritain, and whose archivist, Professor MichaelMoss, is himself a distinguished businesshistorian.

The activities of a succession of SurveyingOfficers over the last thirty years have helped toensure the preservation of a very large quantityof business records which would otherwise havebeen destroyed, especially during the period oflarge-scale liquidations and closures inshipbuilding and heavy engineering in the1970s and 1980s. These records have beenpreserved either in Glasgow UniversityArchives or in local or national archives, asappropriate. In some cases an initiative by the

Survey has generated enough interest to lead tothe appointment of an archivist by the businessitself, which is often the ideal solution. Apartfrom the work of the Surveying Officer, theburden of listing plans and other technicalrecords is regularly offloaded to a separatecharitable trust, the Ballast Trust, which isbased in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, and existsspecifically for that purpose. In terms of thelevel of past and present activity, at least asregards manufacturing industry and the large-scale service sector (banks and insurance inparticular), there have been substantialachievements.

There are also outstanding problems. Much ofthe surveying work of the council has ariseneither in response to emergencies such asclosures, or from circulations targetingparticular geographical areas or particularbusiness sectors. The uptake of suchcirculations is inevitably patchy, and thesurveying of records is no guarantee of theirpermanent preservation. Few categories ofrecords are as much at risk from a simpleunawareness on the part of their owners as totheir value. Any new initiative aimed at raisingthe profile of archives nationally should giveprominence to business records for that reasonalone. The need for propaganda and‘consciousness-raising’ is an ongoing one,however, and although the millennium is nodoubt an excellent opportunity to publicise thearchival heritage, the ideal approach would beto devise a means of regularly (perhapsannually) drawing the attention of businesses tothe value of their records.

There are inherent difficulties arising from thecharitable status of the BACS, whose long-termfunding cannot be guaranteed, and which issubject to occasional funding crises.

One problem peculiar to Scotland is theweakness of the local authority sector, whichwould normally have been expected to providea home for many of the records surveyed.Several local authorities have no provision forarchives whatsoever and others have smalloffices, often with only one professionalmember of staff and very inadequate storageaccommodation. The results of the lottery‘mapping’ exercise for Scotland have still toemerge, but there is no doubt that by Englishstandards the picture will be fairly bleak,perhaps especially in terms of the quantity andstandard of accommodation available. There

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have been a few improvements sincereorganisation in 1996, but developments areextremely slow. To some extent the gap hasbeen met by Glasgow University and the SRO,but often there is no substitute for localknowledge and contacts. Since both of theseinstitutions have their own storage problems,there is a real risk of a future emergency whichcould not be met without compromisingstandards of accommodation and even securityto an unacceptable degree.

More general problems exist, such as therecords of the newer, knowledge-based firmswhich have replaced the traditional industries.It is virtually only at government archive levelthat adequate developments have been made inthe field of computer-generated records;business records are far behind. But no doubtthese are universal problems.

AM 74 (Museums & Galleries Commission.Timothy Mason, Director, 11/98)IntroductionThe MGC is the national advisory body whichexists to safeguard and promote the UnitedKingdom’s 2,500 museums and galleries.

Archives and museumsWithin a museum context, the archivescollection is almost always composed of groupsof material or even single items acquired over aperiod of time from many different sources.This collection is chiefly distinguished from theother collections a museum may hold by itsmedium, or combination of media. Manuscriptstogether with printed, aural and visual materialwould all fall under the archive heading. Suchmaterial may, or may not have been acquiredwith related 3-dimensional items. In some cases,archival material may be numerically amongstthe largest groups of items within a museum’scollection.

In the following sections, MGC draws on theresults of recent research published in HiddenAssets, Museums and their Archive Collectionsin Devon and Cornwall. In this document, theword museum is used to denote both museumsand art galleries.

A The MGC’s links with archives in Museums1. Museums with archive collections :Approximately 45% of museums in the UKhold archival material in their collections.(Source: Museum Focus, Issue 1 1998)

2. Research into archives in museums: In 1996,the MGC published Hidden Assets, Museumsand their Archive Collections in Devon andCornwall with support from the HistoricalManuscripts Commission. Hidden Assetsexamined the current arrangements for archivecollections in two southwest counties and madewide-ranging recommendations applicable toarchive collections in museums throughout theUK.

3. Information held by MGCDigest of Museum Statistics (DOMUS):DOMUS is a database which containsinformation about museums in the UK. Set upby MCG in 1994, it is updated annually andprovides an authoritative source of informationon the museum sector. The section coveringcollection types identifies archives separatelyand as a result a range of statistical informationon archives in museum can be requested.

Cornucopia: By 2000, MGC aims to provide acomplete picture of the wealth of museumcollections in the UK via Cornucopia which iscurrently being developed as a comprehensivedatabase for the Internet. It will enable MGC toprovide better collections information for thepublic and to facilitate research, scholarship andlifelong learning in museums. Great benefit hasbeen gained from discussions with the NRAwhich have led to plans to establish a directwebsite link with Cornucopia.

4. Provision of information and advicePublications on issues concerning museumcollections including archives are produced byMGC on its own behalf and in collaborationwith other organisations. A list of recentrelevant titles is given in Section H [notreproduced here].

5. Code of Practice on Archives for Museumsand Galleries in the United KingdomThe first edition of the Code of Practice wasdrawn up in 1990 by the Standing Conferenceon Archives and Museums (SCAM) whichprepared a revised edition in 1996. The Codewas published with financial assistance from theMGC and has been distributed to over 1700museums and museum and archiveorganisations in the UK. Guidance to museumson administering their archive collections inaccordance with professional standards isprovided and sources of advice and help aregiven.

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6. Museum Registration SchemeThe MGC’s Museum Registration Guidelines1995 define basic standards which all museumsshould meet. The introduction of Phase 2 of theScheme in 1995 provided an opportunity toensure that museums with archive collectionhad agreed to abide by the recommendations ofthe Code which is given as RegistrationGuideline 4.2.7. This process should becompleted by 2002. The same Guideline urgesmuseums to aim to meet the HMC’s Standardfor Record Repositories, 1990.

7. TrainingMGC provides a grant to Camberwell Collegeof Art to enable students including thosestudying archive conservation to gain practicalexperience in private and public sectorconservation studios. One-year fundedinternships are offered to recent graduates ofUK conservation training courses. One of the1998/99 interns is based at a major archiveoffice - London Metropolitan Archives.

8. Purchase of archivesMuseums & Galleries Commission/Victoria &Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund: TheV&A on behalf of the MGC administers theFund, established in 1881. It contributestowards the purchase of objects relating to thearts, literature and history by local anduniversity museums, art galleries, libraries andrecord offices in England and Wales. Printedmaterial, books and manuscripts are all eligiblefor support. A ring-fenced sum for the purchaseof manuscripts is in place. MGC understandsthat the Fund has also been asked to respond tothe enquiry.

Preservation of Industrial and ScientificMaterial (PRISM) Grant Fund: The ScienceMuseum administers the PRISM fund on behalfof the MGC. The purpose of the Fund is tofurther the preservation, in the public domain,of items or collections important for the historyand development of science and technology inall their aspects. It was established in 1973 andprovides grants towards the costs of acquisition,conservation, and associated transport of suchmaterial, including archives and manuscriptmaterial in England and Wales.

9. Links with other bodiesRoyal Commission on Historical Manuscripts:As a result of Hidden Assets, the MGC providedthe HMC with a list of museums which holdarchive collections. In the same year, 1996, the

MGC and HMC collaborated on the productionof a form which was circulated to museums inthe Registration Scheme and requestedinformation on their archive collection to besent to the NRA.

Standing Conference on Archives and Museums(SCAM): SCAM was formed in 1987 by theAssociation of Independent Museums, theSociety of Archivists and the MuseumsAssociation. It comprises representatives ofthese bodies, together with observers form theMGC, the Historical Manuscripts Commissionand the Committee of Area Museums Councils.SCAM exists to promote better understandingand a closer working relationship betweenarchivists and curators for the benefit of theircollection and the public they serve. Theimpetus for the publication of Hidden Assetsoriginated with SCAM which has alsoorganised seminars on archive and museumissues.

Society of Archivists: The Society of Archiviststrainees undertaking the programme for archiveconservators have benefited from MGC grantswhich have enabled them to attend conferences.The Society is one of the nine organisations thatconstitute the Conservation Forum which actsas a single voice for the conservation professionin the UK. MGC has funded the post ofConservation Co-ordinator and provided officefacilities. The MGC has awarded a grant (viathe Conservation Forum) to establish anaccreditation scheme for conservators workingin the UK. The Society is one of three mainpartners in the scheme.

British Standards Institution: The MGC isrepresented on the BSI Technical Committee forBS5454, Storage and Exhibition of ArchivalDocuments which is currently being revised. Adraft is expected by the end of 1998.

B. The storage, management, cataloguing,conservation and availability of archivesHidden Assets (HA) revealed an unsatisfactorypicture of archives in museums. With a fewexceptions, museums were having difficulty inmeeting the basic standards. A questionnairewhich formed part of the Hidden Assets reportalso demonstrated the need for improvements.A key feature of Hidden Assets is the sectioncovering recommendations most of which aretargeted to museums. Others are addressed tothe MGC, the Area Museum Councils (AMCs),HMC, the record offices and MDA, with a few

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to SCAM and libraries. A number of MGCpublications which address the issues raised bythe recommendations are mentioned in therelevant sections.

StorageImprovements needed in museums: � Aspiring to ensure stores meet the standardsdefined in BS5454� Providing discrete storage areas for archives� Upgrading storage (and display) materials andfittings� Awareness of damage caused by pests: MGCpublished Integrated pest management in 1998� Eliminating natural light and controllingartificial light

Management: collectionsImprovements needed:� Reference to archives in museums’ collectingpolicies. 52% of museums mentioned archivesin their collecting policies (HA). MGC monitorsthese policies via the Registration Scheme� Assessing whether it is appropriate for amuseum to collect archives. SCAM hasaddressed this issue at a number of seminars� Ensuring that staff responsible for collectingand disposal are aware of, and follow themuseum’s policy� Discouraging museums from acquiring loans;accepted loans to be for fixed terms andproperly documented. Monitored as part ofMGC’s Registration Scheme� Considering the cost to museums of acquiringcollections. MGC published Cost-benefitsAppraisals for Collection Care in 1998� Encouraging museums to implementmanagement plans for the collections� Awareness of and compliance with the Codeof Practice by museums. Addressed withinMGC’s Registration Scheme� Encouraging museums to have close liaisonwith record offices and local-history libraries oncollecting strategies. SCAM has addressed thisissue at a number of seminars� Reference to liaison within museums’collecting policies

Management: trainingTo be developed:� A publication summarising advice andinformation on museums and archives� Locally and regionally based training toenable museums to meet minimum standards� Collaboration on training between recordoffices and AMCs

� An Archival Adviser Network to provideauthoritative advice on, and forge links betweenarchivists and curators.

CataloguingThe term documentation is generally used todescribe this activity in museums.Improvements needed:� A minimum standard for archivedocumentation in museums� Reducing backlogs in documentation andmeeting the minimum Registration standard.43% of museums had fully documentedcollections (HA), 71 % were activelydocumenting collections (HA), 72% hadcollections awaiting documenting collection(HA). Monitored via the Registration Scheme� Ensuring that museum documentation isreadily understood by the public� Advising museums on benefiting from thearchive profession on authority control� Considering how far museum documentationmethods are appropriate for archive collections� Drawing up guidelines on establishing andrecording ownership of archives� Ensuring records on disposal are made andretained. Part of Registration Scheme

ConservationIn a museum context, this term covers bothremedial and preventative conservation.Improvements and developments needed:� Good building maintenance� Improved environmental conditions� Environmental monitoring took place in thedisplay areas of 55% of museums.Environmental control took place in the displayareas of 47% of museums (HA)� Environmental monitoring equipmentsupported by adequate training and advice formuseums� Regular environmental monitoring inmuseums� Provision by museums of a suitablesupervised area for handling archives withhandling aids and instructions� Conservation surveys and reports to be carriedout. 33% of museums had included archives inconservation surveys (HA)� The use of copies rather than originals fordisplay and handling. 62% of museums hadoriginal material on display� Guidelines on the storage and conservation ofnew archival media are needed� The use of specialist film archives to holdhistoric and rare film

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� Monitoring and control of natural andartificial light in museums� Use of MGC’s Conservation Register toobtain information on qualified conservatorswho will work with archive collections. Somearchives had been conserved in 34% ofmuseums ( HA)

An MGC questionnaire, Conservation provisionin the UK: the institutional sector was issued in1998 and the results are expected by the end ofthe year. Conservation services in archives,record offices and libraries as well as museumsare covered.

Availability of archivesRecommendations:� Provision of suitable study facilities andinvigilation for researchers� Assessment of fragility of archival material� Access via items on display and copies toreduce risk of damage

C. Archives and museums: the strengths andweaknessesStrengths� The public benefits from the collections beingheld on the same premises as related 3-dimensional material.� Museums have access to the advice andinformation on collections care andmanagement made available by MGC and theAMCs� The Registration Scheme provides a minimumstandards framework for all museum collectionincluding archives� AMCs operate grant - schemes which supportimprovements affecting archive and othermuseum collections.� The AMCs provide training courses on thecare of archive collections.

Weaknesses� Lack of appropriate storage and accessarrangements in museums� Inability of museums to finance all thenecessary improvements to care of archives� Only a tiny proportion of museums employprofessional archivist� A substantial percentage of museums have notyet documented their archive collections to thebasic standard.� Museums have little contact with the archiveprofession

D. Opportunities presented by new technologyStrengths� The digitisation of finding aids opens up thepotential for cross-sector searching by users,enabling them to find information about anindividual organisation or place, whether thematerial is held by a museum, archive of library.� Digitisation of finding aids may reduce thenumber of searches carried out in person thusrelieving the pressure on fragile originalmaterial and on research facilities whilstenhancing access.� Common approaches to digitisation betweensectors, especially in the digitisation ofphotographs and other visual material.� The National Grid for Learning offers scopefor scope for co-operation between sectors forcreation educational material aimed at bothformal education and life-long learning.

Weaknesses� Different professional standards in usebetween the two sectors such as the differencein approach between ISAD and SPECTRUM.This issue can be tackled by the use of mewcross-sector standards such as Z39.50 forsearching and XML/SGML for displayinginformation.� Uneven existence of basic finding aids, aproblem for both the museum and archivesectors. Until this problem is tackled, manyopportunities offered by new technologiescannot be explored.� Uncertainty on approaches to digital archivingwithin museum and archive sectors. Unevenaccess in museums and archives to expertise,advice, equipment and network infrastructure.� As yet, there are few formal links betweenmuseum and archive projects to begin thediscussions about common approaches andstandards.

E. Challenges from the rapidly growing use ofarchives1. Should museums be holding archives if it isnot feasible to make them available toresearchers because of inadequate or non-existent handling facilities?2. Is it possible to find other organisationswhere the archives could be made more easilyavailable? Many museums might considerrecord offices as suitable sites but the PROreport Our Shared Past, 1998 reveals the needfor widespread improvements to the care ofcollections at record offices.

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3. Deficiencies in the museum sector outlined inSections B and C militate against responding toa greater demand by researchers.4.Alternatives must be found to the unnecessaryhandling of original material especially when itis fragile. Such alternatives must be within thefinancial capabilities of museums.

F. Issues requiring attention at national levelMany of these issues were identified in HiddenAssets.National archives strategy: A national strategyfor archives which takes account of the roleplayed by museums should be prepared.Archive collecting by museums: Cross sectordebate on the circumstances under whichmuseums should or should not hold archivecollections should be facilitated. Alternatives tomuseums holding collections should beexamined.Links between museums and record offices: Theformation of links between museums and recordoffices for the exchange of information and as asource of profession advice to museums.Archival Adviser Network: Support andencouragement for an Archival AdviserNetworkTraining at all levels: Training in the care andmanagement of archive collection in museumsfor those working in museums and at post-graduate level.National Register of Archives: Encouragingmuseums to contribute to the NRANew archival media: Guidelines are needed onthe storage and conservation of new archivalmedia.Documentation: The definition, promotion anddissemination of a minimum acceptablestandard for the documentation of archives inmuseums.Advice and information: The publication of asummary of advice and information on archivesand museums.Grants: A grant scheme to support theimplementation of agreed standards should beset up.

G. Strategic problems at local and regional levelTraining: Provision of training for museums atregional level via AMCs and record offices.Liaison: Exchange of information betweenmuseums and record offices on their respectivecollections.Archive forums:The creation of archive forumsopen to curators, conservators, archivists andlocal-history librarians as a focus for issues ofmutual interest.

AM 75 (Society of Archivists. Patrick Cadell,Chairman, 11/98)1. Archives at the end of the 20th century aregoing through a period of great uncertainty.The archive profession (and within this Iinclude records managers and conservators) onthe other hand is expanding, is increasinglyconscious of its role in the administrative andcultural life of the country, is setting standardsin a wide variety of areas, and is adapting to thepossibilities and to the demands of newtechnologies.

2. The changes in local government since the1970s which have seemed endemic in Englandand Wales, and which have hit Scotland in twoseparate spasms, have not on the whole beenkind to archives. The traditional county archivesystem of England and Wales allowed for thedevelopment of settled arrangements, and forthe establishment of archive services which -though they varied much in size - were by and,large satisfactory. They were also based onancient geographical boundaries over whichthere was little dispute.

3. This has changed. Local governmentboundary changes have altered areas ofresponsibility and funding arrangements forarchive services. They have sometimesintroduced confrontation where collaborationwould be more appropriate, and they haveintroduced administrative changes which it isextremely difficult for a small service to copewith, especially when they have an impact, notonly on the management of the service itself,but also on its professional responsibilities.

4. We are also of course living through a timewhen all government, whether national or local,is being forced to make stringent economies.This has meant not only that there is less moneyfor archives generally, but that, particularly inthe area of local government, the opportunityhas been taken of bringing together servicesbroadly seen as cultural. That archives -generally the smallest of such services -frequently find themselves part of a librarysystem is perhaps not surprising, but it is highlyregrettable. It points to the need for archiveservices to emphasise their role within theadministration of the locality they serve.Archives fit only awkwardly into the localauthority scene. Their administrative andcultural aspects make classification a problem.

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5. In Scotland the same difficulties exist, thoughthey have developed in a different way. TheLocal Government Act of 1972, which requiredlocal authorities to “make proper arrangements”for their archives, was eventually followed bymost of the country. The changes in the Act of1994 have resulted in the establishment of otherservices, but have weakened some of thosealready in existence, and now it is fair to saythat the problems facing local authority archivesin Scotland are much the same as those facingtheir counterparts in England and Wales.

6. One of the areas however which has shownsteady improvement is that of private andbusiness records. More and more businessesrecognise the need to manage their recordsproperly, and the benefits that arise from usingthe material from their past for publicity andeducational purposes. This trend shows no signof changing.

7. University archive services are a special case.Additional funding was made available in theearly 1990s, and universities were able toexpand their archive activities veryconsiderably. Further funding has comeforward, but it is unlikely that this will continuepermanently, and a decline in this area issomething to be expected, I fear, within the nextfew years.

8. This general uncertainty over themanagement and funding of archive servicescomes at a time of ever increasing publicdemand for access. In part, this is driven by asmall but growing recognition of theadministrative importance of archives, but italso arises from a number of important outsidefactors. These include greater leisure to pursueresearch; the phenomenon of “genealogicaltourism”; changes in the school curriculum;transfer of the ownership of the formerly staterun organisations (which has resulted in thedeposit of huge quantities of records in archiveservices); and pressures on space withinadministrations (which can lead to the earliertransfer of material to archives, and to the ‘endof the chain’ phenomenon, whereby the archiveservice is obliged to cope with problemsresulting from administrative changes for whichit is not properly funded). This is before anyconsideration of new legislative initiatives suchas data protection, freedom of information, anddevolution.

9. Archive buildings generally still give causefor anxiety. Though there are some fine newbuildings - perhaps most notably at Kew - andthere have been some successfulrefurbishments, there is also some veryunsatisfactory accommodation in terms of bothphysical conditions and space. It is necessaryonly to look to France, where a steadyprogramme of building over the last twentyyears or more has produced some magnificent,archive buildings, to see what is actuallypossible.

10. At the national level there are alsodifficulties. Though the PRO has moved intonew premises, and the SRO opened a newstorage and conservation building (which it isalready beginning to outgrow), progress towardsnew accommodation for PRONI seems to bestalled. Further uncertainty has been introducedthroughout the UK, by the archivalconsequences of devolution. Theseconsequences present interesting if uncertainchallenges, especially in Scotland and Wales,where they are likely to be underfunded fromthe outset. A further uncertainty, and by nomeans the least important, is the future of theHistorical Manuscripts Commission - caught inmid inspection by the change of government.Though strictly its remit relates only to privaterecords (the National Register of Archiveswhich it runs is a source of envy to othernational archive services), it has long been ableto promulgate and encourage standards in anumber of areas. There is currently no otherbody with the authority to undertake this work.Doubt over the HMC’s future is a matter ofconcern to the archive profession as a whole.

11. Freedom of information also lies ahead ofus, though by the millennium it will be a fact oflife. It will probably not have a great impact onthe national institutions, since they have someexperience already of dealing with requests foraccess to closed material. In the case of localauthorities, however, the matter is a differentone, and there must be some doubt as to thepreparedness of local authorities to cope withwhat will be a legal obligation.

12. A further uncertainty has been thrown intothe local authority scene by the ComprehensiveSpending Review of the Department for CultureMedia and Sport. Apart from the fact that thisdocument only mentions archives in anextremely indirect way, it also sets out thegovernment’s intention to divide the country

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into cultural regions. This was not accompaniedby any suggestion as to how this process ofregionalisation might be carried out, and it is awell known fact that no two activities currentlysubject to regionalisation, regionalisethemselves along the same geographicalboundaries. At the time of writing it is quiteunknown what the outcome of this will be, andDCMS has not yet responded to any of therepresentations that have been made to it.

13. However there are matters in which it seemsto me a very positive report can be given.Standards have been set for buildings, for themanagement of record offices, for archivedescription, for microfilming and for othermatters, and other standards are in preparation.Archivists are much better prepared for theirprofession both through the post-graduatecourses provided by universities, and by theSociety of Archivists’ own distance learningcourses. Conservators are now largely collegetrained, and can also be trained by the Society,and records managers have access to goodspecialist courses. In addition, the Societyencourages pre-registration training in the threeyears or so after an archivist becomes qualified,and before he or she can be described as a‘registered’ archivist. The Society also offers avery full programme of continuing training.Thus the difficulties which confront usadministratively are offset to some extent by theimproved qualities of the professional staffavailable.

14. In general, pressure exerted on archivists toimprove professionally is one of the mostpositive features of the archive scene in 1998.To the points I have outlined above must beadded the international standards which arebeginning to appear - for description, access andethics. The profession in the UK has taken afull role in the promulgation of these standardsand has subscribed to them.

15. Finally I should like to touch on two mattersthe effects of which still lie mostly in the future.The first of these is information technology.This can touch archives in various ways. It canbe used for the internal workings of archiveservices, and there are now many archives in theland using electronic systems for cataloguing,for ordering, and for other internal purposes, Itcan be used for networking between archiveservices. The Scottish Archive Network hasnow received Heritage Lottery funding and ispressing forward. The European Archive

Network, led by Scotland, has receivedEuropean Commission funding. The UK‘Archives On-Line’ scheme is at an advancedplanning stage. But IT also presents problemsfor both archivists and administrators in theform of the need to manage the preservation ofrecords created in electronic formats. This, themajor technical and professional problem facingthe archivist at the millennium, is being workedupon in various archive services, but muchremains to be done, and outcomes are uncertain.The second matter is the joker in the pack - theHeritage Lottery Fund. So far it is reckonedthat archives have not had their proper share ofthe money potentially available from thissource. Whether this is the case or not, therecan be no doubt that a lot of effort is going intotrying to obtain Lottery support. The MappingProject which is trying to establish the realneeds of archives will very shortly be able togive an authoritative statement of the actualweaknesses of archives up and down the land,Whether these will ultimately focus oncataloguing, buildings or conservation is not yetclear. The Lottery has the potential to make atremendous contribution to the welfare ofarchive services. I believe that five years fromnow we will be able to look back on thiscontribution as one of the most potent forces forgood to have developed in recent years.

16. It would be nice to be able to say that, as the20th century draws to a close, the archivist,records manager and conservator can lookforward to a rosy professional future. Thepicture alas is much more uncertain. Yet,archives will not go away. They will alwaysneed to be managed, preserved and madeavailable. Let us hope that the administrativeand funding uncertainties of the present aremerely a passing phase, and that before long theprofessional development which is socharacteristic of what is happening at themoment will be balanced by similarimprovements in the general framework withinwhich we carry out our functions.

AM 76 (Edinburgh University Library:Special Collections. Arnott T Wilson,University Archivist, 11/98)Generally, I think we are in a pretty perilousposition. I am sure that the mapping project nowunderway in Scotland will paint a very gloomypicture indeed, and the recent JISC sponsoredreport on archives in the university sector wasvery depressing.

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I doubt if anyone in Scotland outside the SROcould put their hand on their heart and expresssatisfaction at the way archives are currentlybeing stored. A huge capital investment inbuilding and refurbishment is needed to bringthe network up to standard. Similarly, the staffresources available are in some instances quitelaughable. Even worse than this however is thesobering reality that the third largest localauthority in Scotland, Fife, has yet to appoint asingle archivist. Other areas are effectively inthe same boat. For example, in 1995 EdinburghCity Archives inherited the huge mess createdby Lothian Regional Council which had failedto establish an archives service in 1975. Almostovernight ECA’s responsibilities increasedenormously but without any corresponding risein staffing.

It sometimes seems quite ridiculous to bedevoting so much time and energy to automatednetworking etc. when the most basic safeguardsare not in place. I am sure that the mappingexercise will reveal huge amounts of unchartedarchives which are effectively inaccessible,even to their custodians. Increasingly, we havethe means to deliver finding aids and at leastsome of the stuff to the desktop, and efforts tomove us towards an organised national networkas proposed in Archives On-Line are laudableand inevitable. Yet, the most sophisticated carsstill need drivers and until more can beappointed it is hard indeed to take a strategicview of service development. Conservation isyet another area where much more investment isneeded.

I think one of the biggest problems is the publicperception of archives. Our profile isridiculously low in comparison to otherinformation professions. Short-term exposurein the press and on television is fine, but willnot solve a much more deep seated feeling thatarchives are of very little value to anyone excepta few academics and ancestor hunters.Somehow, and probably over a long period, weneed to establish that archives and culturalidentity are one and the same thing, that they arenot a luxury and are in fact vital to the wellbeing of any civilised society and the nation. Iam not sure how this can be achieved but Iassume we need to establish an effectivepresence in the schools curriculum.

Once the public perception begins to shift itshould become easier to persuade the politiciansto provide a more realistic level of core funding.

I recognise fully that we can no longer expectgovernments and councils to fund the entire bill,but I do think we are falling into the trap ofaccepting our lot too meekly. I believe there isa critical point at which running the ‘main’archive service and managing externally fundedprojects without an adequate core staffing levelbecomes impossible.

In Scotland a review of archives legislation islong overdue, and I hope very much that thenew Parliament will deliver a new act whichwill give us a much firmer platform on which todevelop services. At the same time, theformation of a Scottish Archives Council, anoverarching body representing the variousstrands of the archives community, would be amajor step forward. Adequate training courseswhich would allow not only new graduates toenter the profession but cater for continuingprofessional development are also badly neededin a Scottish context. The national archivespolicy document for Scotland and ourforthcoming attempts to lobby prospectiveMSPs through the Society of Archivists mayallow some of these objectives to be met.

I am afraid I have rambled on somewhat but Ifeel very strongly that the value of our archivalinheritance both in economic and cultural termsis out of all proportion to the meagre andsteadily reducing funding levels we have had toendure. I know we have to be as self-sufficientas possible, but I don’t think this can beachieved without adequate pump-priming. I feelcertain that a higher level of initial investmentwould be repaid handsomely.

AM 77 (Mrs Althea Dundas-Bekker, 11/98)Comments from a private ownerOur papers are in our muniment room here atArniston and I agree with the view that there ismuch in favour of preserving the archive as anintegral part of the historic house. I amdedicated to authentic presentation ofArniston’s history and hope when I retire andhand over the administration of the house to mydaughter to spend some time at last working onthe papers and writing my own memoirs - mygreatgrandfather last commissioned them in the1880s. As we do not have an archivist andtherefore cannot provide the supervisionrequired for inspection we always deposit ourpapers at Register House in Edinburgh. Thismay be disappointing to some researchers whowould like to be in the context of Arniston but I

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suspect it does have the advantage to others whowould find an expedition out here inconvenient.

1. Current management, cataloguing,conservation, etc.My daughter and I take our responsibilities veryseriously and deposit the material in Edinburghourselves and also uplift, and it is ourreponsibility to return them to their boxestherefore it is only us to blame if something getsinto the wrong box. We are exceedingly luckyto be so close to Edinburgh and Register House.Over the thirty years of my ownership ofArniston I have received invaluable advice andhelp from members of the SRO staff. In mostcases researchers contact Register House toconsult our lists and further contact andnegotiation with the two parties is carried out byRegister House. SRO have from time to timechecked the conditions in the Charter Roomwhich is most welcome as it gives us peace ofmind.

One big problem is the request to photo copymaterial. Register House in my early daysadvised against copying mainly because ofdevaluation of the collection. We consultRegister House on individual cases and incertain requests we do sometimes grantpermission. Occasionally requests come directto us and experienced researchers have beenvery understanding and appreciative of ourproblems, however there have been isolatedcases of great unpleasantness when researchershave accused us of being uncooperative.

2. Strategic problems, locally and nationallyI realise that owners in far flung locations inScotland would experience difficulties with thedeposit of papers. Here, depositing papers up tonow has never caused us problems. We arefrequently in Edinburgh anyway so the depositdoes not necessarily cost extra time. However,private traffic is becoming less and lesswelcome in central Edinburgh so it couldbecome more difficult. I would not beparticularly happy at having to park far awayand negotiate central Edinburgh on foot bearingheavy and valuable material. For researcherswho would appreciate a visit to Arniston andhave travelled a long way we would make everyendeavour to receive them after they havestudied material at Register House. There is ofcourse a time element to accommodate a privatevisit as we are only a small family teamcarrying out the normal busy routine of aProperty Manager but in almost cases such

visits are useful and enjoyable to both parties.In a very few cases there have beendisappointing instances of us being taken forgranted and promises of furnishing us withresearch information unfulfilled. I have to saythese were mostly through direct approach. Theapproaches through SRO or universitydepartments of History, etc, have always beencourteous and thoughtful. I do get heartsore attimes living in an ex mining area where there isa lot of enthusiasm from elderly ex-miners forresearch but having to direct them all the wayinto Register House in Edinburgh. It would bewonderful if there was a safe place in thevicinity where material could be deposited forthem.

3. New initiatives at national levelI agree for a stronger voice in the nationalarchives forum for private owners and theirarchivists, if they have one, and especially as inour case where there is a new young generationcoming up. I totally agree with improvedcommunication and cooperation betweenprivate and local authority archives.

AM 78 (Friends of the Clwyd Archives. AllanFletcher, Chairman, 11/98)National requirements1. There is a growing trend for archival materialto appear on the open auction market. Whetherthis is the result of the controversy over theChurchill papers is a matter of speculation.Owners of collections or single documents, arebecoming aware, rightly or wrongly is anothermatter, that they have a monetary value.Whatever the cause, to meet this trend a centralbudget, ring fenced [to use the jargon] should beprovided to allow archivists to bid for archivalmaterial that is placed on the open market. Ifsuch a budget was created, control andmanagement should be such that an archivistapplying for money to purchase an archive,could expect an almost immediate response. Itwould be futile if such a fund was created, thatdelays occurred in decision making throughbureaucratic administration Therefore a finebalance has to be struck between speed ofdecision making and financial prudence. Thissuggestion was discussed at the Cultural andArts Sub-Committee of the DenbighshireCounty Council and received their endorsement.A model for the above might very well be theNational Art Collection Fund, although broadlythis requires part funding from say the local

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authority and procurement budgets have beencut.

2. The opening of many record offices is basedon traditional office hours i.e. around 9 am to 5pm. Further, some offices close for lunch orhave restricted access to materials during thelunch period. This philosophy restricts the useof the record offices. It can also be frustratingfor the researcher, who has travelled somedistance to a record office and finds his researchtime curtailed by the lunchtime ruling. Thereshould be some facility, either by increasing thesalary budget or encouraging offices to have amore imaginative approach to the opening ofthe record offices, to encompass a wider sectionof the population. This would probably entailevening openings, Saturday openings andperhaps closing one day per week to offset thehours worked by the staff.

3. Looking long term, a programme toeffectively implement Information Technologyinto the record offices should be undertaken.Perhaps in future the offices may themselveschange in character and become virtually ITcentres where researchers view collections anddocuments from around Britain. A requirementwould be universally accepted databasespecification and retrieval system. At themoment there is no such central control andthere are at least two systems beingimplemented. The role of the archivist wouldchange to one of purely servicing the collectionsand the creation of databases

Local problemsAs you are aware Clwyd under the localgovernment re-organisation has been dividedinto four separate identities although the twoRecord Offices at Hawarden and Ruthin are theonly offices with the facilities to store records tothe national standard. This diversity couldallow a new collection to slip through the net.Another alternative would be the collection bestored in less than ideal conditions. Whilsthaving nothing else but the highest praise forour two record offices in the standards ofservice, retrieval, cataloguing, conservation andstorage much has to be done from a researchersviewpoint. The pressure on local governmentresources which comes down to money, has notbeen available to either of these offices to carryout the investment necessary to keep the officesabreast of recent developments in equipment.Of course the Friends have helped where theycan and as an Appendix to this note is listed the

equipment purchased. However much needs tobe done. In both offices it is suggested that thefollowing items are desirable if not essential:� Antiquated microfilm readers requirereplacing.� Microfilm reader/copier be installed. Thiswould free staff` from the chore of copying andgive the researcher the instant copy he mayrequire.� Information Technology Equipment moreliberally installed and researchers beencouraged to use it. Amongst other uses wouldbe individual use of the National Register ofArchives.� Adequate refreshment facilities.� Toilet facilities� At the Hawarden Office there is a problem ofspace. The Search Room is now so crowdedone has to book space to examine documents.There is a large room taken by the Registrar ofMarriages which would solve the spacesituation. It is understood that the use of theroom for this purpose breaches the nationalrecord office standards of access.[Appendix listing equipment purchased by theFriends not reproduced here].

AM 79 (British Archives. Janet Foster andJulia Sheppard, editors, 1/99)The most significant issue, in our opinion,concerns the many archives which, for variousreasons, are not in libraries or archiverepositories and whose existence has scarcelybeen recognised. This is illustrated by the factthat there are c300 places noted in the HMC’sRecord Repositories in Great Britain (10th ed)whereas British Archives (3rd ed) hasinformation on more than 1,100 places holdingarchives whilst its forthcoming edition will addanother cl50 places. In other words a very largeamount of historical records in this country isnot held in archive repositories. Whilst the UKin general has achieved a huge amount in termsof locating and safekeeping of thedocumentation of the past (and we probablylead other countries in our concern for the non-official records), there remains the seriousconcern that many organisations and individualsare oblivious to the need to preserve some oftheir records. Small societies withoutpermanent addresses and voluntary bodies aremost at risk, and material is all too oftendiscarded when the secretaries change or whenthey move. As editors, we frequently encounterreplies to our questionnaire which indicateowners and custodians who

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� do not know what archives are or of thepossible long-term interest in their records� are unaware of records management and ofthe need to select certain records for permanentpreservation� do not know about the profession and thearchival support which might be available bothat the local and national level.

We can supply further details of this in evidenceshould you require it. In our experience, ourBritish Archives approach has often been thefirst they have had, and it has yieldedinformation on a large body of material whichshould be more widely known of as well asassistance given to the custodians.

In addition, the wide gap between well-established archival services and those whichare decidedly unacceptable is, of course, knownto you. We are aware that the HMC Standard,linked with the threat that grants are only givento those repositories of a certain standard, goessome way to try to change this situation. But amore pro-active debate with museums andlibraries is overdue (a glance at the latestLibrary Association Directory of SpecialLibraries and the report on museum archiveholdings in South West England illustrates thenumbers involved). Many of theseestablishments are unaware that they are failingin their archival provisions or that it might besensible to deposit the archives elsewhere. Theweight of the HMC’s position would help inany discussion here. This situation is not goingto be changed easily, but one major contributionthat could be made would be if the placesholding important records and archives weregiven practical encouragement and informationto help them look after the records themselvesor to consider placing their archives withprofessionals. We would recommend that therebe a more proactive role played by archivebodies and professionals, starting with moreextensive surveys to locate and identify suchbodies (along the lines of Chris Cook’ssurveys). The HMC is admirably placed toundertake a lead with this by encouraging suchsurveys and publicising the work ofprofessionals, backed by guidance andinformation leaflets about possible places ofdeposit or how best to look after the material ifit remains its sits (perhaps promoting the BRA’sGuidelines leaflet). How about a NationalArchive Awareness Week in 2000?

There is also a need for the HMC to reviewwhether it should remain primarily a bodyconcerned with local authority and landed estaterecords or move out towards involvement inother categories of records as well as records innon-paper formats. We are aware, for example,that there is a major issue with those bodieswhich used to be public bodies whose recordswere public records, but which are nowindependent (health, coal etc). With the notableexception of Railtrack, there tend to be fewlinks between these new privatised bodies andthe archive profession. Again, a higher profilefor the importance of long-term preservationand the services that professional recordsmanagers and archivists could offer would be agreat help. The HMC might take a lead ininvestigating the co-ordination of regionalapproaches to this issue. Other categories ofrecords which would benefit from beingactively covered by the HMC’s work areliterary and scientific records.

In terms of different media, the HMC shouldassist in the current debates on electronicrecords, publicising the issues and the methodsof dealing with these records so that the publicis aware of the archival concerns. Also, verymany repositories hold fading photographicimages and would benefit enormously frompractical guidance on how best to handle these(especially colour images). Perhaps there couldbe a national initiative for the preservation ofphotographic images and the provision ofdigital surrogates, similar to the Mellonpreservation microfilming programme.

The Millennium is an obvious opportunity tohighlight and promote the preservation of ourpast. We hope that the HHC will be able to takea leading role in promoting national initiativesto address the gaps in current provision that wehave outlined above, to support and extend theexisting national network of archival provision.

AM 80 (Friends of Worcestershire CountyRecord Office, Peter Piggott, Chairman,11/98)First we would pay tribute to the support of thecurrent County Council and the former Herefordand Worcester County Council in recent years,by way of financial provision and staffing of theRecord Office in times of fiscal stringency. Wepay tribute to the work of the County Archivistin his management of the Office, his efforts tokeep abreast of developments in the field of

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archives and the support afforded him by thestaff. In general terms we, as representatives ofthe users of the Record Office, are content withthe services the Office provides.

A local strategic problem arises in the nearfuture, when the branch Office at St Helen’s,Worcester, has to be vacated and the premisesreturned to the Diocese. It will be necessary forfinancial provision to be made to extend theexisting main Office at County Hall, Worcester,to store the archives held at St Helen’s and toprovide additional Searchroom facilities forreaders of these records. The Friendsunderstand that considerable work is already inhand to prepare a formal Capital Programmebid.

Nationally, we believe it will necessary topursue a policy of making some archivesavailable at places other than at record offices,in order to alleviate the continual increase inusers of these offices and allow the offices toconcentrate on their primary role in the storage,cataloguing and conservation of archives. It isenvisaged that more will be made available onthe Internet for access, both at home and in suchplaces as public libraries, and that steps willneed to be taken to make available, at modestcost, in the form of CD-ROM such records asthe censuses, and christening, marriage anddeath entries, as currently under way from theirown resources by the Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-Day Saints. Such a policy would enablemany family historians to conduct this run-of-the-mill research at home, at such places aspublic libraries or, if at record offices muchmore speedily than with the current use of ficheor microfilm.

Interest in family history has been a feature inthe field of archives over the last twenty-fiveyears, with numbers of those pursuing suchinterest steadily rising. It is encouraging toobserve the development of this research from apurely family based interest to the study of localhistory in its many facets. This is coupled withgreater competence in historical research, to apoint where a significant minority areconducting researches at levels comparable withthe professional historian. We judge it is mostimportant that such a development is nurtured,and it is here that record offices can play thecardinal role - one they already perform in thewider fields of research - providing thatpressure in other areas is reduced, as outlinedabove.

AM 81 (Friends of the Warwickshire CountyRecord Office, Christine Cluley, Chairman,11/98)The Warwick County Record Office has apositive and friendly attitude towards the publicand Friends with regard to availability of itsarchives but suffers from serious constraintswhich put limits on what it can provide. Wefeel the most serious problem is that there is nostatutory backing for record offices; the lawenables but does not enforce the storage ofarchives therefore there is always the risk that acouncil forced into financial economies mightchoose to close its record office. This would bedevastating for the archives, the staff and thepublic. The non-statutory position and tightbudgets create further problems.

You are aware of the growth of public interest,particularly in family history, but also in otherareas of research in the last few years. This hasled to severe problems of space in our office, forusers, staff and archives. The need for morestorage is a continuing headache.

Staff shortages present another problem; oneconsequence is the huge amount of material thatis so far either partially catalogued or notcatalogued at all, therefore making itunavailable to users, which works against thepurpose of a record office. This is verydemoralising for the staff but also has an effecton the users, and of course the Friends, who areall users. This also impacts on volunteers,several of whom are also Friends. TheWarwick Record Office values its volunteersand much work would go undone if theirservices could not be utilised, but lack of spaceand shortage of staff preclude them being usedto their full potential.

Finally, although there is a greater publicawareness there is still a need to raise andexpand it further. The vast majority of thepublic are unsure of the purpose of recordoffices, do not recognise the value of archivalmaterial, and sadly, there are some who are stillunaware of the existence of such valuablehistorical repositories.

I have no doubt that many record office supportgroups will convey similar problems and it isencouraging that the Commission is taking anactive interest. With your support perhapsrecord office staff, users and Friends can lookforward to a much improved future.

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AM 82 (Mr and Mrs JH Garrod, 11/98)We write as individual members of the Friendsof Westminster Archives and users of thearchives.

The Archive Centre is a modern, purpose-builtbuilding with facilities for the storage,conservation, exhibition and study of thedocuments and other material. It is currentlywell staffed and is open six days a week withone late evening opening until 9pm. Thecollections are, as would be expected from thelocality, both large and of great value andinterest.

From the users’ point of view, the centre is wellrun with knowledgeable staff who are alwaysready to help. Items requested from store arealmost always produced quickly. There areadequate numbers of microform readersavailable for the considerable number of filmsand fiches held. These are on open access.There are a number of indexes, catalogues andother finding aids but more are needed and theFriends of the Archives are working on this.

The Friends of the Archives are currentlyundertaking two main tasks: (a) indexing the StMartin in the Fields Settlement Examinations ofthe 18th century, a record with thousands ofpeople described, which was previouslyunusable without an index; (b) assisting theconservator by such tasks as repackagingdocuments in acid-free materials.

The future direction which archive retentionwill take is problematical, due to the increasinguse of electronic methods of communicationand recording. These methods do, of course,allow improved methods of producing valuablerecords for public use.

However, having said all this it is extremelyregrettable that Westminster City Council areproposing to reduce the budget of the archivesto such an extent that it will be necessary toclose one day a week and to reduce the staff.Both these actions will have retrograde effectson the service to the public at a time of vastlyincreased interest in local and family history.

AM 83 (West Sussex Archives Society.Brenda Fox, Chairman, 11/98)On behalf of our members I can say that there isgeneral satisfaction with the West SussexRecords Office at Chichester. It is a new

building with good amenities and our membersare very happy with the access to documentsand the assistance they obtain from the staff.They are especially pleased that the recordoffice now opens on Saturday so those amateurresearchers who are in full-time employmentcan easily use the facilities.

However, there is some feeling that this happystate of affairs is not always true nationally.They sometimes have to book time in otherarchives two to three weeks prior to theirintended visit and are often charged for accessas well as paying separate fees for photo-copying etc. This of course means that, with thecost of travelling out of their home county,some routes for research are difficult for thoseof limited means.

There have also been some concerns expressedabout the effect of changes to county boundarieswith the threat of archives being moved fromtheir traditional homes, new archives being setup and charges being made which had notpreviously been requested.

AM 84 (Public Record Office of NorthernIreland. Dr GJ Slater, 11/98)1. Appraisal standardsAppraisal is at the very heart of archives: awrong decision could mean the destruction ofunique sources of information or the storage ofmaterial duplicated elsewhere. How it istackled is of immense importance. The PRO ispresently leading a shift towards functionalappraisal, at least in relation to governmentrecords. Not only will this new approachrepresent a valuable appraisal tool but it willalso provide a structure within which to setappraisal standards. Such standards might notbe definitive - the needs of different archives arevaried - but they could provide an importantpointer as to how to tackle different types ofrecords. It is important that the PRO and suchother institutions as move down the functionalappraisal path share their experiences with thewhole archival community.

2. Quality finding aidsArchival institutions can be off-putting to thepublic in that they are organised in a verydifferent way from the often more familiarinformation providers, the public libraries. Inan age increasingly emphasising the supplyingof information with minimum delay, thearchival institutions face an enormous

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challenge: how to allow for more speedy accessto information without compromising in anyway the foundations of the archival discipline(eg the principle of provenance).

Speed can be secured by harnessing InformationTechnology - from the now familiar word-processing software to the most sophisticatedimages on the Internet - but, whatever thepackaging, the public user will want reliableinformation which addresses his or herparticular needs. No archival institution canstand over the accuracy of every entry in everycatalogue, but there is a need to address theissue of quality in a systematic way. PRONIhas recognised the deficiencies in many of itsolder finding-aids, and has underway a rollingprogramme of quality improvement aimed, atleast initially, at the catalogues of those archiveswhich are most important in terms of researchvalue and/or of usage. The creation of accuratecatalogue entries, even down to piece level,would be of limited benefit to public users (andstaff within the institutions) if they were notaccompanied by similar efforts in that otherimportant category of finding-aids, namely theindexes. As accuracy is required in catalogueentries, so the same is needed in place name,personal name, corporate name and subjectindexes. The National Names Authority Fileoffers a quality standard with the importantbenefit of opening the way to the electronicsharing of index data as proposed with theNational Archival Network.

3. Partnership with other information providersIn Northern Ireland, there has been a veryproductive partnership between librarians andPRONI for some 25 years, one which hasallowed the sharing of information and widenedand deepened understanding between the twoprofessions. Co-operation and partnershipbetween archives and libraries and alsomuseums will ensure that the differentdisciplines are part of a vibrant and user-oriented information-providing community.Each discipline has particular strengths andbrings to information provision its ownperspective. Co-operation would ensure that theusers of the different sources are given the bestservice possible across the disciplines.

4. Public access to both official and privaterecordsPRONI provides a comprehensive andintegrated archival service for Northern Ireland,and is thus an effective ‘one-stop shop’ for

accessing the archival heritage of this part of theUnited Kingdom. It is unique among thenational archival institutions in that its holdingsare approximately half from official sources(government departments, NDPBs, localauthorities and courts) and half from privatesources (businesses, professional bodies,societies, individuals, etc). That balancenaturally created a tension so long as access tothe two different types of records was governedby two different approaches: the private by theaccess provisions in the terms of deposit; theofficial by the Open Government accessprinciples. It was recognised that the user has asecondary interest in the origin of theinformation sought and a primary interest insecuring access. Therefore, PRONI isnegotiating with private records depositors tosecure agreement that Open Governmentprinciples will apply so far as can be agreed.

While the principles of provenance are centralto the archival profession and must bemaintained, the users’ emphasis is on access tothe particular information required. The twoneeds can be fully met if there is a single andrelatively easily understood approach to access,namely that of the Open Government principles.The emphasis on access among users will bereinforced with the introduction of Freedom ofInformation, and it seems all the more importantin that context that archivists should seek tofollow an across-the-board approach to access.

5. Electronic recordsThe advance of IT in all its forms involves thecreation of enormous amounts of data. There isa very real danger of an evidential black hole ifelectronic records management is not dealt withfrom creation, through day-to-day use (the needfor version control as an audit trail), topreservation and access. Archivists are clearlyalert to the danger, but their correct insistenceon long-term preservation could be seen as ademand divorced from resource constraints andfrom more immediate and pressingcommitments. There is a need for archivists tostrengthen their hands by the exchange ofexperiences and information in a more formalmanner than is at present the case and byconsidering how partnerships with the privatesector might be explored. Archivists have tobecome part of the solution to what is anenormous problem since the alternative is thedanger of having a supposed solution imposedwithout due consideration of archival needs.

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The effective management of electronic records- which must include the associated metadata –will offer exciting opportunities for thedownloading of data over the Internet inresponse to requests.

6. PreservationIt can safely be agreed that the preservation andconservation needs of archives are daunting, butthe challenge of maintaining the archivalheritage in a reasonable condition can reallyonly be assessed when it has been quantified.The National Preservation Office is driving thepresent move towards a preservation needsassessment, which will involve the devising andthe application of common criteria across UKarchives. This will open the way towardssecuring a reliable measure of the preservationhealth of UK archives as a whole as well as ofindividual archival institutions and theirholdings. Measurement is the necessary preludeto identifying the areas of greatest need whichwill require the greatest resourcing if theproblems are to be tackled adequately.

7. TrainingThe archival profession is undergoing quiteradical change (eg, coming to terms with how tohandle electronic records). Best practice andgood and bad experiences can permeate thediscipline by a kind of osmosis, but such an adhoc approach is rather hit-and-miss and fails tomeet the urgency of the situation. Much that isexcellent in the way of training is to be found inthe present archive diploma and degree courses,but there is also a need to provide training forthose who have worked years in archives butwho now face fresh challenges in what is arapidly changing society with its own demands.

The universities may take the lead in providingsuch training through the working life of thearchivist, but there is also a need for the archivalrepositories, large and small, to contribute bysharing their particular insights.

8. ResourcesWhatever the challenges faced by archives inthe new millennium, it is certain that substantialinroads will not be made until additionalresources are made available. By its nature,archival work - from appraisal, through sortingand listing, to physical conservation - is time-consuming. Unless there is adequateinvestment, the immense cultural andinformation asset which is the archival heritage

of the United Kingdom cannot be unlocked forthis or any future generation.

AM 85 (Police History Society. ProfessorClive Emsley, Open University, 12/98)There are currently 43 police forces in Englandand Wales; a century ago there were over 200.Modern, bureaucratic police forces have, fromtheir inception in the early to mid-nineteenthcentury, always generated paperwork. Thispaperwork covers a variety of areas from theinternal structure of a force, to thecorrespondence, orders and reports generated byits work in maintaining the peace, regulatingtraffic, preventing and detecting crime, and soforth. Such material can be of considerablevalue, not simply to the historian of crime andpolicing, but also to many others, and especiallythose concerned with the social history of thenineteenth and twentieth centuries.Unfortunately, the preservation of thesearchives has been, and continues to behaphazard. In the mid 1980s the newly formedPolice History Society drafted a policy paper onarchive preservation which was presented to theAssociation of Chief Police Officers and,apparently, promptly shelved. A survey of thesurviving archives conducted by Dr IanBridgeman and myself led, in 1989, to thepublication of A Guide to the Archives of theEnglish and Welsh Police Forces. This drew adegree of short-lived interest. Dr. Bridgernanand I know of material which has disappearedsince we noted it, and of new material whichhas been found, but whose preservation remainsproblematic.

The problems with these archives vary fromforce to force:

1. The Metropolitan Police is, and always hasbeen answerable to the Home Secretary. As aresult many of its records are classified as statepapers and have been deposited in the PublicRecord Office. However, the PRO does notwant the pocket books of individual constables,their hand-written or typed autobiographies andscrapbooks; nor does it appear to want stationoccurrence books, refused charge books, cabregistration books, papers relating to theMetropolitan Police Orphanage and otherephemera. Much of this material has beencollected in the embryonic Metropolitan PoliceMuseum which was first mooted in 1948 butwhich has yet to materialise beyond a largestore in Charlton. It is possible, though not

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particularly easy to gain access to thesearchives; but sadly very few historians ofLondon appear to know about them and theMetropolitan Police have not advertised them.Having been involved in some of the morerecent discussions about the plans for aMetropolitan Police Museum, my impression isthat an archive store and search room are verylow priorities.

2. Among other forces the preservation ofrecords depends on a variety of factors. Thecurious constitutional position of chiefconstables in relation to local governmentappears to have left police archives outside ofthe requirements specified in the 1972 LocalGovernment Act. The problem is compoundedby the fact that many of the modern policeforces cover more than one county; thus, forexample, the small archive of the current WestMercia Police contains documentation from theold county forces of Herefordshire, Shropshireand Worcestershire and the old borough forcesof Dudley, Kidderminster, Shrewsbury andWorcester. Naturally it also has materialrelating to the West Mercia Force itself, butshould the archive be closed, while it would, intheory, be possible to distribute the olddocumentation among the appropriate countyand borough record offices, it would not beimmediately clear where the archives of theWest Mercia Police should go. Some chiefconstables have handed material over to localrecord offices for preservation. In other forceschief constables have established their ownmuseums and archives. The GreaterManchester Police Museum and the SouthWales Police Museum are models of what canbe achieved, but there can be no guarantee thatchief constables or police committees willcontinue to finance them. The excellentCambridgeshire Police Museum and Archive,for example, was closed in 1996; fortunately, inthis case, all of the material was deposited withthe appropriate local record offices, though thisappears to have been thanks to theCambridgeshire RO which initially received thecollection and then sent some material to moreappropriate record offices. In some forces thecollection and preservation of archives andother artefacts is left to enthusiastic individuals- usually retired officers. There can be twoproblems here. First there can be rivalcollections in the same force; thus the SuffolkConstabulary has documentation in itsheadquarters at Martlesham Heath, while thereis (or at least was until recently) also a

‘museum’ with archival material in the PoliceStation at Lowestoft. Second, the individualsresponsible for these collections can take aproprietorial interest in their documentation andare reluctant to let others see it or use it for thekind of historical research of which they haveno appreciation. They also tend to have rathermore interest in buttons, helmets, truncheons,etc. than in written archives. When theseindividuals move, or for some other reasoncease to supervise a collection, it can be brokenup or even destroyed.

Finally, there are other police institutions forwhich no archival provision appears to havebeen made. The Chief Constables Associationheld annual meetings from the turn of thecentury. Some of their printed reports exist inthe Police Staff College at Bramshill, a fewothers are in the museum and archive of theDevon and Cornwall Constabulary. There is nocomplete collection readily available anywhere.The Association of Chief Police Officers hassuperseded the Chief Constables Association,but there does not appear to be any provision forits archives. In February 1996 the committee ofthe Police History Society was informed by aformer deputy chief constable of eight metalfiling cabinets full of ACPO material in thecellar of the Sussex Police Headquarters inLewes; the Sussex Police, the committee wastold, were now desperate for this space. It wassuggested that the Police History ResearchGroup based at the Open University mightprovide a home for these; I was invited to viewthe material, which I did. I arranged for theuniversity to provide the necessary space, butafter repeated correspondence with varioussenior police officers I have not yet been givenpermission to collect it; indeed, I do not evenknow if it still exists, and no-one seems able, orprepared to give me any further informationabout it.

AM 86 (The Friends of Historic Essex.Michael Beale, Secretary, 12/98)The Friends are well content with themanagement of the Essex Record Office both asregards the care and the accessibility of thearchives and records in its custody. They havefurther every reason to expect that, when thenew Record Office comes into use at, it ishoped, the end of 1999, its present highstandards will be enhanced.

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On the other hand they have anxieties andmisgivings over the standards of custody, ofcataloguing and of accessibility of recordswhich are in, or may come into the hands of, theunitary borough of Thurrock and of the fiveLondon boroughs within the historic county ofEssex (viz. Barking & Dagenham, Havering,Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest).None of these authorities currently eitherpossess a depository to requisite standards, orhave entered into any suitable arrangements forthe long-term custody of their archives, many ofwhich remain in the Essex Record Office. (Thisanxiety does not extend to the unitary boroughof Southend-on-Sea, which has made anappropriate agreement with the CountyCouncil.)

Hence the Friends would regard it as desirablethat an amendment should be made to the LocalGovernment Act 1962 whereby all localauthorities with statutory responsibilities forarchives and records should be required toprovide, or to agree with other bodies for theprovision of, depositories meeting therecognised standards.

The Friends are also concerned about longer-term prospects for resourcing. the archivesservices. The Lottery Fund seems to have cometo be regarded by Government as a substitutefor its own funding, not, as was promised, as anadditional resource. Furthermore the proportionof Lottery Fund monies devoted to library andarchive facilities seems not to be more than 8%.The Friends are further concerned that eventhese inadequate resources may be used to helpout those authorities which have fallen short oftheir own duties, rather than to help those likeEssex, which have done well, to provide a moreexcellent service.

There would be much value in a scheme foreducating users in the understanding of, and indrawing greater value from, the available publicrecords.

The Friends have noted with concern that. apartfrom this belated and rushed approach toFriends’ bodies, this survey would seem not tohave been brought to the notice of the countyand regional bodies which are in fact thosechiefly responsible for the custody of thiscountry’s archives and records.

AM 87 (Friends of Devon’s Archives. BrianN Brassett, Chairman, 12/98)Stored archives: Stored archives in the countyof Devon are stored at two discrete sites in thecity of Exeter, and each at some distance fromthe other. This is of great inconvenience toresearchers, some material being only availableon a two-day notice of requirement. Manyresearchers travel from afar and are constrainedby the amount of time they may stay in the area,hence certain material is not readily available tothem. The split-site working - Castle Street andMarsh Barton in the city of Exeter - is wastefulof meagre staff resources, and neither buildingnow meets with BS5454 [revised] standards forthe storage of documents.

Management and cataloguing of material:Within the responsibilities of the Devon RecordOffice, there is a signal lack of qualified staff todeal with the management, cataloguing, andimmediate requirements of researchers. Staffare dedicated to their work and are very helpfulto the general public, but there are insufficientnumbers of these qualified staff to cope with theever increasing number of visitors. The backlogof cataloguing and conservation work isincreasing as a direct consequence of staffshortages. There are just four qualifiedarchivists, including the County Archivist, atthe Devon Record Office, Exeter, to look aftersome 35,000 feet of records at both the CastleStreet and Marsh Barton storage facilities.Currently the record office will take in some200 separate accessions each year.

The building at Castle Street, in which theresearch rooms are housed, was adapted in 1967to cope with an estimated 3,000 visitors eachyear. With very few upgrades since its opening,it has now to cope with at least ll,000 visitorsannually. The toilet facilities are inadequateand serve only to accommodate femaleresearchers. Male researchers must leave thebuilding and seek the use of outside public toiletfacilities. There is no rest-room set aside forresearchers, in which visitors may have the useof tea/coffee making facilities, or in which toeat a sandwich lunch. There are many outsidecafes within reach of the record office, but thegeneral standard on offer is very variable and inmany cases leaves much to be desired.

Continuing strategic problems: Devon is a largecounty and it has been found necessary to havea branch record office in the north of the county.It has also been found necessary to maintain

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contact search points in other areas, particularlyto the East of the county. Devon is not a richcounty and there are few large centres ofpopulation, especially since Plymouth andTorbay took on the status of unitary authorities.

The county record office collections areextensive and rich, and there has been acontinuing measure of goodwill from bothdepositors and researchers, even though fundingin recent years, when the record office has hadto find a percentage cut each year from itsalready limited resources, has not beencommensurate with what the public would, orshould expect, for this most important part of itscounty heritage.

National initiatives: It is this committee’s viewthat the Historical Manuscripts Commissionshould press for local archives to be made astatutory service, as is the case with publiclibraries; in that manner funding may at least beguaranteed and not subject to the individualwhim of a county treasurer. Funding should bebased upon the size of the archive underconsideration, and the annual numbers ofvisitors attracted to it.

Consideration should also be given to thecontinued support of Public Records which areheld locally; hospital and prison records aresuch an example. These records are by theirvery nature bulky, and not available for publicscrutiny for many years. There should be anintroduction of minimum standards ofconservation, public facilities, and staffing.These standards when set out should be adheredto by all record offices, repositories, andpublicly accessible archives.

That local authorities and the holders ofarchived material should provide sufficientfunding to achieve set minimum standards and,should these standards subsequently not be met,then inspectors be sent in, at the expense of thefunding body, and to remain in post until suchtime as expected standards are met with.

AM 88 (National Council on Archives. VictorGray, Chairman, 1/99)IntroductionThe National Council on Archives welcomesthe opportunity to participate in a wide-rangingreview of the national archival scene at a timewhen, for political and technological reasons, itbelieves that there is both a need and an

opportunity for radical change. The views ofthe Council on a number of aspects of thearchival scene have been published in recentyears in a series of publications: the Survey ofLocal Authority Archive Services in 1992(British Library 1993); A National ArchivesPolicy for the United Kingdom (NCA, 1996);Archives: the very essence of our heritage(Phillimore for NCA, 1996); Rules for theConstruction of Personal, Place and CorporateNames (NCA, 1997); and Archives On-Line(NCA, 1998). In addition, the Council has co-ordinated a campaign to mitigate the effects oflocal government reorganisation during the1990s on local archive services; has lent itssupport to the Archival Mapping Projects inEngland, Wales and Scotland, and to the Surveyof Needs in University repositories; and hasappointed an Archives Lottery Adviser to workwith individual repositories in securing projectfunding from the Heritage Lottery Fund andother partners. Most recently, it has producedthe document ‘British Archives: the wayforward’ as a response to the Draft StrategicPlan of the Heritage Lottery Fund, which makesspecific proposals for the allocation of HLFgrant funding within the archives sector. TheCommission has been supplied with a copy ofthis document, and is asked to consider italongside this submission, as part of theCouncil’s evidence to the Archives at theMillennium inquiry [not reproduced here].

The very active programme of work which theCouncil has undertaken since its formation in1988 has informed the views in this response. Itis clear, however, that the circumstances inwhich the archival world exists are changingvery rapidly; the recent DCMS ComprehensiveSpending Review in particular having proposedsome significant changes to the working ofGovernment in relation to the cultural sector.As a consequence, the National Archives Policydocument referred to above, which presentedthe most radical consensus achievable when itwas written during the winter of 1995-96,already feels dated, sadly lacking in itsperception of future opportunities, and franklytimid. The reforming zeal of the Labourgovernment elected in 1997 is perhapsresponsible for a change of attitude in society atlarge, encouraging more radical approaches toproblems, a greater openness to newtechnology, and higher aspirations forachievement throughout public life. These aretrends which are reflected in this submission.

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There are two comments which the Councilfeels it necessary to make about the conduct ofthis review. The Council welcomes the openinvitation to individuals and groups to submitevidence to the Commission, and hopes that abroad spectrum of responses will result. Itcounsels caution, however, in any attempt toportray the results as representative of broadpublic opinion. The strongest case for archiveservices is not that they are directly used by amass public audience, in the way that librariesare, for example, but that they ensure theavailability of information resources that wouldotherwise be lost or untraceable, and which,mediated by historians, administrators, lawyers,journalists and others, prove surprisingly oftenand in many different ways essential to ournational life - to all those millions, indeed, whowill never set foot in a record office themselves.

Secondly, it will be apparent from the detailedcontent of this submission that the Councilperceives major and increasingly glaringinadequacies in the structural framework ofBritish archives. It considers that these cannotbe adequately addressed by consideringseparately the provision for public records andfor other parts of the archival heritage, and ithas therefore made its response to the HMC’sconsultation a review of the national archivalscene as a whole. In the Council’s view, thereis a clear need for primary legislation to addressdifficulties or inadequacies in several differentareas of archival provision, and it believes thatthe Interdepartmental Committee on Archivesshould consider how and when legislation onthese matters could be worked into theGovernment’s programme. Opportunities mayexist in relation to the proposed LocalGovernment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill,and the legislation which the DCMS hasindicated would be needed to give effect tosome of the proposals in its ComprehensiveSpending Review.

National co-ordination. UK archives lack acentral directing intelligence, which caneffectively plan and implement a nationalarchives strategy. None of the existing bodies(the HMC, the PRO, the NCA, the Society ofArchivists, the Interdepartmental Committee onArchives) has both a remit which runs to alltypes of archives in all sectors, and the statusand resources to take on this role. The result isa power- perhaps rather a responsibility-vacuum. Government action is needed to adjustthe responsibilities and resources of these

agencies so that the vacuum disappears. Therecent DCMS Comprehensive Spending Review(hereafter DCMS CSR) recognises a parallelproblem in other cultural sectors, and expressesa willingness to address it, and to take a moreproactive role in setting an agenda for thecultural sector. In responding to the DCMSCSR the NCA has welcomed this, and proposedthat the Interdepartmental Committee onArchives should be enlarged to includerepresentation of non-governmental bodies withan interest in archives, and should take theleading role in developing archival policy andadvising Government on archival matters.

It is pleasing to record that theInterdepartmental Committee has responded tothis proposal by extending an invitation to theCouncil to be represented on the committee, andit is hoped that this will extend the co-ordination of policy in relation to archives. Inaddition, the DCMS has announced that theproposed new Museums, Libraries and ArchivesCouncil, initially adumbrated as a simplemerger of the LIC and MGC, will have the clearadvisory role in relation to archives that its titlesuggests. It will be crucial to the successfulfuture development of a coherent nationalarchives strategy that the archival role of thisnew body is complementary to, and improvesthe co-ordination of, the existing archivalorganisations, and does not simply provideanother point of view.

Regional co-ordination and development. TheGovernment has now made clear its intention todevelop the co-ordination of services at regionallevel. The DCMS CSR has proposed that manydecisions about the allocation of centralgovernment challenge funding and Lotterygrants should be devolved to this level, andthere has been discussion at the political level oftaking devolution to the regions much further inthe future. The NCA also believes that the co-operative development of new services andfacilities by record repositories in future willoffer the most cost-effective way of meeting theneeds for ICT development, the provision offacilities for multimedia and electronic records,and enhanced conservation facilities. Thearchives community currently has no machineryin place to enable it to participate in regionaldecision making, or to co-operate voluntarily atthis level, and in this it is almost unique in thecultural sector. The NCA has thereforeproposed that it should take the lead, incollaboration with other relevant bodies, in

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exploring the options for the establishment ofregional archive councils that might becomepart of the Government’s planning for regionalcultural organizations, and it is again pleasingto record that the DCMS has accepted thissuggestion and invited the NCA to play a role indeveloping a regional voice for the archivalcommunity.

Local authority archive provision in the UK: apatchwork or a national network? The effectsof a past lack of central direction and co-ordination have been thrown into sharp relief bythe saga of local government reorganization andby the archival mapping project carried out in1997/8 and published as Our shared past. Theformer demonstrated the widespreadunwillingness of local authorities to enter intosecure partnerships for the provision of archiveservices, even where this was a matter ofmaintaining the status quo. In many areas, evenextensive popular pressure proved inadequate toensure that the rational outcome of stable, long-term, and finally secure joint arrangements wasachieved. Our shared past has demonstrated theenormous disparity in the quality and extent ofarchival provision by local authorities inEngland; a pattern mirrored in Wales andScotland. Variations of more than 500% in theannual per capita cost of local archive servicesbetween the the best and least well supportedservices were revealed, and are certainlyunjustified, either by variations betweenauthorities in financial hardship or by thearchival characteristics of the area served. TheNCA believes that these two experiences makeclear the case for greater regulation of localauthority archive services, and would like to seea statutory requirement upon principal councilsin England, Wales and Scotland to provide,separately or in combination, an archive servicemeeting with the approval of the Secretary ofState. There should be a presumption againstthe creation of new repositories as localgovernment boundaries alter over time, or themovement of records between repositories, assuch changes are extremely disruptive to theoperation of the services concerned, and areconfusing to their users.

Standards in the wider archival community.Local authority archive services are, of course,only one part of the national pattern of archivalprovision. Many important collections are heldin university archives and libraries, where arecent survey of needs has demonstrated widevariations in the available resources, and in

specialist repositories, many of which areprivately funded and look after the records ofone company, institution or landed estate. Suchrepositories play an important part in the patternof national archival provision, but the standardsof care they are able to afford to collections thatare often of national importance vary verywidely. The NCA believes that while it shouldremain a matter for individual institutionswhether they wish to develop an archiveservice, there should be a formal, if voluntary,registration scheme for archive repositories,which ties eligibility for Government challengefunding and National Lottery funding to thesuccessful achievement and maintenance ofprofessional standards, and offers anopportunity to private repositories meeting therequirements for care and access to benefit fromaccess to Lottery funding. In the case ofinstitutions which collect archives from outsidetheir own organization, approval of theircollecting policy would be a requirement forregistration. The NCA notes the considerablesuccess of the MGC’s voluntary registrationscheme for museums, and believes that thearchives sector could acquire equivalent benefitfrom a parallel scheme. The HMC’s existingrecognition scheme would form an obviousbasis for the development of a more far-reaching system of registration, which would,however, require explicit Government andHeritage Lottery endorsement to be effective.Publication of the register of repositoriesmeeting the required standard might also bevaluable.

Legislative protection of archives. In thedocument A national archive policy for theUnited Kingdom, the NCA drew attention to anumber of categories of archives which itconsiders are not adequately protected byexisting legislation. The Council welcomes thecurrent initiative of the InterdepartmentalCommittee on Archives, the Association ofChief Archivists in Local Government, and theLocal Government Association to draw upguidance on the interpretation of s.224 of theLocal Government Act 1972, but considers thatother measures are necessary to ensure theprotection of records generated by public bodieswhich are not public records. In particular, theNCA suggests that legislation should be enactedto provide for the selection and preservation ofthe records of public sector bodies, includinglocal authorities and universities, which are ofhistorical value but which are not publicrecords. Logically, such legislation might

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extend to all those bodies covered by theproposed Freedom of Information Act. Whilstit would seem attractive, given the pressure onthe legislative timetable. to incorporate suchlegislation into the Freedom of Information Bill,the Council believes that there might be legaland technical difficulties to so doing, and wouldinstead recommend that separate legislation isintroduced for this purpose.

Whilst it accepts that archives generated outsidethe public sector are private property, and that itwould be inappropriate to apply similarlegislative provisions to the private sector, theCouncil remains concerned about two particulargroups of private papers, and considers thatmeasures are necessary to address both of them:1. It would welcome changes to the lawsgoverning the administration and liquidation ofcompanies, to ensure that where records morethan 30 years old form part of the assets of acompany in administration or liquidation, theadministrator/liquidator must seek and haveregard to the advice of a registered archivistabout the disposal of such records. It might bepossible for such changes to be introduced byway of secondary legislation or a voluntarycode of practice. Such changes shouldmaterially improve the flow of material fromcompanies ceasing trading to appropriaterepositories.

2. It would welcome measures to discourage thesale to foreign institutions of the papers ofliving citizens of the UK, where such papers aredeemed to be a part of the national heritage.This could be done be extending therequirement to seek an export licence for suchpapers, such as is currently required for all,manuscripts over 50 years old. In return, thoseaffected might receive automatic conditionalexemption from Capital Transfer Tax on thevalue of the papers.

Archival implications of legislation and otheractions of government. The NCA has beenconcerned in a number of recent instances aboutthe unintentional impact on archives services oflegislation aimed at other social and politicalobjectives. The Copyright Designs & PatentsAct 1988 and the Data Protection Act 1998, forexample, have both occasioned the professionconsiderable difficulty; partly through a lack ofclarity about how the legislation would affectthe archives community, and partly becauseactions which seem reasonable in an archivalcontext have been unlawful because of their

implications in another context. The Counciltherefore proposes that the InterdepartmentalCommittee on Archives should scrutiniselegislation for its potential impact on thearchives sector, work with the sponsoringdepartment to ensure that this impact is takeninto account in the drafting of bills, and issueauthoritative memoranda of guidance about theinterpretation of legislation likely to have asignificant impact on the archives sector.

Resources of archive services. The archivalprofession has battled, almost from itsbeginnings, with limited resources, huge tidesof incoming archives, and sub-standardaccommodation offering frequently unsuitable,cramped, insecure and environmentally hostileconditions for the storage and consultation ofthe records. The task of the archive communityhas been to try and improve the care andaccessibility of the records despite the resourceconstraints which surround them, and toreinterpret their significance to each newgeneration, in the language and medium of thetime. Archives’ unique role as ‘the core ofhistory’ has not always been matched by theirprofile, and the raising of that profile to ensurethe widest possible appreciation andexploitation of the resource remains an abidingconcern. The mapping exercises which havebeen carried out in local authority anduniversity repositories in the last year havedemonstrated that despite many impressiveachievements, archive services are a long wayshort of commanding the resources they requireto provide ideal - or in many cases acceptable -standards of care. The Heritage Lottery Fundhas undoubtedly quickened the pace ofinvestment in the archive sector, although byless than the Council hoped initially would bethe case. This has proved to be because of thedifficulty small, overstretched archive serviceshave in putting together viable bids for externalfunding. The proposals above for giving localauthority archives a statutory basis, and forestablishing a voluntary registration schemeextending to all archive services are intended tohave a levelling up effect on the core funding ofservices, which should help to address thisissue.

Conscious of the failure of the archiveprofession to react as positively as it might tothe challenge of the HLF the NCA believes thata structured approach to external funding, ratherthan a free-for-all, can only represent a moremature response. potentially beneficial to both

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funding seekers and providers. Crucial now arethe development of procedures within thearchive community to agree priorities amongstthemselves and with the HLF. With a greaterunderstanding on both sides of current need anda recognition by the community of where bidswill be deemed more appropriately focused,there should be a much better chance of externalfunding resources being applied to bestadvantage, and making a real impact on thedevelopment of the archive sector. Even withthe arrival of the Heritage Lottery Fund as asource of capital funding to complementexisting resources, the available resources fallfar short of the potential calls upon them, andthe NCA has therefore attempted to draw out ofthe recent work on the funding needs of thearchive sector some priorities for the next fewyears, as a guide to the Heritage Lottery Fundon its investment in the sector. It has definedfour objectives for the concentration ofinvestment. These are set out in more detail inthe document ‘British Archives: the wayforward’.

The NCA is also concerned that the archivesector may have difficulty in taking advantageof all the external funding available because of ashortage of appropriately trained and qualifiedstaff. The evidence for any such shortage isadmittedly patchy, but a number of repositorieshave recently experienced difficulties inrecruitment for some less attractive positions,and for others the field of candidates has beenvery small. Whilst there are alreadymechanisms for the profession to influence thecontent of the courses offered by the universitysector, it has no control over the number ofstudents for whom funded places are available.The NCA therefore recommends that the Arts &Humanities Research Board, as the bodyresponsible for allocating bursaries for post-graduate qualifications in archivesadministration, should liaise with the professionabout its intake requirement, and allocate asufficient proportion of its budget to this area toensure that these requirements are met; and thatindividual repositories should consider whetherthey can find ways of sponsoring studentsundertaking conservation and archivesadministration courses, so as to increase thetotal number of funded places available.

Archives and ICT. Information andCommunications Technology (ICT) is having asignificant impact on archive services and onthe way historical research is undertaken. The

NCA has set out in Archives On-Line a vision ofa future in which information about the locationand content of archives is available across theInternet and other public networks in schools,homes and workplaces. There can be no higherpriority for archives than the creation of thiscollaborative electronic network, overcomingthe limitations of geography, crossing the manyarchival sectors, and creating a truly unifieddigital encyclopaedia of British historicaldocuments. It will be expensive to create, but ithas tremendous potential to expand the audiencefor archives, and to make archives moreaccessible and usable for existing users. Thesuccessful implementation of a national networkwill be dependent upon the widespread adoptionof the recognised standards for archival data,and the Council therefore proposes that theadoption of the recognised professionalstandards for archival description should be oneof the criteria for the voluntary registration ofarchive repositories, and for the approval of thestandards of local authority repositories.

The digitisation and provision of remote accessto selected archival images is another majoropportunity. Already other countries - the USand Spain particularly - are developing majorprogrammes of this kind, and there areimportant educational, commercial andacademic opportunities in the UK too. TheNCA acknowledges that a proportion of the£50m from the New Opportunities Fund hasbeen earmarked for the creation of digitalresources relating to national heritage andculture, and greatly welcomes this. Amid all thepressures on archive services, however, it islikely that some central promotion and supportof digitisation bids will be required, and theCouncil suggests that promoting co-operativebids to the New Opportunities Fund is an earlypriority for the regional structures we haveproposed above.

ICT brings challenges as well as opportunities.Increasingly, records are being created inelectronic form by government, universities,businesses and even private individuals. Theburgeoning use of e-mail for communicationoffers us the opportunity to capture informalcommunications for posterity to an extent notseen since the widespread introduction of thetelephone. However, records in electronic formwill only survive if procedures for theircapture, storage, documentation and access arevery deliberately designed and implemented.The shift to electronic documentation leaves no

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scope for the policy of benign neglect which haspreserved so many of our existing archives. Itmakes it crucial for the archivist or recordsmanager to be involved at the creation stage ofoffice systems, and to work closely with the ITprofessional. The advent of electronic records,and the need to preserve digital copies, willrequire a whole new range of skills of thearchivist and records manager, and the NCAbelieves that the Society of Archivists, thePublic Record Office and the universities whichcurrently provide archival training programmes,should devise a programme of training for everyarchivist in the UK, to equip them with theskills required to deal with these newchallenges; and that the cost of this programmeshould be met by Government or the NationalLottery.

The public use of archives. The patterns ofpublic use of archive services are changing. Anever greater number and variety of people seekto use archives for a bewildering variety ofeducational, leisure, legal and commercialpurposes. The intelligent application of ICT todisseminating information about, and images of,archives across the Internet will certainlyincrease the audience in future, and change thenature of the way people wish to access and usearchives still further. Some trends are alreadyapparent. Today’s users are less likely to comeequipped with the time and skills necessary tointerpret archival resources for themselves; theyexpect and need more help from theprofessionals. The pressures on resources thathave already been noted do not permit archiveservices to give ever more time to assistingusers, and we therefore believe that archiveservices should seek creative ways of using ICTto support users in the interpretation of archives.

As archive services develop a greater presenceon the Internet, so more and more of their‘users’ will be remote, and will wish tocommunicate and interact with the service by e-mail. Archives will become more important tousers because they are discoverable andaccessible twenty-four hours a day, seven days aweek. Outreach policies and practice will needto change to reflect these patterns.

Conclusion and summary of recommendations.The National Council on Archives welcomesthis opportunity to review the UK archivalscene as we approach 2000. The end of themillennium finds the profession in the midst ofpressures, challenges and opportunities which

are probably all greater than at any previouspoint in its existence. If the profession is torespond successfully to these forces, theCouncil believes that its structures and practicesmust change in the ways we have summarisedin this submission. The most important singlechange, however, must be a move to greater co-ordination and co-operation of the archivescommunity at all levels from national leadershipto the smallest repository. Without suchchange, the best endeavours of the professionwill be frustrated; with it, a radical improvementin the services we can offer to our users iswithin our grasp.

AM 89 (Wales Region of the Society ofArchivists. Rowland Williams, Chairman,12/98)The establishment of the Wales Region of theSociety of Archivists in 1994 was, a notabledevelopment for the archival community inWales, providing a forum for professionalarchivists within the Principality to meet,discuss, and exchange views. Three meetings,are held annually. The matters noted belowreflect the experience and concerns of thosewho attend the Regional meetings.-

One regular agenda item is that of the ‘reportsfrom offices’ whereby representatives provide anews update of developments in their particularrepositories. This has proved to be invaluablefor keeping members informed of changesintroduced by the new unitary authoritiesregarding the provision of archive services,prior to and following local governmentreorganisation in 1996. Although it was hopedthat Section 60 of the Local Government(Wales) Act would go a long way to provideadequate protection for services, members stillexpress some degree of uncertainty with thesituation.

Another particular issue of concern is theposition of the archive service within the newadministrative structures of local government.The placing of archive services within largedirectorates has, in some instances, resulted inthe emphasis being placed upon other areas ofthe local government service to the detriment ofarchive services. This has also been reflectedby some heads of repositories being effectivelydemoted by being positioned at a lower level inthe organisational hierarchy, thus reducing theirabilities to influence decision-making. Archiveservices have also, in some instances, been

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grouped with other professional, services suchas museums or libraries, which can lead to somemisunderstanding regarding the functions ofarchives. One common grievance is lack offunding available, and the need. for sufficientstorage space, whilst some services havecomplained of severe budget cuts.

On a more positive note, the vital role of recordsmanagement during and up to reorganisationhas enabled local government to continue withthe minimum of disruption during a period ofadministrative change. Followingreorganisation, a number of unitary authoritiesestablished records management services fortheir organisations. Also, a great deal ofprogress has been made in the field ofInformation Technology. Digitisation projectsare being developed in order to help overcomethe problem of remoteness from services in therural hinterland. Projects of this kind caninvolve members of the community, thusencouraging better links with the owners ofdocuments, and highlighting the use of archives,also improving accessibility. It seems that theuse of archives in this way will be developed bymore repositories in the future. Most recordoffices now publish works of local interest,either in book, or non-book format. CD-ROMsare becoming more popular, and the Internet isincreasingly used to enhance access tocollections.

The Wales Region of the Society of Archivistssupports the role of Archives Council Wales(ACW) as a body which represents archivalorganisations in Wales and which provides anopportunity for promotion of professionalissues. A Heritage Lottery Fund bid for a Walesarchival network is imminent (prepared byACW), and this should prove widely beneficial.

Hopefully, the general situation in Wales willimprove in the future as the overalladministrative structure of reorganisation settlesdown and, after a period of some uncertainty,the profile and potential of archives in Walescan be raised to ensure that future requirementsare met.

AM 90 (Institute of Heraldic andGenealogical Studies. Cecil R Humphery-Smith, 12/98)I had begun a campaign to collect documentsfrom bombed sites and solicitors’ offices as aschool boy after the war, having learnt some

rudiments of palaeography and diplomatic whenhelping to sort salvage during holidays, 1938-40. My own collection of deeds, manorialrecords, diaries, letters etc., has been depositedat the Institute. We have also been givenseveral collections. Over the years I have usedsome of these as demonstration pieces forpalaeography classes. As a policy we aim todeposit the originals, once correctly transcribed,in relevant record offices (as these have comeinto existence). This was begun forty years agoand has been fulfilled in a good number ofinstances. That objective is not likely to berealised imminently. The task of transcribing isa huge one and the collection is still largelyunsorted.

Meanwhile, we continue to carry out oureducational work in our timber framed buildingwhich dates from the thirteenth and sixteenthcenturies, with consequent defects. We attemptto preserve the documents under suchconditions of temperature and humidity as wecan within these conditions. Work continues tolist and calendar what we have.

We are also working towards the erection of apurpose-built library in which there will be aspecial section set aside for the preservation oforiginal documents in correct conditions. Theproject has been thwarted several times over thepast twenty years but now seems to be nearerrealisation.

You may know that we have made severalefforts to initiate the copying and preservationof original material making it available onmicrofiche. This work continues.

AM 91 (Public Record Office)[Letter enclosing a copy of the Survey ofVisitors to British Archives and of the PRO’ssubmission to the Heritage Lottery Fund’s draftstrategic plan, not reproduced here]

AM 92 (House of Lords Record Office. DavidJ Johnson, Clerk of the Records, 12/98)The records of the House of Lords were firstcalendared in the earliest Reports of the RoyalCommission on Historical Manuscripts and,although the House itself assumed responsibilityfor continuing the series in 1900 and set up itsown record office in 1946, it is appropriate toacknowledge the lead taken by the HMC.

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This is more than ever necessary today when thearchive profession is in the maelstrom of theinformation revolution. IT has providedarchivists with not only the means to managerecords and administer their own offices - likemost professionals - but also, more particularly,to disseminate finding aids electronically and soallow references to be identified more quicklyand in greater detail than ever before, and evento allow the records themselves to bereproduced digitally. With this has come theproblem, still not fully resolved, of how tocapture electronic documents worthy ofpermanent preservation.

All these activities require the application ofuniform standards and procedures to ensure thatinformation is readily transferable viatechnology which is compatible if not identical.Not even a moderately-sized, relatively well-funded office, such as this, has the resources ofmanpower, skill and technology to evaluate allthe options which are available. Still less dosmaller offices. We all depend on the guidelinesdeveloped by organisations such as the HMCand the Public Record Office and it is essentialthat they have the funds to continue research anddevelopment on behalf of the profession as awhole.

The HMC first took an interest in the records ofParliament because the latter were not ‘publicrecords’ according to statute. However, theyenjoy protection which is not available to othernon-public records, including many of those inthe care of local authorities and other public (orsemi-public) bodies. Their vulnerability wasonly too clearly demonstrated in the recent localgovernment reorganisation while the DataProtection Act 1998 and the promised Freedomof Information Act are likely further to endangersuch collections. There is therefore a pressingneed for legislation to clarify the status of suchrecords so that they may continue to bepreserved for posterity.

AM 93 (Friends of the East Sussex RecordOffice. DS Rawlings, Chairman, 12/98)In so far as documents deposited at the EastSussex Record Office are concerned, we feelthat their care and availability to the public arefirst class. However, the building, a malt houseerected in the last century, is incapable of beingbrought up to the standard of fire precautionsrequired, especially when bearing in mind thedisaster at Norwich. Furthermore, it is so small

that the Modern Records Department has to beaccommodated in a separate building, manyhistorical documents are housed in out storesand there is no space for desirable features suchas lecture rooms, separate microfilm rooms orrooms where the public may eat sandwiches etc.A new building is therefore urgently requiredbut, unless lottery or PFI money can be madeavailable, funding will be very difficult. This isacerbated by the Office being fielded by twoauthorities, East Sussex County Council andBrighton and Hove Unitary Authority.

AM 94 (Friends of Gloucestershire Archives.John Loosley, Chairman, 12/98)The Gloucestershire Record Office has beenfortunate in being awarded lottery grants for 6new strongrooms providing storage facilities forseveral years to come and new microfiche andmicrofilm machines which has provided animproved service for the researcher.

It has also over the years received grants fromthe National Manuscripts Conservation Trustand the British Library Board for cataloguingand preservation. We understand that both thesesources of funding will not be available in thefuture although we are told that alternativefunding will be available. We are waiting tohear about this new funding and whichorganizations will be able to apply. In otherwords what additional competition will there befor these funds?

There is a considerable backlog in thecataloguing of acquisitions which either meansthat collections are not available to theresearcher or the researcher has great difficultyin accessing particular material of interest tohim or her. The lack of funds for conservationand repair of documents inevitably leads to thewithdrawal of documents from searchroom use.

To summarize our views on the GloucestershireRecord Office:1. Storage facilities: in place for several years.2. Management: excellent. 3. Cataloguing:held up due to lack of funding for additionalcataloguers. 4. Conservation: a backlog, againdue to lack of funds. 5. Facilities forresearchers: good.

Both locally and nationally our main concern isthe availability of funds for cataloguing andpreservation.

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Regarding a new initiative at national level wewould strongly urge the establishment of anational network of archival data. Librarieshave funding for electronic cataloguing whichwill result in a national database of libraryholdings, but what about archives?

AM 95 (British Academy. PWH Brown,Secretary, 12/98)It is our impression that there is generalapproval of the current policies and activities ofthe Commission. We support therecommendations with regard to theCommission in An Archives Policy for theUnited Kingdom produced by the NationalArchives Policy Liaison Group in 1996. Weshould welcome improved Government fundingfor its advisory work, and of its support for theBritish Records Association. (cf. An ArchivesPolicy, 2.14, 3.4, 3-5, 4-1, 4.8, 4.14).

In view of the suggestions in the PROconsultation paper that more documents of localand specialist interest may be routed by it infuture to relevant repositories, it should only bedone in accordance with the Commission’sadvice, and to fund the corresponding costs ofstorage, conservation, cataloguing and service.(cf. An Archives Policy, 2.16).It is regretted that the Commission was notthroughout consulted about the scope, [andinterrelationships of] Non-Formula Funding bythe Higher Education Funding Councils and it ishoped that it will be involved in any futurerounds. (cf. An Archives Policy, 2.14).

The compilation and publication of subjectsurveys and guides by the Commission shouldbe continued as an important complement andcorrective to what is becoming accessible inpartial and piecemeal fashion on the WorldWide Web, while the National Register ofArchives offers its own gateways. Onlymembers of higher education institutions in theUK (at present) have free access to thenetworks, many scholars and students will neverhave such facilities, and printed sources ofinformation will continue to be indispensable inmost circumstances.

The supply to appropriate repositories of earlynews about manuscripts occurring for sale hasbeen invaluable in the rapid solicitation of fundsand cooperation for purchases; we wouldwelcome the extension of its reach to provincialauction houses and booksellers by seeking

regular reports from local authority archivistsand librarians who are not themselves alwaysready to undertake purchases although aneighbouring academic repository may be outon the officers position to do so. Reliance mustalso be put on the officers of the Commission toensure that when export of manuscripts cannotbe averted by finding a British purchaser,microfilms or photocopies are required forretention in this country.

While most universities have recordmanagement policies in place, few universitydepartments do. There is a tendency foruniversities to see their archives as composed ofadministrative records, neglecting what maypossibly be more interesting and more importantmaterial in their possession - for example,records relating to the history of science maywell be located within a department of physics.An initiative by the Commission to raiseawareness in this sort of area would bewelcomed.

AM 96 (Institute of Historical Research,London University. Professor DavidCannadine, Director, 12/98)My main concern is the underfunding of countyrecord offices. I have noticed from my own useof these archives that both funding and moraleseem to be very low. If this is indeed the case, Iwonder what might be done and I wouldcertainly be very pleased to add my support toany representations that might be made.

[AM 97 Incidental information supplied by theLondon Borough of Enfield in its return to theCommission’s survey of Accessions torepositories 1998.]

AM 98 (National Cataloguing Unit for theArchives of Contemporary Scientists. PeterHarper, Director, 1/99)The transforming role of science and technologyin the twentieth century is evident to all -whether it involves developments in medicalresearch such as antibiotics, in the releasing ofthe power of the atom, in computer science andinformation technology or in biology at themolecular level. As we prepare to enter the newmillennium this transforming power is set tointensify as the rapidly developing area ofgenomics indicates. Science and technology arethus fundamental to our society and culture, and

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require appropriate archival provision if there isto be a permanent record of their role for theunderstanding of present and future generations.

Over the last twenty-five years archivalprovision for science and technology in Britainhas benefited very significantly from a uniquecollaborative arrangement which broughttogether archivists, scientists and historians tosecure the preservation of original sourcematerials for the history of science andtechnology. In 1973 the ContemporaryScientific Archives Centre (CSAC) wasestablished in Oxford with the aim of locating,cataloguing and finding permanent places ofdeposit for the manuscript papers ofcontemporary scientists and engineers. Insteadof attempting to found a special repository forscientists’ papers with all the concomitantexpense that would entail a processing centrewas established which would build up expertisein the handling of scientists’ papers and work incollaboration with established repositories. In1997 the archives operation moved to theUniversity of Bath where it has continued underbroadly similar lines, though adopting a newtitle: National Cataloguing Unit for the,Archives of Contemporary Scientists(NCUACS). As a result of this initiative 198collections of scientists’ and engineers’ papers(to the end of 1998) have been catalogued fordeposit in 45 national, university andinstitutional repositories. The scientists andengineers whose papers have been preserved inthis way are predominantly Fellows of the RoyalSociety, the UK National Academy of Science,and include seventeen Nobel Laureates.

This preservation work has only been possiblebecause of the scientific archives project’sability to attract financial support and thecontinuation of the work is entirely dependenton its ability to attract such funding in thefuture. The Royal Society has supported thework continuously since 1976 and has thus beena major source. of stability in the planning ofoperations. Very many scientific learnedsocieties have made financial contributions intestimony to the support of the scientificcommunity for the preservation of scientificsource materials. For varying periods over theyears there have been grants from UK charitablefoundations such as the Leverhulme Trust,Nuffield Foundation, Wellcome Trust andWolfson Foundation and their crucial supportfor scientific archives should be dulyacknowledged. In recent years the funding

initiatives of the UK Higher Education FundingCouncils in support of research collections inthe humanities have been of great benefit to thework of the NCUACS (whose scientific archiveswork supports the history of science andcontemporary history generally ) as they havebeen to the UK higher education library andarchive sector as a whole.

Within the admittedly limited area of theNCUACS’s interests in elite science the UK hasdone very respectably in terms of thepreservation of scientists’ papers by anystandard of international comparison. Thecollaboration of scientific creator/owner ofpapers, processing centre and repository hasindeed worked particularly well for academicuniversity-based science. However, it is notclear that there are workable programmes inplace for the preservation of papers in science-based industry or government-supportedresearch outside the universities. Over the yearsthe UK has been characterised by the highproportion of government funding for researchgoing into defence related research and it isdoubtful that this major commitment to scienceand technology is adequately represented in thearchival record.

Whatever the sector - academic, industry,government - archival programmes are currentlyunder pressure because of the changing natureof the scientific enterprise itself. In part thisrelates to the vastly increased scale of operationsinitially associated with physics-related projectsduring the Second World War and much more-recently with the life sciences as in the humangenome project. Perhaps it relates morefundamentally to questions of organisation - themulti-institutional and multi-nationaIorganisation of these large scale scienceprojects. These developments have themselvesbeen greatly facilitated by advances in computertechnology and electronic communicationswhich present new demands in respect of recordkeeping both in terms of the validation of thescience itself and in terms of the preservation ofan archival record for posterity. It is legitimateto look at the meeting of new demands as aresource problem but it is perhaps firstappropriate to look at questions of research.Archives in the UK generally have not benefitedfrom a culture of research, for example indocumentation strategy, and the problems ofdocumenting science in an electronic age wouldbe a very suitable area for archival research.

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AM 99 (Friends of Dundee City Arhives. JerryWright, Volunteer Coordinator, 12/98)Conservation. It is of prime importance thatattention should be given to the conservation ofDundee’s written heritage, particularly morerecent documents on poor quality paper. Theprovision of security copies in electronicformats, perhaps by using scanners, is seen as apossible solution. Where records were notproduced in the traditional way but only existedin electronic format, there was the very realdanger that the information they containedwould be lost. The Archives office is beingasked to deal with these by departmentalofficers who have not thought through theproblem. A professional conservator who couldprovide a conservation audit of all collections inthe archives office is vital, but would beexpensive.

IT. There was an awareness that pressure on thearchives’ staff has resulted in a cataloguingbacklog. Lists are still in typescript format. ITis seen as the way forward in dealing with thisand in making the collections more accessible toa wider public. Dundee Archives has begun aprogramme of transferring card indexes intoelectronic format using volunteer help. Thegoodwill of volunteers is not enough, however.An increased professional staff, trained incurrent standards of archival description, wouldbe needed to deal adequately with this. The CityArchives now has a web site and is likely to beinvolved in collaborative ventures to publiciseits holdings by use of IT, such as the ScottishArchives Network project initiated by theScottish Record Office. Providing access at adistance to catalogues and even to documents bymeans of IT is an exciting prospect.

Education. Dundee Friends are at presentinvolved in a collaborative venture with thearchivists to produce source packs for use byprimary school children. As part of theactivities drawn up to celebrate the tenthanniversary of the Friends next year, the schoolsare also being encouraged to take part in acompetition which will involve the use of sourcematerial, either through the education packs orby visiting the office and viewing the originals.Providing an education service is seen as a goodway of providing ‘best value’, and, byexpanding the definition to lifelong learning,this would tie in with the Government’spriorities. Again, although the Friends can help,funding should be provided for an educationofficer seconded to the Archives.

Accommodation. Accommodation isincreasingly inadequate. At present, one roomis shared by Archives staff, including clericalassistants, searchers, volunteers and computerequipment. At least one other room is urgentlyrequired.

Collaboration. Collaborative ventures withother offices, or disciplines, such as in the ITprojects alluded to above, could be a very usefulway of pooling resources. The City Archives isfortunate in having a good working relationshipwith the University Archives, the museumsservice and the libraries and joint projects haveoften been very successful. Computertechnology could be used to expand this type ofventure, both in its nature and geographically.Friends groups could also help in this. TheDundee Friends are already involved with theArchives Supporters Network initiated by theBRA.

Funding. Underlying all of this, however, is thequestion of funding. The City Council is, atpresent, unable to provide the resources requiredif the City Archives is to step confidently intothe next century. The Friends provided themoney for most of the computer equipment theoffice now has. Lottery funding has beengained for one collaborative venture with thelibraries, and other ways of acquiring lotterymoney are being pursued. Vital though this is, itcannot be seen as a long term solution. By itsnature, it cannot be assured. Secure and reliablefunding is a necessity in the long term

AM 100 (Friends of Gwent Record Office.John Evans, Chairman, 1/99)Strategic problemsLocal Government in South Wales has been re-structured into unitary authorities. GwentRecord Office served the County of Gwentwhich was substantially the same as theprevious county of Monmouthshire. This singleauthority has been devolved into five differentunitary authorities. At this point in time GwentRecord Office is administered by one unitaryauthority and financially supported by the rest.Its function as a repository of historical archiveshas hardly changed but its function in storingand managing modern records has become morecomplex and will continue to do so. Thisstructure has been agreed to and has been inplace for two years now. Many of thecollections straddle the old county of Gwent anda central repository is an ideal way ofadministrating the historical records.

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However, the Record Office has gone frombeing a relatively minor budgetary item forGwent Authority to being a medium sized one incomparison with other departments which havebeen devolved into Unitary Authorities. Thismakes increased financing of the Office evenmore difficult than it was before. There is notthe sense of ‘ownership’ for the record officeamong some of the new authorities. They nowhave less incentive to ensure a reasonable levelof finance for the continuing operation [of]Record Offices let alone to finance anysubstantial improvements. The same problem islikely to arise with staff salaries as the Unitaryauthorities try to balance the budgets of theirown authority first.

We feel that there will inevitably be anincreasing demand from some of the authoritiesfor more access to the historic records for theirarea as interest in ‘heritage’ increases. Theirinterest and financial commitment to theheritage of the area covered by each unitaryauthority is likely to become selfish andcompetitive as they try to outdo each other inattempting to attract heritage tourism. Alreadysome public proposals have come from chiefofficers of the lead authority that some of therecords be removed and used in a permanentdisplay within a study centre to be provided aspart of the World Heritage bid for the Blaenavonarea. These propositions have not been raisedwith the County Archivist though have beengreeted with a large degree of support from localpoliticians who have been ill advised and havenot thought the propositions through. Over aperiod of time it is inevitable that the UnitaryAuthorities will increase their sense of self-identity and more demands will come for thebreak up of the central service and for records tobe stored and displayed in unsuitableenvironments. This is a problem that willimpact upon the rest of Wales and will alsoaffect England as its historic counties are brokenup into Unitary Authorities.

Devolution in Wales is also likely to causeproblems. The administration of archives islikely to be very low down the list of the newAssembly’s priorities. How much control theAssembly will have or attempt to exert overhistorical archives is an open question. Thesame problem will arise if devolved regionalgovernment becomes a reality in England.

Though it would be the very antithesis of currenttrends towards devolving power we think that it

would help if a centralised policy could bedeveloped for the foreseeable future whichprotected County Archives and could give themthe budgets they require to provide anacceptable level of service to the public. Asingle supervisory authority should beempowered to ensure that archives aremaintained in a meaningful way.

Quality of cataloguesThe quality of older catalogues is not good. Thephysical condition of some of them is poor.Some are becoming faded and partly illegiblebecause of the way they were produced, othersare becoming distressed because of handling andage. The layout and quality of cataloguing ofsome of the earlier catalogues is poor. Some ofthese catalogues may need to be completelyreproduced.

Some catalogues are still in a card index formand have not been collated into book form.Apart from the obvious disadvantages of thisform of cataloguing it is easy for a researcher tobe unaware that the catalogue exists.

The latest catalogues are extremely good. Theyare well laid out and well indexed. Thecatalogue numbering system adopted in thelatest available catalogues makes it easy toreference a document and also, conversely, tofind the relevant catalogue entry from thedocument reference.

The guidance and assistance provided by staffThe guidance and assistance provided by staff isexcellent. They are friendly, polite andprofessional. They have an extensiveknowledge of the record office holdings and arealways prepared to proffer helpful advice. Theirknowledge of the history and topography of thecounty of Gwent helps counteract the confusionwhich has arisen from the splitting of the countyinto unitary authorities.

The dissemination of information about therecord office’s holdingsThe record office produces an annual report.The record office friends society produces anewsletter approximately four times a yearwhere new collections are publicised. TheCounty Archivist and at least one other co-optedmember of his staff attend every meeting.Information is also disseminated through theLocal History Council newsletter and the localfamily history journal. In addition, staffregularly give talks to local societies.

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The general guide to the office’s collections isstill used but is very much out of date. Theguide is in the form of a hardback book and iturgently needs replacing. The new guide shouldfollow the example of other offices and be in aloose leaf format so that it can easily be added toand revised.

Record office staff have produced guides toresearching specific topics. Some of the latest.e.g. the pamphlet [on] Chartism and the guide toparish and non-conformist registers areparticularly good. Unfortunately many of theolder guides are very much out of date.

Mechanisms which the office has for collectingthe views of users:The staff are approachable and always willing tolisten to suggestions. The record office has anactive ‘Friends Society’ which holds regularmeetings and is a forum for suggestions and,very occasionally, complaints. In my opinionthe meetings of the friends are held in a frankand robust manner where matters are discussedopenly and vigorously. The ‘Friends’ organiseregular events for members and users at whichsuggestions for improving the service arecanvassed. These are always attended by recordoffice staff.

The opening hours of the officeThe present opening hours are very much in linewith many other offices in the area. The officeis open from 9.30 am to 5 pm from Monday toThursday and from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm onFridays. It is closed on Mondays. There are noextended hours in the evenings or at weekends.On very much the plus side, the office does notclose for lunch.

GeneralThe search room is very small. It is oftencrowded. It is difficult to see how this can beremedied by extending the existing room. Alsothere are not enough staff to supervise and coveradditional rooms. A new search room wouldappear to be the only feasible alternative andsome steps are being taken to acquire additionalaccommodation. There are no rooms set asidefor refreshments or for researchers to enter intoconversation with each other.

Computers could be introduced to assistresearchers. Apart from the obvious benefits,the introduction of modern informationtechnology could speed up routine enquiries,

improve service levels and standards and freethe staff for their other duties.

AM 101 (Friends of the Suffolk RecordOffice. Margaret Statham, Chairman, 1/99)Over the last fifty years courses have beenestablished which provide archivists who havebeen professionally trained. Similarly, thecriteria to be observed in planning recordrepositories has been laid down, and modernscientific study has enhanced the tried andtrusted craft forms of repair.

The archivists of today recognise the prioritiesrequired to house and administer the recordsunder their care. However, unless adequatefunds are available, satisfactory repositorybuildings will not be provided and inadequatestaffing levels will result in less thansatisfactory standards in cataloguing and in theprovision of services to record users. Theresult, to a greater or lesser degree, will be thatthe raw materials for the history of this countrywill be lost to future generations.

All possible efforts should, therefore, bedirected to ensuring that the value of thearchives service is made known as widely aspossible, and especially to those who controlpublic spending at both national and locallevels. If the provision of a satisfactoryarchives service were to become a statutoryrequirement, this would afford some protectionto a vulnerable service, especially in times offinancial stringency.

AM 102 (North Devon District Council.Alison Mills, Deputy Museums Manager,1/99)At present, the North Devon Local StudiesCentre (comprising Devon County Council’sRecord Office, Local Studies Library and thecharitable North Devon Athenaeum) providesexcellent facilities for the storage andconsultation of documents, with the help ofcommitted and professional staff.

This Museums Service routinely depositssuitable material in the North Devon RecordOffice, and encourages the 6 small museums forwhich we act as Curatorial Advisers to dolikewise. We will continue to do so as long asthe material remains in North Devon. We arevery happy with the North Devon record officebut concerned that it may soon run out of space.

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We would be very interested in working withthe record office on a regional strategy forNorth Devon. We already work with LocalStudies staff on a number of projects includingICT and would welcome further links, perhapsthrough extending Record Office service pointsthrough the local museums network.

AM 103 (Royal Commission on the HistoricalMonuments of England. Nigel D Clubb,Director of the National Monuments Record,1/99)The following response is based uponRCHME’s experience, both as user of archivesin the context of identifying and recording thenation’s architectural and archaeologicalheritage, and as the curator of a major nationalarchive of photographs, drawings and reportsand other survey materials dealing with thehistoric environment.

It is our belief that to address the issues raised,there will need to be a strategic framework,embracing the key partners, chiefly HMC, thePRO, the new DCMS-sponsored Council forMuseums, Libraries and Archives, the enlargedEnglish Heritage and the local repositories.Without such a framework we cannot besanguine about addressing the issues.

Survey records. The last few years have seen asignificant growth in the volume of surveyrecords relating to sites or buildings ofarchaeological and architectural significancebeing produced. This results from an increasingconsideration of historical importance as part ofthe planning process, and in particular, fromPlanning Policy Guidance Notes 15 and 16. Itis a matter of some concern to us that theirlonger-term importance, outside an immediatelocal planning framework, is not alwaysappreciated. This is an area where there couldbe fruitful cooperation between nationalinstitutions and local record offices, museumsand libraries, aiming both to devise agreedarrangements for deposit of such material and toensure that the existence and location of therecords are ‘signposted’ to potential users.

Industrial records. There have been somenoticeable successes in terms of rescue of therecords of industrial sectors which aredisappearing or whose structures is changingrapidly, for example, the coal and railwayindustries. It does appear that generalawareness of the value of such records is now

much greater and that archival institutions arebetter able to coordinate a response to suchthreats. However, the experience of RCHMEown Survey Staff investigating areas ofindustrial heritage does suggest that there existsa bias in record appraisal in favour of business,financial and policy records and againsttechnical records describing the detail of plant,processes and equipment. The latter records areoften bulky, apparently repetitive and difficultfor those without specialist knowledge to assess.Yet in terms of making sense to the legacy andhistory of an industry as it exists on the ground,they are crucial. A perception that such recordsare not being appropriately valued hassometimes soured relationships between theenthusiasts and historians of a particular sectorand the professional archive sector. This isperhaps an area where greater dialogue couldimprove the relevance and efficiency ofappraisal, selection and prioritisation forcataloguing.

Architects’ records. In England, the records ofarchitectural practices remain an area wherethere is a real threat to the long termpreservation of archives. There should be aclear, national voice to champion these recordsand to take-up the particular issues associatedwith them. The situation contrasts with anumber of other countries, where specificallyarchitectural museums and archives havefocused attention and resource in this area.Similarly, the Royal Commission on theAncient and Historical Monuments of Scotland,in cooperation with other archive repositories,has been able to carry out an effective survey ofarchitectural practices. It is to be hoped that asatisfactory resolution of the current debatesurrounding the future of the RIBA BritishArchitectural Library will encourage thedevelopment of such pro-active initiatives inEngland.

Digital records. Digital archives will be one ofthe key issues for repositories of all sizes overthe next few years. Given the technical andspecialised nature of the problems posed bythese records, there is a clear need for nationalarchive bodies to facilitate the development ofstandards, advice and training for the widerarchival community in this area. There isotherwise a risk that the debate and the systemsadopted will neglect archival concerns aboutprovenance, authenticity and context. It alsoseems likely that the long-term curation ofelectronic information, by potentially divorcing

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information from the media in which it isstored, will force significant developments inareas of archive theory and practice.

Record office services. RCHME Staff havenoted and welcomed a general trend among thearchive repositories they use towards improvedopening hours and more efficient documentordering and delivery systems. However, theywere also concerned about some other recentdevelopments: there was a fear that collectionsused by family historians might increasingly beprioritised for cataloguing and conservation atthe expense of estate and business collections;there was a perception of an increasing gapbetween well-resourced archive repositories andthose with less funding, a gulf which wasparticularly noticeable among the Londonboroughs; and there was a concern that in largerrecord offices, staff with detailed knowledge ofthe holdings were increasingly being withdrawnfrom public areas, making it more difficult toobtain expert advice.

AM 104 (Friends of Lancashire Archives.Mark Pearson, Secretary 1/99)Archives storage, management and conservationThe Friends of Lancashire Archives areconfident that the Lancashire Record Office aremaking best use of the facilities and expertisethat they possess in these matters. The LROitself is designed to provide an excellentenvironment in these matters. However,cutbacks in local and central governmentexpenditure always seem to affect the budgetsthat Lancashire County Council makes availableto the LRO and this is leading on a yearly basisto reductions in real terms in the resourcesavailable to continue the conservation ofarchives.

The FLA encourages its members, throughexercises such as the Probate ConservationProgramme, to volunteer their services to assistthe LRO in conservation. The ProbateConservation Programme has just celebrated its10th anniversary and is one of the longestrunning voluntary conservation programmes inany of the record offices.

Archives cataloguing /availabilityWithin the LRO, cataloguing of archives is notprogressing to the complete satisfaction of theFLA. Recent discussions and investigations bythe FLA have concluded that it is not cost

effective for the Friends to sponsor additionalcataloguing exercises.

The LRO has taken the unprecedented step ofclosing its doors to the public for the first fullweek of every month. This gives uninterruptedtime to devote to conservation and cataloguing.The FLA do not support this move in the longterm but accept that in the short term, withcurrent levels of funding, the LRO has nooption but to take these measures. In fairness, itis noted that a 23% reduction in opening timeshas only led to a 6% reduction in public usage.

The FLA are constantly reviewing archiveavailability in order to assist the LRO inchanges for the better. The sponsorship of apublic access computer for reviewing CD-ROMpublished archives and catalogues will assist inthis matter. The recataloguing of records intomore usable formats i.e. from date order intotownship order and the like are suggestions thatthe LRO are making from a ‘user’ viewpoint toenable data to be gathered in shorter researchperiods.

Continuing problemsFunding of archives at both local and nationallevels is a problem for all record offices andtheir charitable Friends support groups. Asbudgets / expenditure allocations to the LROfrom the County Council remain static, in realterms this leads to yearly reductions in services.This leads the LRO to rely more and more onthe FLA for monetary support for projects. Inturn, charitable fund-raising is recognised asbecoming more and more difficult as theNational Lottery expands its promotions.

If it could be demonstrated that archivesservices were able to benefit from Lotterygrants then this may go some way to appeasethe current situation. However, it is clear thatregionally, lottery grants are something of alottery in themselves. The amount of resourcesthat need to be put into making applications forlottery funding are at the expense of productivework within a record office. When grantapplications are seen to be consistently failingthen justification in devoting already limitedresources to their securement also fails.

The recent reviews on galleries, museums,libraries and archives, undertaken by theDepartment of Culture, Media and Sport hardlymention archives services in future plans.Requests for clarification from the DMCS have

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not given confidence that archives services areto be treated as equals with galleries, museumsand libraries. Talk of synergies betweenlibraries and archives may lead to a combiningof these functions - with worrying results.

Within the remit of Lancashire County Council,the first stages of this are clearly demonstratedwith the proposed relocation of the CountyLocal Studies Library into the LancashireRecord Office building. Libraries and archivesfunction in two completely different ways andhave completely different philosophies. Unlessthis is recognised at a national level by thosecontrolling available finance, there could be asituation where library funding is expected toencompass and support archive services.

The above mentioned relocation of the CountyLocal Studies Library is borne of a furtherproblem; that of devolution. The recent reviewof County Councils resulted in the loss ofBlackpool, Blackburn and Burnley fromLancashire County Council into UnitaryAuthorities. This has led to a situation wherebythe LCC have to sell off buildings such as thehome of the Local Studies Library to fund thecosts of this devolution. This is yet anotherexample of Central Government reductions inLocal Government expenditure, albeit in a morehidden form.

The futureInvestment in archives services nationally willhopefully raise the perceived level of theirimportance.

A more co-ordinated record of archives andtheir contents is needed. As technologyadvances, national access to local archivesbecomes more and more possible and practical.Interaction between record offices and supportgroups can assist in this matter. The FLA aresupportive of a newly developing network ofArchives Support Groups instigated by the BRAand currently being developed by members ofFriends and Support Groups, includingourselves.

National availability of archives (or accessthereto) can only be achieved once the contentsof individual archives are fully catalogued andpublished. If record offices are taking inarchives faster than their resources cancatalogue same, then this situation will not beachieved. Grants towards short term and longterm cataloguing programmes within record

offices would go some way to alleviating thissituation.

Use of archives for educational purposes andencouragement in their use for these purposeswould assist in raising the general awareness ofarchives. Access to archives for educationalresearch is limited to the older studentpopulation who has the ability to accessregional centres. The National Curriculumappears to place more emphasis on research andproject related studies for the younger studentpopulation but Record Office archives are notcurrently suited to supporting this initiative.Remoteness from the record offices in regionalcentres does not encourage the use of archivesmaterials by schools and colleges. This isrelated to the above point that emergingtechnology should be harnessed to ease theaccessibility of archives from the periphery ofthe individual regions.

Regarding the care of archives, the individualrecord offices are doubtless the best forms ofarchive preservation. Encouragement andeducation of the public/bodies to lodge archiveswith these record offices should ultimately leadto a standardisation of preservation andavailability. However, for this to be achievable,the Record Office requires the space andresources to cope with this influx. The LRO arealready demonstrating that this resource is beingstretched through the closure programme. Therelocation of the County Local Studies Libraryinto the LRO building will decimate theavailability of additional space for storage,conservation and research/accessibility.

Whilst technology may be able to solve accessand availability of archives, only investment inlarger, better centres of excellence for storageand conservation will allow record offices tocope with what will always be an increasingnumber of archives requiring long term storageand care.

AM 105 (Data & Archival Damage ControlCentre. Helen M Donnelly, forensic paperconservator, 1/99)One of my major concerns has been witharchive collections which do not have watersprinkler systems. Last month my colleaguesand I spent every day on a burnt out fire sitetrying to salvage what records we couldamongst the ashes. It is much better to have awet archive than to have no archive. If

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collections, are going to [be] held in aninstitution then they should be responsible fortheir protection.

[AM 106 Philip Heath. Confidential]

AM 107 (Black and Asian StudiesAssociation. Marika Sherwood, 1/99)The Society of Archivists circulated aquestionnaire on behalf of the Black and AsianStudies Association asking about holdings ofmaterials on Black peoples in archives aroundthe country. The 111 responses we receivedconfirmed what Association members haveexperienced in archives:1. That archivists generally do not know what isin their holdings regarding Britain’s centuries-long Black population, though many do knowthat they do have some pertinent information.2. That it is the very rare archive which has alisting/hand list lindex for this information.3. That much of archives’ holdings areuncatalogued.4. Very few archives make any attempt tocollect material related to Black peoples; thefew that do collect mainly local authorityrecords and records of the local CAB.5. No archive makes a concerted effort to dooutreach work and to collect the papers of Blackorganisations/activists.6. That archivists in archives which ourmembers have found contained considerableamount of material are unaware of this.

There is therefore an urgent need (1) torecatalogue, (2) to collect, (3) to do outreachwork with Black communities in order tofamiliarise them with the work/aim of archiveswhich may lead to their being willing to deposittheir papers etc.

Background informationThe following, culled from relevant recentreports, should inform decision makingregarding these issues. The Arts Council in itsMapping Survey of Black Arts Archives (1998)found that Black Arts organisations andindividuals are reluctant to deposit theirmaterials in existing archives. 30% of thesurvey’s Black Arts respondents indicated thatthey would prefer their materials to be housed ina ‘National Black Archive’ while ‘27%preferred to have their materials housedregionally’ (p. 18).

The Public Record Office’s Report by theArchival Mapping Project (1998) on localauthority archive services found that 88% oflocal archives ‘have significant needs of largerand better designed search rooms while 52%have large cataloguing backlogs’ 38% ofarchival holdings are in ‘conditions which failto meet the main British Standard’. Only ‘18%of local archives have 80% or more of theirmaterial fully listed, and 39% have less than50% of the records fully listed’. Most archivesprioritise records for urgent cataloguing. Fiftynine percent of local archives have nevercompiled a general guide’.

The Archives world has not produced anyguidance such as the Arts Council’s Respondingto Cultural Diversity. Guide for Museums andGalleries (1998) and the British Library'sPublic Libraries and Ethnic Diversity: abaseline for good practice (1998). However,we have been told that the revised version of AnArchives Policy for the UK by the NCA willinclude advice in this area.

The National Council on Archives in itsdocument An Archives policy for the UK (1996)did not recognise in its Annex on ‘Gaps inArchival Coverage’ that one huge gap is therecords of ethnic minority peoples andorganisations. Nor does the document mentionthe paucity of Black archivists. (I have been toldthat there are three in the UK.)

The Royal Commission on HistoricalManuscripts, whose function is to acquire, andto compile, reports on papers relating to thestudy of British history, produced the thirdedition of its booklet Surveys of historicalmanuscripts in the UK in 1997. This lists nosurveys of archives on ethnic minorities and the‘subject index’ does not include any relevantheadings. The HMC’s National Register ofArchives, an on-line index to archival holdingsin the UK does not permit searching by subject.The actual indexes to each collection, suppliedto the NRA by the archives around the UK arenot presently on line. There is a subject heading‘ethnic groups’ in Janet Foster & Julia Shepherd(eds), British Archives, 1995, which refersmainly to Jewish, Irish, Celtic and Gaelicmaterials.

The National Council on Archives has produceda report, Archives on Line: the establishment ofa UK archival network (1998). The NCA,while recommending that the national network

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should ultimately ‘aim at coverage down toitem/piece level descriptions’, does not hold outmuch hope of obtaining funding not only torecatalogue holdings already catalogued butalso for the cataloguing of the deposits sittinguncatalogued, in order to achieve this.However, it is more hopeful of achieving themore modest aim of a ‘collection and repositorylevel of description’, on-line, nation-wide. Thiswould mean the installation of terminals in allarchives, linked to a new national data base. Itwould entail digitising existing catalogues.Thus the researcher will be able to search thenational data base of archival holdings eg, byname, geographical location, title, subject, etc.from any terminal. However, as so often Blackpeople and organisations are NOT listed inexisting catalogues and as there are noappropriate (or agreed) subject headings in use,without the ‘item/piece level description’, thisproposal will not overcome the problem ofhidden materials.

Questionnaire on archival holdings related toBlack peoples in the UKThe Society of Archivists very kindly mailedout a questionnaire for us. Unfortunately therewas very little time to design the questionnaire,and certainly none to test it. Judging by theresponses some of the questions were perhapsambiguous - apologies everyone! Nevertheless,and despite most archives being understaffed wereceived a total of 112 responses. We thankboth the Society and the many archivists whotook the time to reply. Overall, what is clearfrom the responses is that most archives haveinsufficient staff and that they do not know whatthere is in their holdings which relates toBritain’s centuries of Black presence. Somearchivists made some very important comments,both negative and positive. For example, onewrote that as the ‘ethnic minority’ population ofthe city was less than 1%, there was littledemand for information on the Black presence.Being a naval port, I would guess that a centuryago when there were many Blacks in the navy,the ‘minority’ population could have been largerthan it is today! Moreover, thorough indexingshould not be dependent on the fashions indemand. A Scottish archivist noted that therewere a number of plantation owners settled inhis area, and that many of their houses hadBlack servants; he has also noticed that therewere Black seamen mentioned in shippingrecords as well as in accounts of shipwrecks;but this information has not been documenteddue to shortage of staff. And I learned

something quite new, which seems to indicate avery different pattern of employment than whatwe have been led to expect: in the early 1930sthere were reportedly 120 Black men workingin shore jobs in the fishing industry in an eastcoast English town!

In order to make the best sense of analysing theresponses, I divided them up into categories ofarchives. This report begins with those whichcould be expected to be the major holders ofmaterial as well as the most likely homes offuture collections of papers: local archives,universities and museums/galleries. (However,it should be noted that the archives of the latterare sometimes not open - or easily opened - toresearchers.) Where archivists have indicatedthat they know of relevant holdings, these arenamed; otherwise this report preserves thearchives’ anonymity, as promised in thequestionnaire. As local archives are perhaps themost important for our purposes, their responsesare given in detail; the remainder aresummarised.

Local repositories (incl. the House of Lords)There are 53 responses. Not everyone answeredall the questions.A. Are there references to Black peoples in yourarchives? Yes, 43; No, 8; Don’t know, 2.B. For the 17th century, 9; 18th, 31; 19th, 27;20th, 26; Dont know, 3.C. Are such references listed? Yes, 12; No, 25;partly, 6; will be, 1; in a publication onholdings, 2.D. What proportion of your holdings has it beenpossible to index for references to Blackpeople? None, 26; less than half, 10; more thanhalf, 4; dont know, 2; on a database, 1.E. Do you have or do you intend to produce ahandlist for these references? Yes, 16 [includescard index, 1; printed guide, 2]; No, 30. [Manyare lists prepared for exhibitions.] Bristol has aSlave Trade list.F. If yes, please describe or send a copy. Wereceived 5 samples.G. Do you ask researchers/fellow archivists toinform you if they find references to Blackpeoples? Yes, 9; No,39.H. Please describe how this is done. Allresponses indicate this is done informally/on anad hoc basisI. Do you hold the papers of either Blackorganisations which work with/for Blackpeoples (eg, local CRCs, Equal Ops Units,churches/mosques/temples, CABs, etc.) Yes,22; No, 24; Dont know, 1. Of these, four have

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only the local CAB’s records, and one the localE0Q most respondents fist church records, butnot particularly Black churches. J. Have you been able to do any outreach workwith ethnic minority groups? Yes, 9; No, 41.Of those answering yes, five were specificprojects for exhibitions.K. Is there a member of staff responsible for (1)searching out relevant material? Yes, 6; No, 44;(2) prep and updating handlists? Yes, 12; No,36; (3) preparing open days/special outreachmaterials, Yes, 7; No, 41; (4) liaison work withethnic minority communities? Yes,, 5; No. 43.

The universities. We received 21 responses, ofwhich 7 were from Scotland and 8 fromOxbridge. Some only hold their studentrecords. Sadly, there were no returns fromsome of the university archives holding largecollections of missionary materials, whichpresumably contain some relevant material asby this century some of these missionaryorganisations were involved with Black peopleand groups in Britain. Of the 20, threemaintained they had no pertinent material - Iknow that one of these in fact has one of therichest collections of information on Blackpeoples in Britain (though not listed as such).One respondent did not know whether there wassuch material. Of the 18 which stated that theyhad material, two have material for the 18thcentury, 10 for the 19th and 16 for the 20th; thegreatest proportion is not listed to show theBlack presence and none have specifically‘Black’ handlists, though two have web sitesand the Modern Records Centre at Warwick,which collects trade union records, producesfairly detailed handlists. Nowhere areresearchers asked to note references to Blackpeople/organisations that they come across;none do outreach work, and only one hascollected any papers relating to its local Blackcommunity. Unfortunately only one universitywhich probably has substantial holdings on thetrade in enslaved Africans, and hence possiblyon Africans in Britain, has responded.

Museums and galleries. Unfortunately twomuseums/galleries that I know have somepertinent material have not responded to thequestionnaire. Of the ten responders, threestated that they have no pertinent holdings. Ofthe remainder, one knows of material regardingthe 17th century, one re the 18th, two for the19th and 5 for the 20th. London's TheatreMuseum is the only one to have collectedmaterial (from Black theatre groups) and its

education department is thinking of undertakingoutreach, work. The National Portrait Gallerylists its holdings by name, but has subjectheadings for group photographs the CinemaMuseum has a card index to stills.

The charities. Four responses. Barnardo’s andthe Children’s Society have pertinent records,unlisted.

The churches. Three responses. All three haveunlisted records, some going back to the 17thcentury.

There were seven returns from commercialcompanies. An insurance company has somerecords, indexed geographically for India, Chinaand the Caribbean, one bank has the files on itsadministration of ‘equal opportunities’; anotherbank knows that Black peoples appear in itsrecords for the 18th and 19th centuries.

Great houses. Four returns. At Longleat Housethere was a Black servant in the early 18thcentury. At Dartington Hall Trust Archive thereare scattered but listed references to visitingIndian musicians, Rabindranath a Tagore, visitsby African dance companies (1975-6);correspondence of the founders of DartingtonHall with people in India from the 1930, inChina and in Africa (1960s).

The medical profession. We had two returnsfrom hospitals, one of which has a photographiccollection as well as some other materialrelating to the hospital and the associatedmedical school. The Society of Apothecarieshas some material for the 19th and 20thcenturies, while the Royal College of Nursingalso has some 20th century photographs. TheWellcome Trust has a number of collections ofrelevance: eg, the papers of the EugenicsSociety; the Family Planning Association; theHealth Visitors Association; Sir Peter Medawar,who was one of the trustees of the RunnymedeTrust; the Hodgkin Family, and some others.References to Black peoples are not indexed inany of these.

Private schools. Two responses. Both have hadnumbers of pupils from overseas; records arenot catalogued to show places of origin. Onearchivist, in [a] West Sussex school, noted thatthere was a Black man working on the buildingof its chapel in the latter half of the 19thcentury.

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Professional organisations. Four responses.The History of Advertising Trust has materialrelating to Black images and some of theprotests against these; the RIBA probably hassome information regarding Black architects.Neither is listed.

Miscellaneous organisations - three returns.Some archivists, despite working very fewhours, completed the questionnaire, including aprivate club. As noted previously in the BASANewsletter, there is some relevant material inthe Mass Observation holdings at SussexUniversity - but it is not easy to find.

AM 108 (Consortium of University ResearchLibraries. Clare Jenkins, ExecutiveSecretary, 1/99)CURL represents the libraries of the universitiesof Birmingham, Cambridge, Durham,Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, King’sCollege London, London (Senate House),Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford,Imperial College London, London School ofEconomics, Sheffield, Southampton, UniversityCollege London, Warwick, and Trinity CollegeDublin. In addition, the British Library, theNational Libraries of Scotland and Wales, andthe Wellcome Institute are in associatemembership, and SAS (School of AdvancedStudy) belongs as a co-operating member. Itthus includes within its membership thelibraries of the major research led universitiesand the national legal deposit libraries, whosecollections are rich in archival material.

The physical conditions under which archivecollections are stored can still vary quitesignificantly from one repository to another.The Commission’s role in providing advice andpractical assistance makes an importantcontribution in helping to improve standards ofcare, but in many instances funding is needed inorder to bring existing building stock up to therequired standard, even if capital funding fornew, purpose built accommodation is out of thequestion. Many of the universities have beenable to upgrade the physical environment fortheir archive collections by making incrementalimprovements, as funding and prioritiespermitted. For many of the smaller repositories(and including some of the local record offices)scarcity of funding has prevented even thisgradualist approach and it must be a cause ofconcern that some collections are still physicallyat risk. This risk can be exacerbated where

inadequate levels of staffing mean that archivecollections are managed under naive andinexperienced direction, without reliableservices, and where there may be no long termcommitment by the parent institution to keepand maintain the collections under their care.All of this has serious implications for the long-term preservation of unique collections, and forthe scholars whose work depends on them.

As researchers become increasingly reliant ononline catalogues to aid them in resourcediscovery, it will be essential to developmachine readable, networked catalogues ofarchival resources. Although this agenda isbeing moved forward, both in the universitysector and, more recently - following thepublication of the NCA’s Archives On Line -within the wider archive community, we havesome concerns that there is still somedivergence of opinion, among archivists, overcommon standards to be adopted. We wouldurge that the community as a whole ensures thatmechanisms are in place to ensureinteroperability between local and networkedsystems.

The convergence of information sources isbecoming increasingly important, and archivistsneed to conform to emerging national andinternational standards, (for example DublinCore, MARC-AMC, EAD) when exploiting ITto widen access to their collections, to ensurecompliance with other systems, and to permitcross-domain searching.

There is now a significant body of experiencewithin the library and information profession, interms of the creation and networking ofmachine-readable catalogues for printed books.We strongly encourage the archive communityto draw on this experience, as appropriate, inorder to avoid unnecessary duplication of effortand reinvention of wheels, and to benefit fromlessons already learnt.

Lottery funding is likely to provide some much-needed support, at least in the short term, forinitiatives that will help to raise the standards ofcare for and access to archives. New initiativeswe would like to see taken at a national levelinclude:

� Pump-priming money to enable repositories toupgrade the physical environment in which theirarchive collections are stored

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� Funding to support machine readablecataloguing of archival collections (at least tocollection level description) to assist in thecreation of a national networked catalogue ofarchival material. Such funding should becontingent upon the recipients complying withan agreed set of standards for record creation� Funding to support conservation work to becarried out on items identified as beingseriously at risk� Funding to support the infrastructure andongoing maintenance of a national archives hub.

AM 109 (British Library. Dr AliceProchaska, Director of Special Collections,1/99)No professional archivist could be content withthe way in which all archives are currentlystored, managed, catalogued etc. I believe therehave been enormous improvements andadvances during the last decade in particular,and the HMC not least has made an importantcontribution to raising standards nationally.The problem of resources will alwayspreoccupy archivists both at local and atnational level. I am however, encouraged by therecent initiatives taken by the Department forCulture, Media and Sport. In particular I hopethat the establishment of a new MuseumsLibraries and Archives Council will supporthigher levels of interest in and resource forarchives in the future.

Among the continuing strategic problems, onethat I would identify as likely to continueregardless of the availability of resources, is thatof fragmentation. As in the field of museums,there is a tendency for particular interest groupsto set up archival collections reflecting theirsectoral interest, and often to make verypraiseworthy and successful efforts to givepublic access to these archives. What concernsme is that we still have too little nationalstrategy and, in particular, that the Lotterydistributors and other funding bodies really needguidance as to which initiatives deserve support.There are questions of overlap and evensometimes of directly conflicting interests,which some strategic body needs to be able toresolve. The huge and rich diversity of archivesin the United Kingdom is reflected in this greatrange of interests, and should continue to be soreflected. What is needed in the interests ofpublic access, is some kind of overview.

The new initiative that I would most like to seetaken at a national level, is to provide a nationalarchival network which would very muchsupport the needs identified in paragraph 2above. I strongly support the Access to Archivesinitiative which is now being set up under thechairmanship of the Keeper of Public Records.Amongst other things, this initiative willaddress the question of providing access toarchives most effectively in the digital era: thegreatest strategic issue we face.

These comments are necessarily very general,but I hope they give you a flavour of the overalloptimism which I feel for the future of archivesand their users in the new century.

AM 110 (Tyne & Wear Archives Service. EARees, Chief Archivist, 1/99)Since the initial call for comment there havebeen significant developments in proposals fornational and regional structures in which Ibelieve it is imperative for archivists to take afull and active role. In this region there areconcerns that archives could find themselvesmarginalised by museums and libraries whichare represented in much greater numbers, unlessarchivists have direct representation on any newbodies which are created.

With more specific regard to our own service,we have enjoyed a reputation for good practicein a number of areas since our establishment in1974. I am concerned, however, that resourcescan be made available to maintain standards andto take our service forward to meet theexpectations of users in the next century. Someof these expectations, including computerisationof catalogues and remote access throughtechnology are already making themselves feltbut no doubt pressures in these directions willincrease and other new demands emerge overthe next few years. Already I feel that we lackboth the infrastructure, and the resources to putthat infrastructure in place, to meet theselegitimate demands.

While concerns remain over the physicalpreservation of the vast quantities of recordswhich we hold (far in excess of expectation 25years ago), I feel that it is these issues of accessto the material which need to be addressed mosturgently.

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AM 111 (Cheshire County Council. IanDunn, County Librarian, 1/99)The County Council welcomes the initiative ofthe HMC in undertaking this enquiry into theprovision for the care and conservation of thenation’s archives and manuscripts. There are anumber of positive features to comment on,primarily the success of the national network oflocal authority archive services in locating andsecuring a large part of the nation’s archivalheritage over the last 75 years, and making itavailable for research by an ever-increasingnumber of users. This remarkable achievementhas been due to the willingness of localauthorities to invest resources above and beyondtheir statutory obligations.

In the last few years there have also been someencouraging developments: the willingness ofthe Public Record Office to assume a moreleading role in archival developments; a numberof recent reports and papers which recognise thepart which archives can play in lifelong learningand in enhancing educational experiences; andmost recently, (belated) recognition by theDCMS of the distinct role of archives in theirreport A New Cultural Framework. Within theprofession there has also been a growingrecognition of the need for national standardsand policies, and of the opportunities which ICToffers for improved and wider access.

The local authority sector still faces seriousthreats. The recent survey of archive provisionconducted by the Archival Mapping ProjectBoard and published in 1998 (Our Shared Past:an Archival Domesday for England), revealedgreat unevenness of provision. Most critically,it revealed that 65% of archives are housed inbuildings which do not conform to the relevantBritish Standard. If we are to preserve archivesfor future generations. it is important thatcentral government recognises that it is essentialto provide appropriate facilities to do so. Sadlyindividual local authorities are increasinglyunable to make the capital investmentnecessary. It is particularly unfortunate that atthis moment Heritage Lottery Fund support formajor capital schemes such as new archiverepositories appears to be less and lessavailable. National provision should not be sodependent on the chance and vagaries of localcircumstances.

ICT offers exciting opportunities for thedissemination of information about archives,and even images of documents, which can bring

archives to huge new audiences. However,enthusiasm for these possibilities should notblind us to the fact that it is still necessary tohave trained professional staff to arrange andcatalogue archival material. The success of thenational archive network in locating andrescuing records has been in part at the expenseof the other processes which are essential tomake archives accessible, and most archiveservices have substantial backlogs of unlisted(and therefore unavailable) records. Theprospect of a national archival database asoutlined in Archives Online can only be realisedwith major investment of resources both inbasic archival skills and in the technology.

Recent reorganisation in local government hashad an adverse effect on archive provision, boththrough the additional general pressures onbudgets and through the creation of smallerauthorities without the resources for thespecialist facilities which an archive servicerequires. The resultant joint arrangements,while preferable to fragmentation into under-resourced services. are inherently less stable andmore complex to finance. The current trendtowards regionalisation, highlighted again in therecent MMS report, will no doubt result infurther change and disruption. It remains to beseen whether archives will receive appropriaterecognition in the new regional structures whichthat report proposes.

Underpinning all the above must be arecognition that in any developed, civilized[society] archives are not simply a leisureinterest for a tiny minority. they are a vitalelement of our cultural heritage and part of theinfrastructure of a modern democratic society inwhich information, and access to it, is properlyvalued.

AM 112 (Leeds Library and InformationServices. Michele Lefevre and Pat Egan,1/99)[Conservation of Central Library Archives: acritique of the local situation, not reproducedhere; available with the original evidence]

AM 113 (Society of Antiquaries of Newcastleupon Tyne)[Copy of a letter sent by the President, BarbaraHarbottle, to Northumberland CountyCouncillors, 19 November 1998, not

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reproduced here; available with the originalevidence]

AM 114 (Medway Council. Stephen MDixon, borough archivist 1/99)Medway Council has subscribed to the Standardof the Commission and supports the latter bodyin its work.

Following a successful merger of two districtcouncils to form the new unitary authority andthe acquisition of the Gillingham BoroughArchives, and the implementation of a mobileracking scheme and fire suppression scheme,Medway Council feels it is in a good positionarchivally to meet the challenges of the newmillennium.

Medway Council noted from the recent CIPFAstatistics it is the only unitary authority archivesservice listed to have 100% fire suppressioncoverage, 100% fire detection coverage and100% intruder protection and one of only threelocal authority archives services in England andWales listed to have the same.

The CityArk intranet database we hope willconstitute our initial contribution to theautomation of archives on the Internet, Freedomof Information developments and the NationalGrid for Learning.

Medway Council has plans for modern recordsmanagement and thus hopes to exploit theopportunity of being a new authority to launchthis service at an earl stage in its existence.

The archivist welcomes the improvedgovernment policy towards archives byincluding it as a distinct discipline and publicservice in the new umbrella body the MuseumsLibraries and Archive Council.

However, the archivist expresses concern at theproposal to develop ‘regional structures’.Historically, England and Wales have noregions. It would be contrary to the county asthe basis of local government to impose falseand artificial regional arrangements on archivesand tends towards distortion of provenance.

The archivist also notes there is little conformitybetween the Public Record Office, ScottishRecord Office, Public Record Office ofNorthern Ireland and National Library of Walesin innovations and this lack of consistency

between civil service record offices surely doesnot serve as a happy basis for imposing artificialconformity on local government archivesservices where in any case the emphasis is on‘local’.

It is indeed ironic, that after a bitter campaignfought by opposing sides as to the virtues ordemerits of unitary authorities as archivesservices (both the HMC and PRO were opposedto unitary authority archives services or to thecreation of new structures), government isproposing a further level of local government inthe form of untried regional arrangements as ameans of administering archives, apparentlywith the backing of the archives umbrellabodies.

The archivist feels that an added level ofbureaucracy in archives will not serve the widerinterest. Instead better funding of and supportfor existing archives services would reapdividends, especially as most district councilsalready make no proper provision for theirarchives.

On the subject of financial provision forarchives from central sources, the archivistwishes to express disappointment at the methodof operation of the Heritage Lottery Fund,whose staff seem singularly badly briefed inarchives matters.

Reform of the Heritage Lottery Fund involvingthe appointment of a qualified archivist to theirestablishment would probably solve thisproblem.

AM 115 (Borough of Restormel. FionaSpiers, Museum Development Officer, 1/99)Although the Council has no directresponsibility over museums, or indeed otherheritage organisations which hold historicalmanuscripts and archives, the borough has anumber of museums and other localorganisations, like Old Cornwall Societies andHistorical Societies who hold archival materialassociated with individual towns or villages.

The major concern is a lack of understanding ofthe correct and appropriate methods ofprotection and storage for archival material andthe lack of resources to implement appropriatelong-term conservation care strategies. Inaddition, the management and cataloguing ofarchive material is at a very rudimentary level in

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a number of museums and, no doubt, in otherlocal societies.

This is partly being addressed via my work withlocal museums by actively trying to raiseawareness of correct standards and proceduresfor archive and photographic material.However, it is unfortunate that the resourcesnecessary to achieve such standards are oftenbeyond the means of most local organisations.The other problem is that nobody really knowsthe extent of material within the district, whichis probably the case in the majority of regions.Without a true understanding of the breadth ofarchive material held by various organisationsthe problems cannot start to be addressed.Although county record offices are veryamenable and most organisations know thatmaterial can be lodged with the CRO there isstill a large amount of archive material which isseriously under threat.

It is difficult to suggest ways of addressing theproblem. Although a national scheme, raisingawareness of the issues surrounding archivalcare and making more funding available, wouldbe beneficial, such schemes often losemomentum at a grass roots level. However, agood starting point would be an independentsurvey of collections, a concerted effort to setup local forums to address archive issues, amajor rationalisation of material and theimplementation of pragmatic and achievableregional strategies.

AM 116 (St Albans District Council. MarkSuggitt, Museums Director, 1/99)This response is from St Albans DistrictCouncil (SADC) which is the successorauthority to St Albans City Council andHarpenden Urban District Council. It notes thatthe request for responses has been overtaken bythe DCMS Review.

SADC does not provide a directly managedarchives service but does own historic archivematerial. The Library Service is provided byHertfordshire County Council and the localstudies libraries at St Albans and Harpendenhave reference material and photographs.

SADC is a direct provider of museums servicesand the service holds archival material andphotographs which are associated with thecollections. The Museums Service also has agrowing oral history archive.

Background - local conditionsThis example illustrates how we have had todeal with the problems facing us in this area,and how we have begun to turn them intoopportunities for increasing access andimproving storage conditions. SADC ownssignificant archival material which is currentlyon deposit at the County Record Office inHertford which is run by the County Council.The deposit was made in 1996 for the followingreasons.1.The existing arrangement for the St Albansmaterial was not sustainable as it was housed ina difficult space in the City Library with nocapacity for future expansion.2. There was no full-time archivist employedand access and security were not adequate.3. The Harpenden material was poorly housedin a building which was to be vacated by SADCand the space in St Albans could notaccommodate it. It also contained Parishmaterial which should have been handed to theCounty Record Office in 1974!

Since the transfer, the key material has beencopied onto microfilm and copies lodged at StAlbans and Harpenden Libraries, the MuseumsService and with the St Albans & Herts.Architectural & Archaeological Society. Theresult has been safer storage conditions for thematerial under the care of professionalarchivists and improved public access to the keymaterial.

This solution currently works well for SADC asit currently does not have the resources to houseand staff an archival service to acceptedstandards. It does rely on the continuing servicebeing provided by the County Council.

Current issues - nationalThe paragraphs above illustrate the diversenature of what are termed archives (collectionsof documents which have grown organically)within a relatively small district. The situationis indeed classic, with collections being held bylibraries, museums, archive services. Historicphotographs are held by and collected by allthree.

The most important factor is that they areaccessible to the public and the seriousresearcher alike. The growth of informationtechnology therefore presents a greatopportunity to allow access to this material,regardless of where historic accident hasphysically placed it.

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One real problem is that much of the material isnot properly catalogued and is therefore notready to be made available in a printedcatalogue let alone an Internet or CD-ROMversion. This is a costly problem as it willrequire considerable human resources toresolve. This issue was flagged up in theHeritage Lottery Fund draft strategic plan(Local Archives Service on line). While no onewould deny that there is a backlog ofcataloguing, the same could be said formuseums collections. There is also a concernthat such a proposal breaks the conditions ofadditionality which the HLF should adhere to.

The recent DCMS review has established that anew strategic body for libraries, museums andarchives will be created by 1 April 2000. As‘access for the many, not the few’ is one of themain drivers for central government in this area,the question of how this aim can be deliveredwill be high on the new body’s agenda. Giventhat the initial HMC request for consultation hasnow been overtaken by the DCMS review,perhaps it is best to list areas which the newbody should discuss.

� Evaluation of the cataloguing backlog. Is it asbad as we are told?� Bench-marking of archival services.� Review of staffing and resources required tocatalogue and bring archives on line.� Review of how other countries havetacked/are tackling this issue.� Needs assessment with regard to conservationrequirements.� Forward planning for future needs. Analysisof what is waiting in the wings. e.g. post 1974local government material not yet deposited.

AM 117 (National Portrait Gallery. HeinzArchive and Library, 1/99)The National Portrait Gallery does not have aspecific and statutory remit to acquire archivaland manuscript material. Its primaryresponsibility is to collect and display portraitsof eminent British men and women. In additionto this, and outside of its statutoryresponsibilities, the Gallery maintains reservecollections of prints and photographs andacquires other research materials, includingmanuscripts, to aid the study of Britishportraiture. Manuscript and archival materialshave been collected more or less since theGallery was first established but only inresponse to its internal research needs and inorder to help it meet its statutory obligations.

Acquisition policy for archives and manuscriptsThe Heinz Archive and Library is responsiblefor all research materials in the Gallery, and,although primarily a visual resource, it holdsboth the historical records (muniments) of theinstitution and all other manuscripts andarchives that have been acquired by gift orpurchase. The muniments, which constitute thebulk of the archival holdings of the Archive andLibrary, are in effect public records and aremanaged in accordance with the requirements ofthe Public Record Office. Manuscripts relatingto British portraiture (autograph letters,correspondence, account and sitter books, andresearch papers) are acquired only veryexceptionally and specifically to assist researchinto the Gallery’s Primary Collection andthereby support the study of British portraiture -as defined in the Library’s Acquisition Policy.

At the present time, and within existingresources, the Archive and Library does not aimto be a manuscript repository as such – nor,within its present arrangement, would itconsider such an ambition desirable.Manuscripts represent only a small part of theArchive’s collections and practicalconsiderations prevent the adoption of a moreactive policy for the acquisition of suchmaterial.

Cooperation and overlap between institutionsIn view of the above low-level and very specificapproach to collecting archival material, theGallery only very exceptionally finds itself indirect competition with other national bodiesand specialist repositories. Some degree ofoverlap between institutions operating in similarsubject areas is inevitable, but this is usuallyhandled and any conflicts overcome by meansof effective communication and cooperation.Initiatives which encourage bodies to produceclearly defined collecting policies and sharecollections information are an important part ofthis process and also help ensure thepreservation of archival collections.Cooperation is essential if potential gaps ininstitutional coverage are to be identified andfilled. However, in specialised areasrepresented by fewer and potentially smallerinstitutions it can be more difficult to achieveeffective coverage and thereby ensure thathistorically important material is collected andpreserved.

Care and access. Care and access of manuscriptsand archives in the Heinz Archive and Library

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is largely determined by the standards requiredfor the book and print collections. Thesestandards are not necessarily thoserecommended specifically for the care ofarchival material, although storage and accessarrangements are adequate and provision ismade for ‘special’ collections to be moresecurely stored than the general stock and moreclosely supervised when consulted. TheArchive and Library is housed in a buildingconverted specifically for the purpose at thebeginning of the 1990s and as such the designof the storage areas and public search room hastaken into account the need for secure and fire-proof custody and environmental control.

Documentation. Less satisfactory, at present, isthe way in which the archives and manuscriptsare recorded and therefore accessed. Asummary list of manuscript collections has beensubmitted to the National Register of Archivesand discreet areas have been indexed.However, this work has been erratic in contentand coverage. Plans are underway to catalogueand index the manuscript collection to a moreconsistent and acceptable standard and toincorporate this information in the Gallery’smain collections database. However, because oftheir small number, specific nature andparticular relation to the Primary Collection ofportraits, recording practices for manuscriptswill have to be compatible with the conventionsand cataloguing requirements of othercollections in the Gallery and the structure ofthe main collections database. This inevitablyrestricts the extent to which national standardsfor recording manuscript and archival materialscan be applied. Such situations are notuncommon and standards therefore need to bedesigned in such a way as to allow forflexibility in interpretation and application.

Coordination and national standardsCoordination in the area of archive andmanuscript collections is generally well servedby the Royal Commission but more perhapsshould be done to ensure collaboration betweenthe various types of institution that hold suchcollections and the professional and otherbodies that represent them. In particular, effortsare needed to rationalise and coordinate theproliferation of standards and guidelines that arebeing produced for the care, documentation andmanagement of these collections acrossmuseums, galleries, libraries and archives. Thepresent situation is confusing, especially forthose smaller and specialised institutions that

may lack internal expertise and thereforedepend more heavily on external advice.

National initiatives and funding. Finally, if thereis to be more cooperation between institutions,as well as increased public access to collections,it is essential that relevant information isavailable as widely as possible. The RCHMplays a crucial and central role in this, bymaintaining the National Register of Archivesand supporting other initiatives such as theArtists’ Papers Register. However, many ofthese projects are held back by a lack ofadequate resources. Collaborative projects,such as the Artists’ Papers Register, areespecially valuable and should be set within anational framework and given active centralsupport.

Furthermore, attention should be given to thedifficulties faced by many institutions inreconciling the rate of cataloguing with the rateof acquisition. Although documentation is acore activity of archival and manuscriptrepositories, existing cataloguing resources areoften unable to keep pace with new acquisitionsand undertake retrospective projects to addressbacklogs that may have accumulated. The poorresponse from archive repositories to theavailability of lottery money may in part be areflection of this. If repositories and otherinstitutions are unable to adequately resourcecore cataloguing activities they are unlikely tobe able to pursue the more ambitiousdocumentation and IT projects that are eligiblefor funding by HLF

AM 118 (Durham County Council. PatrickConway, Director of Arts, Libraries andMuseums) [Extract from a report to the Arts,Libraries and Museums Committee of DurhamCounty Council, 14 January 1999]The network of local authority record officesrepresents the main provision for the storage,conservation and public availability of archivesin the United Kingdom. These collections coverlocal authorities, other public bodies,ecclesiastical, business, commercial andindustrial, estate and family records and thosefrom educational, social and communityorganisations.

Local authorities, as democratically accountablebodies, have demonstrated a strong commitmentto preserving and making available for use thedocumentary heritage of the country. In recent

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years, whilst recognising the distinctiveprofessional responsibilities associated withdocumentation, preservation, conservation andstorage, significant developments have beenprogressed with the related disciplines ofmuseums and libraries as part of the localauthority’s overall objectives. Visitor levels atrecord offices and the demand from depositorscontinues to grow, while the opportunities beingafforded by information and communicationstechnologies, allied with communitydevelopment initiatives, could enable a greaterunderstanding of our collective history than everbefore. However, for these opportunities to beseized it is critically important that somestrategic issues are tackled.

At present the voice of the archives communityis fragmented and lacks a champion. Therefore,the DCMS report A New Cultural Framework isto be welcomed in that the decision to establisha new national body the Museums, Librariesand Archives Council (MLAC). MLAC willprovide a focus for strategic advice togovernment and will be in a position to promotenational standards for the care, conservation,documentation and use of collections. The newbody, scheduled to be operating in April 2000,will also be in a position strategically to co-ordinate public provision, to champion the casefor public funding and to influence governmentpolicies, speaking as it will on behalf of thepublic interest in archives. It will be importantfor MLAC to have an authoritative remit inrespect of its relationships with record officesand repositories, ranging from the PublicRecord Office to those in local authorities andhigher education.

MLAC will need to consider a number ofstrategic issues:

a) Protective legislation. At present there is anacceptance that certain archives (public records,manorial and tithe records and the records of theChurch of England) are sufficiently important towarrant legislation that protects them againstdestruction and inappropriate custody.However, other classes of records are notcovered. These include business, industrial,religious records other than the establishedchurch, social and community organisations.The Parochial Registers and Records Measure1978 could serve as a model in that it requiresparish records of the Church of England to besurveyed and recorded on a regular basis, andthat records of a certain date are deposited in a

designated repository. Important historicalmaterial relating to industrial development, theworking class movement and trades unions isnot so protected.

b) Standards. There is legislation requiringpublic records to be stored in accordance withBS 5454. However, this is not true for otherclasses of records. While national codificationcan be difficult, it would be appropriate forMLAC to promote standards of archivalprovision covering not only storage but alsodocumentation, staff training, public access anddissemination policies. There is a not dissimilarprecedent in respect of the MuseumsRegistration Scheme. Suitably approved recordoffices could be eligible for financial supportand be in a position to have responsibilities fordetermining records in a particular geographicalarea which require protective legislation.

c) Collecting policies. At present local authorityrecord offices broadly cover their administrativeareas. However, in some of the larger cities,universities also provide specialist repositoriesand on occasions this can result in unseemlycompetition for collections. There is urgentneed for rational and complementary collectingpolicies between the different institutions.Indeed, it can be agreed that within a definedgeographical area there should be a singleregistered repository providing appropriatestorage and access for both public and researchuse, thereby avoiding unnecessary, expensiveduplication of provision.

The importance of local authority recordoffices, as stated earlier, is essential foraccessibility to the nation’s written heritage.The DCMS Spending Review failed to examinefully the resourcing consequences of DCMSservices and certainly archives provision needsto be considered in that context. Thediscretionary nature of the service is underconsideration in a number of areas butrealistically that can only be pursued were itlinked to the funding methodology employed inthe revenue support grant considerations. Atpresent archives services are part of theEnvironmental, Protective and Cultural ServicesSSA. It should be noted that universities andinstitutions of higher education are in a positionto attract direct government grant for archivesservices in relation to study and research. It canbe argued that local authority record offices areequally if not more important to study, research

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and lifelong learning, yet are not in a position toaccess such resources.

The importance of information andcommunications technology to the archivesservices will be critical. Indeed the formallaunch of the National Grid for Learninginvolved the Prime Minister choosing on-lineeducational resources created in partnershipbetween the Public Record Office and DurhamCounty Council Record Office, covering theTrimdon Grange mining disaster in 1882. It isgovernment policy to encourage digitisationschemes and, strategically, the archives sectormust take advantage of resources potentiallyavailable through the New Opportunities Fundand targeted at content development for theNational Grid for Learning and Public LibraryNetwork.

A New Cultural Framework made reference tostrengthening regional agencies responsible forparticular functions, and specifically citedlibraries and archives. It is suggested that sucha development could aid the formulation ofcollections policies for the documentaryheritage in all media including film, audio anddatabase, as well as print. It could alsoencourage greater co-operation in respect ofstorage, conservation, use of informationtechnology and encouraging access for lifelonglearning and general leisure use.

As stated earlier, the archives sector isfragmented. The new MLAC should strengthennational strategic thinking in respect of theservice but there will also be a need for adeveloped professional institute to provideaccreditation of personal professionalcompetence. Such a responsibility is notappropriate for MLAC and ultimately dependson the will of archive workers.

Conclusion and recommendationFor the built heritage, the nation benefits from awell developed policy in relation to buildings,sites and structures of significance. This is nottrue of the documentary heritage. The review ofHMC is timely, bearing in mind A New CulturalFramework, and the intent of government tobring a greater coherence and higher priority tothe sector overall.

AM 119 (National Museums & Galleries onMerseyside: Merseyside Maritime Museum.MK Stammers, Keeper, 1/99)I think you will see from the attached copy ofour collection policy [not reproduced here]which we completed as part of the registrationprocess with the Museums and GalleriesCommission, that we do have a defined policyon archives. We also maintain a postspecifically for dealing with our own archiveswhich are public records. The postholder worksclosely with the Public Record Office. We alsohave a policy of informal co-operation withsimilar institutions, particularly the NationalMaritime Museum who also have large depositsof archival material, and the local record officesin the region, and for the latter we have aninformal quarterly meeting known as theMerseyside Archives Liaison Group. Thisgroup has published a set of objectives andcollecting policies and has co-operated inpublishing themed lists of material in localoffices.

AM 120 (Natural History Museum. Dr NeilChalmers, Director, 1/99)There needs to be greater recognition thatnational institutions may have to be flexibleabout some materials which are fringe to theircore collection activity. For example, theMuseum has occasionally decided that it had toaccept something because if it had not, therewas no other suitable repository and thecollection would have been destroyed. Thesewere items of value to researchers in naturalhistory, but not core to the Museum’s needs. Itdoes not seem to be recognised that the Museumoften has to fulfil this role. This is particularlythe case with archives of individuals who haveno strong attachment to any institution.

There is generally good cooperation rather thanany competition between the different archiveservices. Well-developed professional networkssupport the written policies and in ourexperience this leads to ready agreement onwhich institution is best to house items thatbecome available.

Storage conditions and staffing are the twoprincipal areas of difficulty in most archiveservices in the national sector. Other prioritiesand limited financial resources can result inarchives not always getting the investment theyneed.

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The storage areas of many are in listed buildingsnot designed to meet modern archival storagestandards. Many are kept in areas susceptible toflooding, leaks and security lapses. It wouldrequire considerable investment to bring theseto a condition of being fireproof and isolatedfrom other agents of destruction.

The archive service is frequently staffed by onlyone person, which makes continuity of serviceand the maintenance of access problematic.Similarly in a well-used archive, surveillance ofusers is difficult if the staff levels are barelyadequate.

It is perhaps not fully realised that much of theuse of the archives is by researchers outside theparent institution. The national sector gets goodadvice and support from the PRO. It could beuseful if they were able to back some of theirrecommendations for improvements with grantsto help long-standing problems, particularly onstorage facilities. As a second priority, supportwith staffing to help reduce cataloguingbacklogs and conservation work would helppromote the improved accessibility of thecollections.

In summary, the Museum considers that thesector is clear about its purpose and is good atcoordination. However, it needs financial helpto improve storage facilities and generategreater accessibility.

AM 121 (East Sussex County Council. HWHCartwright, County Secretary, 1/99)The Legal and Community Services Departmentof the County Council is responsible for theprovision of the archive service in East Sussex.

You will, of course, be well aware from yourown process of recognising repositories assuitable places for the storage of manorial andtithe documents that we have particularproblems in East Sussex in our existing recordoffice premises in meeting the required buildingstandards, notably in relation to fire prevention.Indeed, the Council has accepted that thenecessary standards cannot reasonably beachieved within the existing premises, and hasagreed in principle the need to replace them,preferably with a purpose-built repository(hopefully in association with Brighton andHove Council and with the University ofSussex). This is still very much our aim and wehave gone a long way towards securing

agreement between the parties as to what isdesirable and needful. What is currentlycausing delay is that we have been told that thehoped-for site (owned by Brighton and HoveCouncil) cannot now be made available. Weare therefore having to seek alternatives.

The comments below are based on thedifficulties we have faced over the past fewyears in maintaining an adequate public archiveservice, and on seeking to bring our buildingsup to acceptable standards.

The Council has no quarrel with the highstandards which legislation and othergovernmental processes seek to impose onbodies which administer archive services - farfrom it. However, the financial regime withinwhich local authorities have to operate can itselfmake it very difficult to achieve those standards.For revenue budgets, archives have to competefor funding with many other functions of localgovernment, some of them, such as education,social services and roads, being essential for thewell-being of the community, and indeedenjoying a degree of ‘protection’ in terms ofgovernment requirements as to expenditure.

In the context of juggling with revenue budgetpriorities, it is a reasonable source of complaintby local authorities that while they care forconsiderable quantities of designated publicrecords of a local character, observing to thebest of their ability the rules which are laiddown for the selection, care and publicconsultation (and being inspected andrecognised, or not, for the purpose), there isnevertheless no specific form of centralgovernment subvention towards meeting costs.It is hoped that in the future this issue can beproperly addressed.

As to the problems of capital expenditure onrecord office buildings, there have long beenrestrictions of one sort or another which havemade it very difficult to achieve the desiredprovision. In the current round, for example,much of the limited sum which this Council canspend on capital projects is targeted (e.g.towards schools) and the capital guideline figurefor borrowing in 1999/2000 for ‘other services'(of which archives is just one) is just £66,000.It is this situation which makes it almostimpossible to achieve even ‘matching funding’where grants require it, let alone an adequatecapital programme. It has led us to concludethat the only hope of finding a new record office

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here is through the Private Finance Initiative,and even this will have to be carefullyconsidered when the time comes, because of thepotentially high revenue costs which couldensue.

These financial issues need to be resolved, andlocal authority archive services guaranteed aspecific element of support funding (revenueand capital) related to the responsibilities andstandards which are expected of them, beforeadequate provision can be secured nationally.

Having made these points, it is important toemphasise that the standards of professionalcommitment within the archival profession isvery high in this country. Any deficiency inarchival provision and service is not due to lackof will to serve the community and to preserveits written memory.

AM 122 (National Railway Museum. AndrewScott, Head of Museum, 1/99)The National Railway Museum (NRM) wasestablished in 1975 as part of the ScienceMuseum. Together with the National Museumof Photography, Film and Television it formspart of the National Museum of Science andIndustry (NMSI).

The archive inheritance of the National RailwayMuseum originates as much from the accidentsof history as from deliberate collecting policy.[Attached summary of the historical background- not reproduced here]. Most of the issues wenow face arise from this process.

We have recently been giving considerablethought to the NRM’s role in the care of thenational railway archive. One focus for this hasbeen the privatisation of British Rail, which,although in some respects complicating thesituation, has given the NRM the opportunity toreassess its position in relation to railwayarchives.

The NRM’s archive holdingsThe NRM has since its creation held largequantities of railway-related archives. Theseoriginate from three main sources:(a) The papers of private individuals associatedwith the railway industry either professionallyor as historians and/or enthusiasts;(b) Records from railway industry organisationsforming part of the wider British railway

industry (e.g. trade associations, manufacturersand contractors);(c)Records from the nationalised railwayindustry and its predecessor companies.

Strategic issuesFor archives in categories (a) and (b) the NRMhas a clearly defined collecting policy. Thepolicy is published and periodically reviewed.The collections relate to and support our widermuseum holdings and are managed in a similarway. Our strategic problems relate to:1. The expectation that the NRM willautomatically accept responsibility for the fateof all historic railway records. The NRM isperceived by the public, the industry and bymany other archive institutions as the de factohome of the national railway archive and inextremis the home of last resort. This does notaccord with the actual distribution of publicfunds for this work i.e. the NRM receives nofunding to provide this function.2. The fact that none of our archive storageareas meet the requirements of either BS 5454or the HMC’s Standard for RecordRepositories. This is inherently a cause forprofessional concern but is exacerbated by thesheer bulk of material that needs archive qualitystorage.

As the custodian of the nationalised railway’stechnical records, i.e. those from thenationalised railway industry and itspredecessor companies, the NRM is ostensibly apartner in the management of the nationalrailway archive with the PRO and the SRO.However, the NRM has never been designatedas a place of deposit for public records.Furthermore the British Railways records itholds have never had the status of publicrecords. Yet these records form part of a singleorganisational archive whose other elements inthe PRO and SRO have been accorded thatstatus - with the claim on public funds that thatimplies.

The problem was (and still is) compounded bythe fact that many of these technical records are,by their very nature, only usable whencatalogued at individual item level. From themoment of their arrival these records have beensubject to a high level of public demand foraccess which we have been unable to satisfy.We have begun to tackle this issue by scopingthe problem and targeting these collections withthe maximum level of supervised volunteerinput that we can manage at our existing level

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of resources. However, much work remains tobe done.

The role of the National Railway MuseumThe National Railway Museum sees a clearstrategic role for itself in the future managementof railway archives. There are few, if any,single-industry museums in Britain with theNRM’s range of historic collections matchedwith significant archival holdings. Our artefactcollections provide a context for our archivalcollections, and our archives support ourartefact collections.

The Museum’s role in providing a context forunderstanding and appreciating the modernrailway means that it is well-placed to play astrategic role in the management of the archivesof today’s railway industry.

As a result the NRM has been working closelywith the Railway Heritage Committee (astatutory body operating under the terms of theRailway Heritage Act 1996). We areendeavouring to provide a framework for futurepolicy in managing the archives of the railwayindustry post-privatisation.

The NRM is developing a concept which we arecalling The Railway Industry National Archive(RINA). RINA will provide a facility tomanage the important archives produced by thepost-1994 British railway industry. We seeRINA’s main strength as being its ability todraw on the NRM’s multi-functional collectionmanagement skills and its relationship with theindustry. RINA will seek to work with majorcompanies in the railway industry on themanagement of their company archives. It willalso liaise closely with the other archivalstakeholders (e g the PRO, SRO and localrecords offices) to attempt to ensure a rationalstrategic approach to the management of thearchives of this important national industry.

ConclusionThere is a major historic problem with themanagement of that large element of the pre-privatisation railway archive that is held by theNational Railway Museum. We know what hasto be done. To bring these records up to thesame standards of public access as the elementsof the national railway archive held in the otherpublicly funded national repositories a majorone-off lump sum of consolidation funding isrequired. This would provide new or improvedaccommodation for the records, and would

allow their cataloguing to a sufficient standardto permit public access. Without this themuseum will struggle to meet public andprofessional expectations for the care of theserecords.

The wider strategic problems arise from theprevious fragmented approach to the nationalrailway archive. The issues here relateprincipally to a lack of intellectual control: thedispersed nature of the records, the absence of aunified catalogue and the unevenness of publicfunding for the care of different elements of thearchive. These all work against maximisingaccess to this important national resource.

The radical organisational changes broughtabout by the privatisation of British Rail havebrought the issues sharply into focus. TheNRM is making efforts to clarify and introduceintellectual rigour to the situation relating to thepre-1994 archive.

The National Railway Museum is also takingthe lead in setting up a framework (via theRINA initiative) to address the issue of thefuture provision for archives from the newrailway industry. In this we are alreadyworking in partnership with the industry and theRailway Heritage Committee.

In both cases we would actively welcome theHMC joining with us to drive forward thedebate with other professional stakeholders sothat we can secure the future of the archives ofthe railway industry in Britain.

AM 123 (Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. JIColes, Senior Assistant Director, LeisureServices and Tourism, 1/99)You will not be surprised to hear that limitedresources are making it impossible to operateour archive service as we should. The Council isresponsible for an area of approximately 60 sq.miles with a population of 330,000.

The collections are wide ranging and coverlarge bequeathed archives as well as acontinuing steady influx of new material.Recently for example a large local shipyardclosed down and the archives (which fortunatelythe Council managed to acquire almost intactand dating back to the 1820s) extended to 3large rooms. This material is now in atemporary store but needs many hours of inputbefore its true worth can be exploited.

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The present service has only one member ofstaff who is actually the Council’s archivist.Additional support is provided when possibleand this comes from the library and museumservice although they also have similarresourcing problems. Stores are inadequate andtoo numerous being scattered around theBorough as an odd room might becomeavailable.

Whilst I appreciate that there is no such thing asan ideal situation I would estimate that theservice probably needs an additional £80,000 tobe able to operate to an acceptable rather thanan ideal level. This would provide for thefollowing additional requirements: (1) Twomembers of staff ; an additional archivist and anassistant. (2) Funds to improve storage facilitiesand equipment. (3) The capacity to beginexploiting and interpreting the stock for thebenefit of the local community. In addition tothe above I would also like to see a ‘one-off’grant for our most important collections and inthe case of the Cammell Laird Shipyard Archivefor example it would probably take 3 membersof staff 3 years to undertake all the worknecessary at a cost of approximately £200,000.

We are considering submitting lottery bids forthe collections, but due to the problem offinding staff time to prepare the bids nothinghas happened as yet.

AM 124 (South Gloucestershire Council.Roger Hopkins, Head of Democratic Servicesand Administration, 1/99)As a unitary authority, this Council has recentlyreviewed the provision of archive services toitself and the community it serves. The attachedreport [not reproduced here] has been endorsedby the relevant committees of the Council.Subject to budget provision being made, wepropose to purchase archive services and advicefrom Gloucestershire County Council. In themeantime, we are actively identifying inheritedand current archival material and safeguardingsuch material at our Modern Records Centre atBroad Lane, Yate. This material is not currentlyavailable to the public. Our RecordsManagement Service will soon be in a positionto promote the preparation by all departments ofnew records retention policies which willinclude the identification of records forpermanent retention and the archival samplingof records which after designated periods are nolonger retained.

AM 125 (Science Museum. Dr DerekRobinson, Acting Director, CollectionsDivision, 1/99)We are particularly interested in thepreservation of scientific and technical archives,so I am glad to have this opportunity tocomment on this timely initiative.

The Science Museum set up its ArchivesCollection in 1979 in order to bring togetherand catalogue, under the auspices of the ScienceMuseum Library, the existing collections ofarchive material, then dispersed throughout theMuseum, and to co-ordinate future acquisitions.Since then great progress has been made inplacing on inventory and cataloguing much ofthis older material, as well as dealing with newacquisitions. There has been a noticeableincrease in the use of the collection, as listingshave been placed on the National Register ofArchives, which, like our own catalogue, isavailable on the Internet. Currentadministrative records of the Science Museumare managed by the Documentation Centre,while older records are held in the ArchivesCollection. The Science Museum has beenrecognised as a place of deposit for publicrecords.

Our current collecting policy is to acquirerecords relating to the Science Museum’scollecting areas in the history of science,technology and medicine. Where possible, wealso take collections in the general field ofphysical science and technology for which thereis no suitable local or specialist repository.

However, the national museums and galleriesare not funded or equipped to manage and makeavailable large archive collections or to functionas record offices. Indeed the role of the nationalmuseums in this area is unclear. As well as ourown administrative records, we hold archivematerial in support of our object collections andacquire material reflective of developments inscience and technology to enable theexploitation of those collections. We make thisavailable to researchers, but, in a field as broadas ours, our collecting policy has to be reactiverather than pro active. Our aim is always to tryto find an appropriate home for the material weare offered and consultation regularly takesplace with other repositories and academic andlearned institutions.

Within the Science Museum we have long beenconcerned about the lack of a national strategy

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for preserving scientific and technical archivematerial. Government departments, researchestablishments, major industrial concerns andcommercial firms have all been subject to muchreorganisation and restructuring in recent years,and curators are very aware of collections ofresearch material which have been lost as aresult of these changes. Local repositories maytake records of local cultural and historicalsignificance, but may not be able to taketechnical and other more specialist material.There is no obvious home for such material. Infact the constraints which cause it to surface andbe lost often coincide with those which preventpublicly funded repositories accepting it.

These collections include true archives,generally unique, such as technical andengineering drawings, company records andpersonal papers, but they also include trade andcommercial literature, collections of researchreports (published or unpublished), laboratoryreports and other ‘grey literature’. Suchcollections may often be of great value forhistorical research, though the highly technicalnature of some material may make it difficult toassess its potential value and likely future use.These collections are often large and unsorted,so decisions on whether to accept them maybemade on the practical grounds of storage andstaff resources.

At the Science Museum use of the archives ismanaged through the library, where staff areable to regulate access and provide reasonablesupervision. Likewise staff in theDocumentation Centre ensure access to theirrecords. But staff resources are increasinglystretched. Storage in South Kensington is verylimited and offsite storage needs increasedstaffing to provide access to material. There is acontinuing dilemma over whether materialshould be accepted, as it sometimes was in thepast, if it cannot be sorted, documented andmade available. When we appear to be the lastresort curators are understandably upset ifcollections cannot be saved.

This question of preserving potential researchmaterial, both archive and trade literature, is onewhich has exercised curatorial and library stafffor many years. It is a matter of nationalsignificance, which we would be pleased tohave considered as part of this survey of thestate of provision for the nation’s archives.

AM 126 (National Gallery. David Carter,Archivist, 1/99)The National Gallery Archive contains recordsrelating to the history of the Gallery from itsfoundation in 1824 to the present day. Most ofthe documents are public records and theArchive is a recognised place of deposit underthe Public Records Acts of 1958 and 1967.Access to these records is in accordance withthis legislation and also the Museums andGalleries Act of 1992 (which requires theGallery to maintain certain documents relatingto the collection). The Gallery’s own records,as you know, are public records and we liaisewith the Public Record Office over these.

However we do also hold a small number ofprivate papers, related in the main either to staffor Trustees of the Gallery or to privatecollections of pictures. The Gallery Archive’sacquisition policy is only to collect, bypurchase, gift or deposit, material related to theNational Gallery and the people associated withit. This has not led to unwarranted overlap andcompetition between national bodies or withother specialist repositories. Indeed we wouldalways be quite careful to liaise with otherinstitutions. There are particularly strongrelations with other museums who share ourinterests particularly the Tate Gallery and RoyalAcademy. I believe the role of the nationalmuseums and galleries is sufficiently definedwith regard to the collection and maintenance ofarchives. I am not aware of any particular kindsof archives at risk for want of a suitablerepository to house them.

Our archive repository (completed in 1996)within the Gallery contains both our publicrecords and private papers. The repository is ofsufficient standard to provide a secure and fireproof custody and a controlled environmentappropriate to the respective media stored andin accordance with national standards.

Resources for the care and access to ourarchival holdings are generally quite sufficientto meet the needs of this gallery’s staff and ourvisitors. While the level of access to our privatepapers is not at present as much as we wouldlike this has been incorporated into our futureplans. Most archives do not have the resourcesthey would like in order to provide easy andcomplete access to all their papers in detail.However this cannot be done immediately. Wehave had to carefully prioritize the areas andcollections in which work is undertaken. Our

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first priority has been to ensure that we managethe Gallery’s own records well and that theserecords and the private papers are preservedwithin the correct environment. This hasincluded the creation of a repository to preservethe records, the acquisition and use of archivestorage materials to house the records, theconservation of damaged records, themicrofilming of vital records and the creation ofa disaster plan. However, although preservationhas been a priority, time and resources havebeen allocated to other activities particularlyanswering enquiries, assisting researchers andthe description of important collections. Theneeds of the gallery and the public have to bebalanced and, while there is always more thatcould be done, I believe we provide a good levelof service to both with the resources that areavailable.

We fulfil our statutory obligations with regardto our public records and, generally, privatepapers are treated in the same way. In futureyears I hope that we will be able to allocatemore time and resources to the description ofprivate papers than has been the case to date. Inshort, I would say that the state of the Gallery’sarchives at the millennium and our relationswith other museum archives are good but thereis always room for improvement.

AM 127 (Northampton Borough Council,1/99)The strength and weaknesses of facing twoways

Legal and administrative roleThe proposed Freedom of InformationLegislation and the growing reliance onelectronic systems will challenge legal andadministrative record keeping. Both strategiesrequire input from archivists and recordmanagers; but it is possible that where theadministrative role of the archivist has beenforgotten this will not happen.

Archivists need to seize opportunities tomaintain a profile within any organisation.

Heritage role Heritage is something that most people agree isa good thing, but it is also something for whichpeople do not always want to pay directly.There will have to be strategic development forpreservation in both archives (and museums).By their very nature both services will need

more space over time; even if it is ‘just’specialised storage space for electronic andother media with particular requirements forpreservation (eg films and photographs).

The Heritage Lottery Fund has not perhaps beenas widely used by archive services as had beenexpected; and there are oft cries forexplanations, The problem is that most recordoffices, whether in local authority or in theuniversity sector, cannot raise the matchingfund which is required.

One area in which Lottery national funding, if itis to be continued over a long period in oneform or another, could be utilised is in thecreation of a national computerised catalogue.

Most archives have the hardware. and software,but not the bodies to input the backlog ofcatalogue and index; cards, which is needed tomake any information put on the internetcomprehensive and worthwhile, It is what usersseem to want. In Northamptonshire there is a 75year backlog of catalogue and index cardswhich it has been estimated will take 14 ‘man’years to input. A similar situation exists in mostrecord offices round the country. Could thepurchase of hardware and software be seen assufficient investment, with the rest of themonies being granted, subject to standards andoutput, so that the task can be completed withina reasonable time scale. to the benefit of peoplein this country and round the world?

Investment is needed for archive services whichare local, national and international in nature:they are part of the national archive andheritage.

AM 128 (British Museum. Dr RGWAnderson, Director, 1/99)The role of Britain’s national museums andgalleries in the acquisition and maintenance ofarchival documents has never been definedofficially, the probable reasons being that theseinstitutions are not dedicated archiverepositories and that the archives which theycreate or acquire do not form part of theirregistered collections. They have a potentiallydistinctive role in that, unlike most otherrepositories, they can act as integrated sourcesfor research and information, in which artefactsand documents may be studied together and areable to complement one another. The nationalmuseums and galleries should perhaps discuss

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with one another how this role can be furtherdefined and developed.

Most of these museums and galleries have clearpolicies in place as to the acquisition of archivalmaterial (many of them have expressed thesepolicies concisely in J Foster and J Sheppard,British Archives (1995)). The majority of thesepolicies are pro-active in that the institutionsconcerned see it as their duty, not only tomaintain the (often extensive) administrativerecords of their own institutions (which, aspublic records, are outside the scope of thisenquiry), but also to collect, by gift or purchase,documentary material which relates to theirparticular collections. There are perhaps someminor inconsistencies between the policies ofthe various institutions; some, for instance, arewilling to acquire archival material by exchangeor on deposit, while others, including the BritishMuseum, would prefer to establish ownership ofsuch material by purchase or by outright gift.

It is part of the British Museum’s policy onacquisitions, of documents or any other objects,that it makes every effort to avoid overlap orcompetition with other national bodies. This isparticularly true of items which are offered forsale by auction; publicly funded institutionsshould not bid against one another, the mostimportant objective being to secure the item(s)in question for the nation. National museumsand galleries share this policy and, fortunately,the areas covered by collecting policies of thevarious institutions are generally well-defined.However, difficulties do sometimes arise if aprivate institution wishes to acquire an archiveat auction and is willing and able to outbid anational institution.

The same principle applies to archivaldocuments which are offered to the BritishMuseum by gift. Persons offering suchdocuments have on occasion been redirected toanother institution which is considered to be amore appropriate home for them. Similarly,material of mainly local interest has in the pastbeen offered to the Museum, and the personsoffering it have been directed to the appropriatelocal repository.

When an archive becomes available there isusually no lack of repositories with suitablecollecting policies in which to house it. Thequestion is rather whether those repositorieshave the funds to buy the archive (if it is being

offered for purchase) or the resources to house,conserve and catalogue it.

The staffing and revenue resources available forthe maintenance of archives vary considerablyfrom one national museum/gallery to anotherbut most of these institutions would agree thatthey are not generally satisfactory. As a resultof the constraints of annual budgets, and theobligation to give priority to registeredcollections of objects, there has for many yearsbeen an inadequate number of staff to deal withbacklogs of archival listing or, in some cases, toprovide a regular students’ room service forarchival material. Similarly, resources ofmoney and materials for conservation have tobe directed mainly towards the preservation ofregistered collections. In general, archives farebest in those institutions in which they form partof the institution’s main library and receive anofficial share of the library’s staffing, fundingand accommodation, although from theadministrative point of view this is not alwaysthe most appropriate arrangement.

Because of the nature of their collections,security and the prevention of fire are of theutmost importance to the national museums andgalleries, and their archival holdings areprotected by the strict security and fireregulations which are in force in all theseinstitutions. A controlled environment is oftenmore difficult to achieve. Most of the nationalmuseums and galleries are housed in buildingswhich date largely from the nineteenth or earlytwentieth centuries and in which temperatureand relative humidity are difficult to regulate.In addition, most of the buildings are in centralLondon and therefore are particularlyvulnerable to inner-city atmospheric pollution.However, BS5454 is in use in all of theseinstitutions (a member of the staff of the BritishMuseum was closely involved in the compilingof the 1989 edition), and their archives staff arevery much aware of the need to do everythingpossible to conform to it.

AM 129 (London Borough of Ealing. Brian ECope, Head of Library & InformationService, 2/99)With the development of networking, thePeople’s Network, the National Grid forLearning and digitisation of material, there isopportunity to increase dramatically access toarchives. However this will only be possible if

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they are first properly stored, managed,catalogued and conserved.

Although there have been some improvementsin archive management within this authority,there remains much to be done. Storageaccommodation needs to be provided that meetsthe accepted standards for care and conservationof archives and is sufficient to house thequantity of material now collected. Somelisting has been done but full cataloguing of thearchives has yet to be achieved.

The primary reason for lack of progress inproviding improved accommodation for ourarchives has been funding. The pressure onlocal authority budgets has meant that theCouncil has not been able to provide to thelibrary and information service the level offunding necessary to start to raise the archiveservice here to accepted standards. The mostacute pressure is that for the capital fundingnecessary to construct premises to house all ourarchives in proper environmentally controlledconditions and to provide public searchfacilities. At present I see no prospect of thisfunding becoming available.

I therefore see a need for a programme andfunding that will enable all local communityarchives to be housed in the accommodationnecessary to ensure their preservation. Onlythen will we be able to derive the benefits fromdigitisation of material and its networking toimprove access to these resources.

AM 130 (Victoria and Albert Museum:National Art Library. Jan van der Wateren,Curator and Chief Librarian, 1/99)Is the role of the national museums and gallerieswith regard to the collection and maintenance ofarchives sufficiently defined?The role of the national museums and gallerieswith regard to the collection and maintenance ofarchives is not well defined. In particular, usersdo not have a clear perception of the archivesthey can expect to find within museums andgalleries. Even if they are aware that such anorganisation will manage and preserve its ownrecords, they generally have very littleknowledge that museums and galleries mayhave rich collections of archives relevant to theobjects in their curatorial collections, butgenerated outside the organisation.

One of the major reasons for this lack ofknowledge is that there is no one place whereusers can access information about the archivalcollections of museums and galleries. Withinthe archive world, responsibility is split betweenthe Public Record Office (PRO), which isresponsible for the management of publicrecords, and the Royal Commission onHistorical Manuscripts (HMC), which isprimarily concerned with records outside thepublic records. This split affects the users ofarchives held by museums and galleries becausethe records generated by the institution itself areregarded as public records, while those acquiredfrom outside the institution are regarded as non-public records.

This split responsibility is one that the generaluser finds very difficult both to appreciate andto understand. Many users do not understandthat, as a direct consequence of this split, thereis no one place to go to for information aboutthe existence and whereabouts of archives. TheNational Register of Archives, run by the HMC,is the place where users are encouraged to starttheir search for archives, but the listings heldthere do not cover public records. Finding aidsheld at the PRO only detail archives held by thePRO.

Another unfortunate consequence of this splitresponsibility is that the collection andmanagement of public records are underpinnedby legislation, while non-public records are notgranted this level of protection. This is a criticalissue when institutions are suffering fromshortages of resources. In terms ofprioritisation, any institution will find it easierto acknowledge responsibilities imposed bystatute than more nebulous ethical or moralresponsibilities.

Are well-defined collecting policies in place?Most of the major national museums andgalleries do have well-defined collectingpolicies, and acquisition statements for theseinstitutions appear in British Archives, A guideto archive resources in the United Kingdom.However, even where collecting policies doexist, acquisition decisions are often influencedby factors other than policies, such as thepreferences and interests of senior personnelwithin the institutions. This can have the effectof making acquisition decisions less predictable.

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Is there unwarranted overlap and competitionbetween national bodies or with other specialistrepositories?The subject interests of the national museumsand galleries would suggest that there is notunwarranted overlap and competition betweenthem. It is accepted, for instance, that the V&Acollects archives related to art, craft and design,and archives related to 20th century fine art arethe province of the Tate Gallery. Many of theseinstitutions now employ professional archivistswho communicate regularly and cooperate onall matters, including potential acquisitions.

There is a greater area for concern where newrepositories are set up and are eager to establishthemselves. Such institutions may implementan aggressive collecting policy that does notrecognise the sphere of interest and collectingpolicies of the more well-establishedinstitutions.

Are particular kinds of archives at risk for wantof a suitable repository to house them?The challenges posed by records in electronicformat suggest that such records are most atrisk. There is no clear idea of the length of timethat these records will survive and feworganisations have a clearly defined policy tomonitor and refresh electronic data on a regular,long-term basis. Such a programme will requireresources that many of the national museumsand galleries will find difficult to allocate.

Any potential archive acquisition is put at riskby the fact that most of the archive repositoriesof the national museums and galleries sufferfrom a severe lack of space. This willundoubtedly lead to decisions not to acceptarchives that would be accepted if space wereavailable.

Are staffing and revenue resources for the careof and access to archive holdings sufficient tomeet the needs of the institutions and theirrespective public users?Staffing and revenue resources are not sufficientto meet the needs of the archive holdings andtheir users. Most archive sections of thenational museums and galleries have to restricttheir opening hours because of lack ofresources. In common with the vast majority ofother archive repositories they have cataloguingbacklogs which have accumulated because of alack of resources to employ sufficient numbersof professional staff to undertake the work.

Archival departments of national museums andgalleries rely on their parent body for fundingand therefore have to compete internally forfunds. Archive departments in national bodiesdo not always have the freedom to fundraiseoutside their organisation - funding priorities areset by the parent body and it can be difficult forarchival projects to be seen as being asufficiently high priority to justify divertingfunds that may be perceived to be appropriatefor a different project elsewhere within theorganisation.

Are the buildings in which archival holdings arestored of a sufficient standard to provide notonly secure and fire-proof custody but also acontrolled environment appropriate to therespective media stored, and in accordance withnational standards such as BS5454?To be able to manage their own records, whichare public records, museums and galleries mustconform to BS5454 for the storage of theirarchives. Where there is no legal requirementfor this to happen, as in the case of non-publicrecords, it is inevitable that, in the context ofinsufficient funding, archival storage areas willnot meet the requirements of BS5454 in everyor all respects.

Is there a need for greater co-ordination ofeffort, or other national initiatives to enhancethe protection of our national archival heritage?There is undoubtedly a need for greater co-ordination of effort by the archival communityto widen awareness of the existence,significance and relevance of archives.

National initiatives to lobby for further fundingare essential if the national museums are to beable to continue both to look after their ownarchives and to provide worthwhile researchresources by accumulating archives related totheir sphere of interest but generated externallyto the institution. Such funding would enablethe national museums and galleries to:a) Pursue an active acquisition policy by meansof surveys to identify, survey, acquire and, ifnecessary, to rescue appropriate archivesb) Store such archives once acquired in archive-quality storage areas that do conform to BS5454c) Employ sufficient numbers of professionalstaff to catalogue such archives, thereby makingthem available to usersd) Increase accessibility by extending openinghourse) Manage and make available archives in non-paper formats eg electronic

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f) Ensure the long-term survival of archivesonce they have been acquired by carrying outconservation and preservation work as required.

AM 131 (Berwick-upon-Tweed BoroughCouncil. EO Cawthorn, Chief Executive,2/99)The Borough Council maintain, jointly withNorthumberland County Council, acomprehensive record office service atBerwick-upon-Tweed. Most archives, the Berwick-upon-TweedRecord Office being no exception, suffer from alack of funding and understanding of thecomplexity and variety of the work theyundertake. Within this authority, the archivesare stored, managed, catalogued and conservedwithin the constraints placed on the service byhaving only one member of staff and a verylimited budget (less than £30,000 in total fromthe two partner authorities per annum). Thisallows no scope for expansion of storage space,additional conservation work or staffing withoutseeking outside funding, which is difficult toidentify.

Most local government archive services arefinancially under-funded because of theconstraints placed on their governing authoritiesby central government and the perception thatthey are a luxury rather than a necessity. Itfollows that, if the authority require to reducetheir budget (as happens on an almost annualbasis) archives usually suffer disproportionatelysimply because they are not considered to be afrontline service.

A continuing strategic problem, both locally andnationally, for archive services is their lowpublic profile, coupled with the misconceptionthat the service is available only to, and ofinterest to, academics. The Berwick-upon-Tweed Record Office is fortunate in that it has ahigh public profile in the area and is usedextensively by both local people and outsiders.However, this is not typical of most archiveservices, particularly those covering largecounty areas.

Both locally and nationally, there is a need toincrease awareness that archives are provided asa resource for all and that, given adequatefunding and resources, they are capable ofproviding an invaluable community facility.

With regard to new initiatives to be taken atnational level, it is suggested that considerationbe given to the establishment of a body to carryout periodic inspections of archive storagefacilities and public access, and which has thepower to require the improvement of facilitiesand funding for archives.

AM 132 (Pembrokeshire County Council.John Owen, County Archivist, 2/99)I imagine you will already have receivedresponses from The Society of Archivists, theWelsh County Archivists’ Group and ArchivesCouncil Wales, of all of which bodies I am amember. They will doubtless address the largerissues of record keeping as the 20th centurydraws to a close. I do not feel qualified to speakabout the national problems beyond venturingtwo opinions. First, that 20th century recordswill take on a whole new meaning andsignificance once they become the records ofthe previous century, as they will in 2000 (or2001 to be correct and pedantic) and secondly,that managing electronic records will be the bigproblem or challenge in the future.

On the subject of Pembrokeshire’s records, Icould say that they are being well kept at themoment, as regards premises, security,environmental conditions etc. Lack of space islikely to become ever more of a problem andincreased use of the records by the public isalmost certain to be a feature of the nextcentury. Perhaps technology, in the form ofdigitisation and the Internet, will solve theseproblems for us? The virtual record officemight have replaced the real record office by theyear 2099.

AM 133 (Friends of Hereford Record Office.Brian Redwood, Hon Secretary, 2/99)Our views are likely to coincide with those ofothers in like circumstances, and we have, nothad the benefit of seeing the National Councilof Archives’ brief on The Way Forward. Thefollowing comments therefore should not beseen as a full statement but notes on subjectswhich particularly came to our attention.

Provision of services. We are served in thiscounty by one of the smaller local recordoffices. We were, impressed by the uniformpraise given to the Office in the recent Survey ofVisitors to British Archives for being user-

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friendly, and this in spite of low levels ofstaffing. It confirmed to us, the benefits of thesmaller repository, and suggested the value ofprotecting the smaller local repository againstpossible amalgamations into larger units. Thelatter might appear desirable on grounds ofeconomy, but that may well be outweighed bycloseness to the local user, and one hopes closerrapport between user and staff. The corollary tothis is that if archive services are to remain‘local’ sources of external funding and practicalsupport may be necessary to maintain nationallyaccepted standards.

Arising from these thoughts, we noted theimportance of strengthening national standardsof storage, conservation and service, andwelcomed the system of inspections by the PROand HMC under present statutory provision. Itseemed to us that this use of inspection was avaluable means for securing and maintainingstandards, and that this tool might be improvedif these powers were concentrated in the HMCas the body with the widest remit over archiveservices generally.

The application of IT was obviously adevelopment which needed to be encouraged.For the smaller repository, funding of thisdevelopment would be difficult, and one looksfor outside sources which would enable allrepositories to take advantage of this revolutionin access. We look for guidance on strategies tobe followed: how far to promote localnetworking as against Internet availability, andthe local record office as an access point forinformation as an alternative to home access viathe Internet.

Another arena in which the smaller repositoryneeds help is in obtaining grant aid. Their needfor aid to improve facilities, extend buildings,deal with uncatalogued holdings, undertakesurveys, of records possibly at risk, carry outconservation programmes, is very often urgent,but with a small staff they are likely not to havethe resources available, to put together a bid.These are often the places with the greatestneed, and some form of direct guidance/assistance in preparing a bid is needed.

AM 134 (Tameside Metropolitan Borough.Barry Delve, Head of Libraries and HeritageLifelong Learning Services, 2/99)The current provisions for the storage of thearchives are far from ideal. Only one store

room has approval for the storage of PublicRecords. The other storage areas in the Libraryare damp and the conditions are continuallydeteriorating which raises concern over the longterm survival of the documents. Half thearchives are held at an outstore, which also doesnot comply with BS5454 and users often haveto wait some days to use these records. None ofthe store rooms have a temperature or humiditycontrols, although we use dehumidifiers tocontrol the RH. There is virtually no accrualspace and the archives are stored in verycramped conditions. We have no in-houseconservator, and a very small budget forconservation. As a result, there is aconsiderable backlog of conservation workwhich is unlikely to be cleared.

Most of the archives are not listed according tocurrent cataloguing standards and the cataloguesare still manual. Computerising the catalogueswould only be achievable if staffing levels wereincreased, and this is unlikely to happen. Thereis also a ten year backlog of archives which areunlisted. The reading room is also far too smalland does not have room to allow furtherdevelopment of the service, such as space forexhibitions, more microfilm readers or specialisttables to look at maps. Lack of staff alsoprevents more outreach to obtain archives ororal histories of ethnic minorities, and todevelop education programmes to accommodatethe growing use by school children.

However, we do have some proposals to try andrectify the above problems. The main cause forconcern is the lack of space and the storageconditions in our present location. We aretrying to identify matching funding for lotterymoney to move to a new building. In addition,we are setting up a pilot project to digitise ourphotograph collection and put it on the Internet,to improve both preservation and access.

The national strategic problems were recentlyhighlighted by the initial omission of archivesfrom the DCMS review. The key problemseems to be the lack of awareness at centralgovernment of the importance and role ofarchives. For example, many of the newinitiatives aimed at libraries and education seemto ignore or specifically exclude archives.Archives have a very low public profile andthere is a dearth of national and regionalfunding bodies to supply grants, in contrast tomuseums and art galleries. This is especially

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true of local authority archives, whereas highereducation has benefited from HEFCE grants.Locally, the problems lie with the weakness inthe statutory provision for local governmentarchives. As funding has been reduced over thelast twenty years, more money has been spenton services with more defined statutoryprovision to die detriment of archives. This,combined with the lack of extra funding fromcentral government, has led to manyrepositories being unable to develop services tokeep up with demand from users. These issueswill hopefully be addressed by the new bodiesbeing set up by the DCMS and the newproposals for amendments to the provisions forarchives in local government.

AM 135 (Imperial War Museum. JaneCarmichael, Assistant Director, Collections,2/99)I attach a summary [not reproduced here] of thearchives held by the IWM which I hope youfind helpful. It is worth noting that they can alllay claim to being pioneers of their medium intheir assembly of it for the national record andfor the public benefit. The archives of the IWMare the busiest of any national museum. Theyreceive c75,000 enquiries and visitors per year.Proper professional standards in theirmanagement and storage are observed and goodrelations with other institutions maintained.The informal good relations are of great benefitin such areas as avoiding competition in the saleroom.

In our view provision for paper archives isbetter established than visual archives. Theproliferation of film, television and photographyin the latter half of the century means that theburdens of resourcing preservation andpresentation can be huge and in some cases,overwhelming. A good illustration is thearchive of RAF aerial photography which wentto the University of Keele the future of which isnow in some doubt. It is an enormouscollection of operational photographs whichrequires specialist knowledge to access andinterpret. Our understanding is that aerialphotograph collections are especiallyproblematic, being by definition enormous,repetitive, and usually requiring expertise toaccess if they are assessed as being worthpreserving.

The challenge we foresee for archives of alltypes is to embrace the potential of digitisation

as a tool for preservation and access while at thesame time maintaining the status of the original.Digitisation will allow a wealth of resources tobe made available to a much wider public and,under current government initiatives, allowmuch closer co-operation between archives,museums and libraries. Its long termimplications have yet to be fully worked out butit is certainly a step on the way towards co-ordination of effort to accessibility of thenational heritage.

AM 136 (Liverpool City. Joyce Little, Headof Libraries and Information Services, 2/99)Current position

Storage. A high standard of storage is offundamental importance to archive servicescarrying out their primary aim of preservingirreplaceable records for present and futuregenerations. The recent Mapping of archivalneeds survey has confirmed that around half ofthe repositories in the country fail to meet thelatest standards. Although there have beensome significant specific developments inrecent years, there is still a very long way to goin raising the standard of storage generally. Theforthcoming revised BS5454 will presumablyset even higher standards and/or make changesin recommendations which will need to beconsidered by all archive services. Theconversion of or building of new premises isextremely costly. The major capital outlay willpay dividends in the long-term, but recognitionof this needs to be made not least by centralgovernment and bodies which are in a positionto distribute grant-aid.

Management. As stated in A Standard forRecord Repositories Section 1, ‘the archivist incharge should have an effective line ofcommunication with the governing body and aposition within the overall administrationstructure which will enable the effectivepromotion of the repository’s objectives.’ It isimportant that this principle is widely observed.

Cataloguing. The Mapping of archival needssurvey also revealed the considerable extent ofcataloguing backlogs which exist in manyrepositories. These are impeding public accessand possibly discouraging potential depositors.This must be seriously addressed by governingbodies and through grant aid. A major injectionof funding is needed across all sectors at least

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similar in scale to that recently provided touniversity archives.

Availability of records for research. Archiveservices have witnessed a tremendous increasein the number of users over the previous twentyyears. However, they are still only used by afairly small and relatively unrepresentativeproportion of the population. They must findways of reaching and being of relevance to amuch wider range of users.

Strategic problems

Locally. Increased co-operation is needed overcollection policies and the existence of splitcollections. More partnerships are neededbeginning with specific projects such assurveys.

Nationally. Comprehensive archival legislationis required to cover more categories of recordsthan are at present covered under various acts,to strengthen the role of repositories incollecting and preserving records, and to set outrights of access. Also, legislation is needed toresolve limitations on access to records of civilregistration of births, marriages and deaths forall types of research.

Standards must continue to be developed andextended in all areas of archival work.

Recommendations on electronic records need tobe developed.

The importance of records management needsto be continually emphasised, with the proposedData Protection and Freedom of InformationActs giving this more backing.

The question of central government financialrecognition of local repositories storing, caringfor and making available public records shouldbe seriously examined with a view to fundingbeing provided.

New initiativesArchives should be fully represented on theproposed regional councils for museums,libraries and archives.

As stated above, comprehensive legislation andstandards are required to cover all aspects ofarchival work.

Wider audiences must be reached. ICT andincreasing partnership working offertremendous potential.The lack of progress so far in collecting orensuring the preservation of and access torecords of all sections of the community mustbe addressed. The recent proposals of the Blackand Asian Studies Association should bedeveloped and supported.

AM 137 (Hampshire Archives Trust.Rosemary C Dunhill, Hon Secretary, 1/99)Hampshire Archives Trust is a charitable bodywhose central aim is the promotion andprotection of archives in Hampshire, whether inpublic or private hands. It works in co-operation with the local authority archiveservices provided by Hampshire CountyCouncil and the unitary authorities ofPortsmouth and Southampton. Its links with thefirst are particularly strong and the greater partof its funding comes from Hampshire CountyCouncil. The Trust has a membership of over500 individuals and institutions, including manyof the specialist museums in the county witharchive collections and many local historysocieties.

The Trust is pleased to have the opportunity tocontribute to HMC’s enquiry. It has alwaystaken the view that while the strength and healthof archive services must depend on their localsupport, this needs to be underepinned byadequate national provision. Throughout itstwelve-year existence it has regularlycommented on government policies or otherdevelopments liable to impact on archives. TheTrust’s members were very active incampaigning to limit. damage to archiveservices threatened by the earlier proposals inparticular of the local government reviewprocess. The Trust has also campaigned overmany years for improved provision for andaccess to the records of the registration service.

We feel that supporters of archives can view thenew millennium with a combination ofexcitement and concern. Interest in, andtherefore support for archives continues togrow. Even in a service as developed as that inHampshire, the numbers of visits has risen byover 10% and over 8% respectively in the lasttwo years, now nearing 21,000. Informationtechnology now offers possibilities which couldtransform access not only to sources within asingle office but across a network which could

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be national or indeed international. The Trusthas watched with great interest the advancesmade by the introduction of CALM 2000 inHampshire Record Office and interest hasalready been expressed by a number of localsocieties and museums within the county inTrust membership in using the system tocatalogue their own holdings.

This last point underlines what we believe tohave been one of the strengths of the ArchivesTrust: it has made possible a flexible and‘pluralist’ approach to archive care in thecounty. While we believe that purpose builtrecord repositories like Hampshire RecordOffice provide the best environment for the careof archives, including the provision of access,we think it essential to provide advice and helpalso to bodies which choose to retain their ownarchives. The Trust is able to provide thisthrough its survey and advisory service and alsothrough the making of modest grants.Networked finding aids would certainly make itpossible to take this a step further. Linked withthis, plans are at present in hand for thedevelopment of a photographic database toinclude the holdings of local societies andspecialist museums as well as the offices oflocal newspapers and professional photographicbusinesses. While the Trust represents perhapsa distinctively Hampshire approach, we feel thatflexibility needs to be a key-note to localarchive provision in the next millennium.

We believe that we are fortunate in our archiveprovision in Hampshire because the CountyCouncil has been strongly committed, almostfrom the establishment of the service over 50years ago, to the importance of the service andthe need to provide adequate funding, withaccess for the head of the service to chiefofficers and elected members. Even with sostrong a basis, external funding will be neededfor the full realisation of the benefits ofnetworking etc outlined above, and this is all themore true for services which start from a lowerbase. The Trust is aware of the various surveysof local authority archive services which havebeen carried out in the last decade, leading mostrecently to the publication of Our Shared Past:an Archival Domesday for England. We areconcerned at the continuing very widevariations in standards of archive provision andcare. We have noted the contribution made todate by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) andrelated sources, both in helping previouslypoorly developed services and - which we

believe to be equally important - in developingnew techniques and approaches in centres ofexcellence. We were pleased to notice in HLF’spaper of last October, Towards a Strategic Planfor Lottery Funding for the Heritage, theintention to increase funding allocations forarchival projects, but at the same time we areconcerned at the smaller overall level of fundsavailable to HLF and at the ceiling which theyhave as a result put on grant applications. Wewere very disappointed too at news that theGovernment will cease to fund the NationalManuscripts Conservation Trust. We believethat it is essential that national funding sourcesshould continue to be made available - and to anincreasing extent - to enable archive services tobenefit from new developments.

Our concerns over the potential effects of localgovernment changes on archive services havebeen mentioned above. Although the outcomewas less bad than had been feared - and webelieve that campaigning by groups such as oursmade a real contribution to this - we considerthat archive services in many of the countiesfrom which unitary authorities have beencreated have been weakened by the need tomaintain joint arrangements and the additionalcomplexities of the budgeting process. We areconcerned too at the budgetary cuts suffered bymany services, whether or not affected bystructural change, and at the loss of profile ofthe service and the loss of seniority of the headof the service which has often accompanied thecreation of leisure directorates, weakeningservices by concentrating on common elementsand sacrificing their individual specialisms.While we continue to be convinced that theprimary responsibility for these services shouldremain with local authorities as at present, wefeel that a greater measure of statutoryprotection should be given to archives, forexample converting the permissive powers forprincipal local authorities to run archiveservices into mandatory ones.

We were dismayed at the lack of references toarchives in the Department for Culture, Mediaand Sport (DCMS)’s paper A New Approach toInvestment in Culture and were pleased to seethat this had been remedied in DCMS's morerecent report A New Cultural Framework. Wehave noted with interest the undertaking there tohelp improve co-ordination within the archivesector by reviewing the terms of reference andmembership of the Inter-Departmental ArchivesCommittee. We believe that an essential

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element of this should be to includerepresentation for the local government archivessector to reflect the major contribution whichthis sector makes in the preservation andadministration of public records held locally.

We believe that proper record-keeping isessential to democracy. The growing emphasisof freedom of information, and examples oflitigation many years after the event involvingdepartments such as social services andeducation, underline the importance of recordsmanagement and archives administration. Amajor challenge will be to provide for theretention of records in electronic form. Webelieve that archive services must be developedand protected in order to fulfil this role as wellas meeting the needs of the many whoseinterests can be described as broadly historical.Their position as a bastion to democracy needsto be emphasised by opposing any proposals tointroduce charges for access to archives inpublic ownership and care, and by providingopening hours which encourage rather thanimpeding access.

[AM 138 (Michael Ashcroft, CountyArchivist, North Yorkshire County Council)Confidential]

AM 139 (Greater Manchester CountyRecord Office Sub-committee of theAssociation of Greater ManchesterAuthorities Grants Committee, 3/99)Provision of informationWe are aware of, and welcome, the initiativetaken by the HMC to provide a central focus forthe provision of on-line information about thewhereabouts of archives, as a development ofthe long established work of the NRA (NationalRegister of Archives).

We are only too aware of the rapiddevelopments in technology and the costs intime and equipment in developing effective,interactive websites, but we welcome the effortswhich are being made to make archivalcatalogues more accessible to all in this way.

We are also aware of the large numbers ofpotential users who will never be able to gainaccess to information about archives via theInternet, and we hope that their needs will notbe overlooked, and that their interest will befostered in other, more traditional ways.

Rapid growth in the use of archivesWe understand that the increase in the usagefigures of GMCRO’s searchroom reflects thesame rapid growth in the use of archives as areevident nationally. Despite this growth (400%since 1986) there has been a decrease in thestaff hours in the County Record Office, whichagain we understand is typical of the situationnationally.

It is inevitable that with the increase in uservisits there are now a large number of peoplewith no experience of the use of originalmaterial or of the techniques of research. Theseusers require a very high level of staff support.

Preservation, cataloguing and the basicprofessional archival work inevitably takesecond place to access and income generating.

With the current emphasis on access, which wesupport, these problems will increase.

Standards and fundingThe HMC, with the Public Record Office, theprofessional organisations and the trainingbodies, have done much to ensure that, withinthe limits of current funding, standards ofpremises and staffing have remained high.

It is nevertheless a recognised fact that recordoffice budgets have not kept pace with inflation.For example, GMCRO’s budget (formerly£300,000) has just been increased to £280,000[sic] to meet the costs of additional insurancepremiums, following the Manchester bombing.

The lack of formal training and careerdevelopment for non-professional staff remainsa serious deficiency, especially as trainingbudgets have been eroded as standstill ordecreased budgets have been imposed.

The availability of funding for training fromEurope and other sources should be morewidely publicised.

We welcome the initiatives being taken byLUCAS (Liverpool University Centre forArchival Studies) and others to provide formaltraining for non-professional staff.

RecommendationsWe hope that the Millennium will bringrecognition of the importance of our archivalheritage in providing a sense of place to all the

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inhabitants of this country, whatever theirorigins.

We also hope that with an increasing awarenessof the service which staff provide (mainly forlove rather than for money) will come anacceptance of the need to fund the provision ofpremises which meet the recognised standards,with the revenue funds to maintain and developthe service, and to pay for enough staff ongrades commensurate with their importance toSociety.

Whilst we would prefer that core fundingshould properly be provided by the publicsector, we recognise that Lottery and Europeanfunding increasingly have their part to play, andfeel that a higher priority should be given toarchives.

Awareness has been raised by the professionsand the National Council on Archives.Unfortunately this has been partly as a result ofthe reorganisations of local government in 1974,1986 and currently. Our national archivalheritage, which spans artificial boundaries,should be protected from these upheavals as faras possible.

AM 140 (Norfolk Record Office. Dr JohnAlban, County Archivist, 2/99)Over the past few decades, there have beensignificant developments in the care of archivesin this country, including increasingprofessionalism within local archive services,the development of bodies such as the NationalCouncil on Archives, the Association of ChiefArchivists in Local Government and the Societyof Archivists, and, particularly, the introductionof standards, an area in which the HMC hasplayed a leading role. There have been somesignificant milestones. For instance, the Welshand Scottish Local Government Acts of 1994required all new principal authorities to makeand maintain schemes for the care andpreservation of archives and for modern recordsmanagement, and, although the English actmade no such provision, the Guidelines issuedin all three home countries were a majorrecognition of the importance of archives andboded well for what might be achieved in thefuture.

There have also been some setbacks, such as thenear omission of archives from the DCMS’sinitial thoughts on its Spending Review,

although this has now been rectified, with theinclusion of archives in the remit of the newMuseums, Libraries and Archives Council andin the plans for new Regional CulturalConsortia. In addition, recent local governmentreorganisation has, in some parts of the country,led to a decline in service provision.

Most serious, however, is the shortfall in theresources provided to archive services, and thisis highlighted, all too poignantly, in the reportof the recent Archival Mapping Project forEngland. There is widespread recognition thatarchives underpin almost every aspect of cultureand heritage and are the keystone of anyhistorically based research, yet it is incrediblehow a civilised western country has not, in thepast, fully appreciated this by ensuring adequateprovision of resources for local support of itsarchival heritage. It is important to know wherethe deficiencies lie, thus the findings of theMapping Project will provide a sound corpus ofinformation upon which a strategic remedialapproach could be based. The MappingProject’s report clearly shows that no-oneshould be satisfied with the current provisionfor archives. The archival profession andarchival institutions should never cease to pressfor improvements. It is hoped that the HeritageLottery Fund, in particular, will be prepared tolisten favourably.

One message stemming from the survey is thatlocal archive services need both legislativeprotection and structural stability. In thisrespect, the adoption by Government of aNational Archives Policy covering localarchives and archive collecting policiesnationally and locally, and making localauthority archive services fully statutory wouldbe major steps forward.

The Government’s policies on giving wideraccess to information and heritage collectionsand on the promotion of primary educationalresources are to be welcomed, as is therecognition that archives should regard outreachas being a core function rather than an optionalextra. However, as the Mapping Survey shows,it is in the areas which are key to this -cataloguing and IT provision - that archiveservices are most defective. Initiatives such asthe NCA’s Archives On-line show the need formoving forward strategically, on a national andregional basis. Just as serious is the fact thatalmost every local archive service is notproperly equipped to deal with electronic

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records generated by their authorities, leading tothe fear that future generations of researcherswill encounter a dearth of primary sources forthe late 20th and early 21st centuries. Findingthe necessary funding to deal with such issues isobviously going to be a key concern.

The developments in defining and promotingnational archival standards, in which the HMChas played a lead role, have been of directbenefit to local repositories and to owners andusers of archives. The value of this work shouldbe recognised and built upon in any newstructure which results from the creation of anew Museums , Libraries and Archives Council.

Over the years, local authority record officeshave contributed substantially to the survival oflocal archives and to an ever widening publicawareness of their value. In so doing, they havealso played a large part in fostering an evenmore local sense of place, so much so thatowners of records based at some distance fromtheir county record office may be reluctant todeposit their archives. Users of archives, too,are increasingly demanding services closer totheir own locality. Both these requirements -the expanding global one and the intensifyinglocal one - need to be addressed in futureplanning. One possible means may be throughthe positive encouragement of satellite orbranch repositories, provided they meet nationalstandards, and depending on finance beingavailable. Another means could be thesimultaneous development of remote accessfacilities through IT applications, networkingand the Internet, thereby creating the ‘virtualrecord office’.

However, whatever technological developmentsmay be available to improve access to archivesand outreach, we must also never lose sight ofthe primary need to provide proper conditionsof custody and security for the originaldocuments themselves within the ‘realrepository’.

AM 141 (Dr David Robinson, CountyArchivist of Surrey. Personal response, 2/99)The English archive scene is the victim of itsown relative success. By and large, researchers,whether academics or local or family historians,do not need to search in private houses, churchvestries or scattered institutions for thedocuments they wish to consult, or to persuadeowners and custodians to allow them access.

Most of the surviving archives are held andmade available in a limited and reasonablypredictable range of repositories. Finding aidsare available locally and through the NationalRegister of Archives.

This service is largely taken for granted, like thelibrary service. Users may complain about theneed to travel because the material, beingunique, can be found in only one location, andabout the cost, or sometimes the impossibility,of its being copied. They may be unhappy thatsome material cannot be made available becauseit is uncatalogued, unfit for production or closedon grounds of sensitivity or confidentiality, andthey may question decisions not to preservecertain types of recent documents. Neverthelessthese are generally seen as minor blemishes on asystem which supplies most of the survivingarchives to most of their users most of the time:and indeed supplies more archives to manymore users than at any time in the past.

This apparently favourable situation conceals aless satisfactory reality. Although so muchmaterial is readily available, significant archiveslack finding aids and as a result manyresearchers are unaware of relevant sources.Many archives need repair and pose theircustodians the question of whether accessshould be refused or whether they should beproduced even when this may cause furtherdamage. In many cases accommodation forstorage and consultation is inadequate. Othermaterial is still unidentified and at risk inprivate hands, not because owners wish to retainit but simply because survey and rescue workhas been under-resourced. In many instancesthe working records of the recent past and thepresent, especially in the new media, which willjustify preservation as the archives of the future,are not being identified and preserved and thetechnical and resource needs for their long-termpreservation and accessibility are only slowlybeing confronted.

These problems spring from the great increasein numbers of users and in numbers ofdocuments produced. Most of the heavily-usedarchive services are in the public sector –central and local government and theuniversities – and few have enjoyed growth inresources to match the growth in use. There aresignificant exceptions, but even these aregenerally the result of one-off improvementsrather than a steady improvement of staffing,

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accommodation and equipment to match theincreased demand.

Users also, although they have greatly increasedin number during the past thirty years and comefrom a much wider range of backgrounds thanpreviously, still tend to derive from a relativelylimited social range. Many people are evennow unaware that record offices are open to anymember of the public or that there would beanything of interest to them if they visited one.Despite many long-standing initiatives, mostchildren and teachers remain ignorant of thepotential for educational use of archives.Among users, many do not know that importantmaterial for their research may be available at amore distant repository or, if they are aware ofit, have no practical means of gaining access tothat material.

The specific answers to the current needs of thearchive world are fairly widely agreed. It isclear that improvements require investment. Nodoubt there is always scope for improvement inthe management of existing resources, whetherby greater efficiency or by changing priorities,but very few services have much room formanoeuvre. Most services have only limitedpotential for income generation in relation totheir overall expenditure. Technology hasoffered benefits already – without self-servicemicrofilm and fiche many archive serviceswould be totally unable to meet public demand– and will, especially in the form of informationtechnology, offer more benefits in the future,but these will therefore require investment ofadditional resources and will largely serve tomeet existing legitimate expectations and toarouse new demands.

Surveys and policy documents have identifiedthe main weaknesses in current archiveprovision and the main areas for futuredevelopment; the inadequacies in governmentalstructure and policy formation and possiblemeans of improving them; and potential sourcesof funding and the best means of tapping them.Documents such as Local Authority ArchiveServices 1992 and its 1996 updating; OurShared Past: An Archival Domesday forEngland, and with successors now in progress;An Archives Policy for the United Kingdom;Archives On-line; and ‘British Archives: theWay Forward’ cover most of the groundthoroughly. Their statements of the currentsituation are reliable and their proposals for thefuture are generally sound.

Rather than go over the ground covered by thesedocuments, it might be worth identifying certaincharacteristics of archives which are sometimesoverlooked, especially by those who fundarchive services or whose financial or politicalsupport is sought.

1. It is a truism that archives are the ‘memory’of the organisations which create them, and thatthe overall body of a nation’s archives is itscorporate ‘memory’, but the extent to which thepreservation and making available of archiveshas reshaped our national ‘memory’ issometimes forgotten. The establishment anddevelopment of local and specialist archivesservices (including county and borough recordoffices, university departments of manuscriptsand many specialist archive units) hastransformed our national understanding of ourpast. Many aspects of social history couldhardly be tackled, or not reliably, before thesearchives became available, and political,religious and economic history have all beentransformed from their former dependence on alimited range of national materials, mostly inthe Public Record Office and the British andBodleian Libraries, by the availability of localsources. It would be a useful piece of researchto document this by a study of the range oforiginal documents cited in a cross-section ofbooks and articles at various periods over thepast half century. It would also be helpful if agroup of historians were to survey the changesin their various specialisms resulting from thewider range of sources now available.

2. This transformation was dependent on thewhole sequence of archival activities beingcarried out: surveys to locate archives; rescueand acquisition; secure storage; preparation offinding aids; repair and conservation; publicsearch facilities. Until the 1960s the demandsof public searchers were sufficiently light toallow the relatively small number of staff tosurvey, acquire and provide detailed findingaids for a high proportion of acquisitions. Sincethat time, the immediate demands of searchers,and to some extent the inflow of acquisitionsfrom existing contacts, have tended to inhibitsurveys and the preparation of finding aids.Despite the increasing appointment ofnonprofessional or paraprofessional staff forsearch room service, archivists in many recordoffices feel that they have little time to be otherthan ‘shopkeepers’. This is not an expression ofacademic élitism or of a desire to spend all theirtime in cataloguing but a plea for balance

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between immediate service of the public andlonger-term priority tasks. Even the better-resourced offices find that the constant pressureof what is commonly but restrictively called the‘public service’ readily absorbs resources whichmight usefully be devoted to rescue orcataloguing. A contrast might be drawn witharchaeology, where survey and rescue workhave transferred our understanding of the pastwhile archaeologists have been able to be highlyselective in their dealings with the public.

3. Numbers of direct users are an inadequateguide to the public impact of the use ofarchives. This is often at second or third hand.The academic researcher publishes an articlebased on archival material; this influencesscholarly work; and the scholarly publication inturn influences textbooks and popular historiansand begins to change national consciousness.Similarly the local researcher publishes anarticle or booklet, gives a lecture or mounts anexhibition, and thereby enriches the localcommunity’s awareness of its roots. Archiveservices will never compete with libraries andmuseums in numbers.

Furthermore the most apparently trivial use ofarchives involves a degree of curiosity andcommitment greater than is shown by manyusers of libraries and museums and an initialinterest in a restricted aspect of local or familyhistory can develop into a broad and deepunderstanding of the past.

4. Archives do not serve only local or specialistusers. A coherent nationwide network ofarchive repositories is needed to ensure thatthere is an appropriate and adequately-resourcedcustodian for all archives worthy ofpreservation. The local record office does notonly serve its own council taxpayers, theuniversity department of manuscripts its ownstudents or the specialist repository its owngroup of specialist researchers. A hole in thenational provision is a loss to the nation. This isnot an argument for or against any particularstructure for archive services but a reminder ofthe need for direct paymasters to recognise thebreadth of their responsibility and for centralgovernment to assert its own commitment. Inparticular, the existence of ‘carrots’ – Lottery,Purchase Grant and conservation funding inparticular – to support and encourage initiativesis especially valuable: a structure for grant-aidsuch as the Museums and Galleries Commission

provides for its constituency through the areamuseum services would be highly beneficial.

5. A further relevant feature of the archivesworld is its small scale. This can sometimes behelpful. The archive world has frequently‘punched above its weight’ in recent yearsbecause of its comparative unity and speed ofresponse. Some services have been protectedfrom cuts or assisted in growth because it hasbeen recognised that a small amount of moneycan make a considerable difference. On theother hand, it can be difficult to generate evensmall amounts of matching funding to securegrants. Dependence on larger organisations isthe more serious problem. Almost all archiveservices are not only small but they are not the‘core business’ of their parents. As a resultthere is a danger of the archive service beingignored and always remaining a low priority:the local authority will question the value of aservice used by many non-local researchers; theuniversity will question expenditure on itsmanuscripts used by others than its ownstudents and staff; charities, businesses,professional institutions will question the needfor archives unless there is a definite service totheir own primary purpose. Furthermore, theincreased pressure on democratically-electedbodies to listen to their constituents can result inpressure to spend more on high-profile, widely-known services of obvious public benefit ratherthan on less well-known services which can beseen as luxuries, regardless of the actual levelsof expenditure on the services. Thusrespondents to polls and questionnaires maywell answer that a local authority should spendmore on education and less on libraries,museums and (if they are mentioned at all)archives, even though, if asked to state theproportion of expenditure which should bespent on these services, they might in fact quotefigures which, if implemented, would reduceexpenditure on education and increaseexpenditure on archives. Public pressure of thisnature, together with the instincts of politiciansand managers alike, will tend to feed thecommitment to direct public service referred toearlier. Users – both the family historians whoare currently the most effective supporters ofarchive services and also professional historianswho are not – need to recognise the range ofresponsibilities of archive services.

These observations refer specifically to theEnglish archive scene but are probably largelytrue for other parts of the United Kingdom.

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They do not point to any single conclusion.They may provide context and some pointersfor the continuing battle for resources.Nationally and for individual archive servicesthis requires a mixture of careful preparation ofthe ground, both intellectually and by winningfriends, with a willingness to take anyopportunities which may offer and to mitigateany dangers.

One specific problem is in archival andconservation education. The post-graduatearchive course provides as effective aneducation as practicable within a singleacademic year but young archivists are verydependent on going to offices able and willingto continue their development. It must bedoubted whether the full range of those skillswhich should properly be taught at thebeginning of an archive career can be taught inso short a time, but realistically there is noprospect of a longer course and the professionwill continue to depend for the foreseeablefuture on the high ability of most recruits andtheir various means of obtaining post-entryeducation. Much effort and thought is beingapplied to schemes for educating archiveconservators but recruitment and trainingremain haphazard and job prospects variable.Once qualified, neither archivists norconservators for the most part receive salariescommensurate with their qualifications andthere must be some danger that the combinationof undergraduate loans, reduced numbers and/orlevels of postgraduate bursaries and low salarieswill discourage potential archivists withoutfinancial backing. In practice, as with theoverall archival structure, piecemeal change ismore likely to be successful than radicalrestructuring but the increasingly closerelationship between library, museum andarchive services places archives in a pivotalposition between what might loosely be calledthe worlds of information and conservation. Itmay be that in the long term a rethinking ofeducation across these worlds might produce anew structure with some aspects of the Frenchgrande école du patrimoine but alsoincorporating the information sciences. In sucha structure archives, however small, would be atthe centre.

AM 142 (Bedfordshire and Luton Archivesand Records Service. Kevin Ward, CountyArchivist, 2/99)Upon receipt of the LGA’s circular whichbrought to my attention the invitation to submitevidence to the Commission concerning futureprovision for archives, I gave staff here and theService’s User Panel the opportunity tocomment on the provision of local authorityarchive services, and shall summarise theirresponses below.

As far as my own opinions are concerned, Ihave read and strongly endorse the statementsmade in the response by the National Councilon Archives. There are two particular pointswhich I wish to emphasise.

• the need for action to eliminate, by legislation,the uncertainties surrounding the statutoryfoundation for the provision and linkage of localauthority archives and records managementservices in this country• the gross inequalities and chronic instabilities,for many for a long period, in the fundingprovision for those services as so wellillustrated in the Archival Mapping Project.

Moves towards networking to take advantage ofdevelopments in ICT and the opportunities forclear alignment with so many national policydevelopments in relation to culture, educationand democracy – likely to be enduring changes– will be hamstrung without active attention tothese two areas.

One point of amplification which I offer to theNCA document is the need to stress the indirectbenefit of archives to the community throughthe products of direct research and promotionalactivity – the use of text and images inpublications, marketing and advertising, mediaresearch and reporting, and, moreover by wayof further example, the ‘collateral’ benefits offamily history research by one person in afamily.

The oral comments which I have received backfrom my Service’s User Panel and the writtencomments of staff here draw attention to threeparticular points:1. the ‘inequality of funding due to reliance onlocal government funding’;2. the ‘need for improved networking betweenservices’ but not at the expense of some degreeof local autonomy and the scope for specialistknowledge and skills at local level;

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3. the need for common standards throughoutthe country.

AM 143 (King’s Lynn and West NorfolkBorough Council. John Barrett, Head ofLeisure & Tourism, 2/99)The adoption by Government of a NationalArchives Policy covering local archives andarchives collecting policies nationally andlocally and making local authority archivesservices fully statutory would be major stepsforward.

The role of defining, refining and promotingnational standards in the archive field is ofdirect benefit to local repositories and to ownersof archives, as is access to informed advice.The HMC has been the leader in this area, andhas also been increasingly successful inpromoting archives among users worldwide.The value of this work should be recognised andbuilt on in any new structure which results fromthe creation of a new Museums, Libraries, andArchives Council.

The creation and development of county andother local authority record offices havecontributed substantially both to the survival oflocal archives, and to public awareness of theirvalue, but are also a symptom of a significantcultural change: a developing and ever morelocal sense of place. For archives, this meansthat organisations and other owners of recordsbased 40 or 50 miles from their county recordoffice may be reluctant to deposit, while usersof archives, too, are increasingly demandingservices closer to their own locality.Paradoxically there has been a simultaneousgrowth in awareness of and demand for accessto archives from geographically remote areas.Both these constituencies – the expandingglobal one and the intensifying local one – needto be addressed in future planning, perhapsthrough positive encouragement of satellite orbranch repositories, provided they meet nationalstandards, and the simultaneous development ofremote access facilities.

AM 144 (Teesside Archives Service, 2/99)As a result of the local governmentreorganisations of the 1990s, the newmillennium will see many former countyarchives services operating under jointarrangements, which amounts to a significantshift in the way local authority archive services

are run. As such, joint services mustaccommodate and reflect the priorities of all theauthorities which contribute to the service.

Recent years have seen the erosion of localauthority archive services, as a result of budgetcuts and local government reorganisation, whilstthe relentless increase in demand for servicesfrom members of the public has continued.Budget cuts have resulted in reductions inopening hours and a diminution of corefunctions such as cataloguing and conservation.

Most archive services have vast and increasingbacklogs of cataloguing and conservation work.In our own case, conservation has been cut, andthe continuing increase in the numbers of users,coupled with the need to generate income byundertaking searches in the records, havereduced the time available for cataloguing.Archives services are being forced to considerapplying for Heritage Lottery Fund grants inorder to carry out these basic functions, whichshould be provided for from revenue funding.

It is to be hoped that national organisations suchas the Royal Commission on HistoricalManuscripts will work to ensure that localauthority archive services are not eroded anyfurther in the new millennium, and that fundingis restored to carry out basic archive functions.The provision of archive services is still veryuneven, and many small services will becomeunviable if budget cuts continue into the newmillennium. In local government terms thesums of money involved are not large.

The establishment of regional advisorystructures for archives has recently beenproposed by the Department of Culture Mediaand Sport, and is currently being discussed.This, together with the possibility of regionalgovernment, should lead to an examination ofthe possibility of providing archive services ona regional basis. Most archive services aresmall, and some are very small. There could bebenefits in combining the resources of severalservices, allowing greater flexibility, and agreater degree of specialisation in certain areas,such as cataloguing. The present unevenness ofprovision would be levelled out. It would benecessary to maintain a number of user accesspoints, but certain functions could becentralised.

There is a need for an advice and referralservice for archive professionals requiring

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information on certain issues, particularly ontechnical matters. A current example relevantto this service is the need for advice on thedisposal of halon gas and the provision of safealternatives. Another is the need forinformation about the storage and presentationof computer generated material, as well asadvice about conservation equipment andmaterials in general. The expertise exists, eitherwithin national bodies, professionalorganisations, or major repositories, but archivestaff often need to make contact with theappropriate specialists urgently.Information and communication technology willhave a major impact on archives and theiravailability in the new millennium. TheNational Council on Archives has proposed theestablishment of a national network of digitalcatalogues, and the digitalisation of content willhave implications for access to collectionsoutside normal working hours, as well aspositive effects on the care and conservation oforiginal materials. None of these developmentswill be achieved without additional funding andsupport, guidelines and national standards.

AM 145 (Tate Gallery. Sir Nicholas Serota,Director, 2/99)I believe there is a real need for the greaterdefinition of the role of national museums andgalleries with regard to the collection andmaintenance of archives. Although advice isalways available from the HMC, there is littlecentral guidance for museums starting suchcollections and virtually no supervision of theirstandards of professional care.

Although most museums have collectingpolicies there are inevitably areas of overlap andthere have been some recent examples ofcompetition between archives in museums andthe rather better funded university archives.There is probably only a small risk thatparticular archives will fail to find a suitablehome, but a substantial one that archives will besplit, possibly even at the instigation of donorswho like to share out their papers to a number ofinstitutions, or that they will become soexpensive that British museums are unable toprevent their sale overseas.

At the Tate, as elsewhere, we face the difficultyof finding sufficient resources to support theArchive with so many competing demands onour Grant-in-Aid. A great deal has beenachieved with minimal resources, but much

remains to be done. The building falls belowthe environmental standards recommended byBS5454 although the storage is secure. Lack ofstaff resources has led to a backlog ofcataloguing, restrictions on searchroom openinghours and limits on conservation treatment.

A particular difficulty is that the Tate Gallery,like many other national museums, is perceivedexternally as being a prestigious, well-endowedinstitution, which should be able to support coreactivities such as archive cataloguing,acquisitions and building projects. In fact theTate’s success in moving forward with amassive programme of building and expandedactivities in many forms means that its revenueresources are under greater pressure than everdespite what appear to be generous lotterygrants. For example, a recent application for amodest sum to convert the finding aids andmake them nationally available was turneddown because it was believed that the sum wassufficiently modest for the Gallery to fund ititself from revenue, notwithstanding the fall inreal value of grant in aid in recent years.

We work reasonably well to co-ordinate withother museums and galleries but this is an areaon which we would like to concentrate moreattention and are currently seeking to establish asuitable forum. National initiatives could helpmore by encouraging a co-ordinated approach tothe collecting and availability of archives. Forinstance, the valuable Register of Artists’Papers (an initiative of the Association of ArtHistorians and privately funded) is in need ofconsistent funding and greater publicity. Thereis scope for a more pro-active role for theNational Register of Archives in promoting theuse of archive material. We find that many ofthe researchers who use the Tate GalleryArchive have not heard of this body. TheNational Council on Archives is currentlydiscussing a structure of regional archiveforums in the light of the DCMS document Anew cultural framework which will addressissues for the archives sector and we hope theDCMS will be giving an impetus to thisventure.

AM 146 (Mrs Pamela E Ormerod, 2/99)First of all may I say that the staff at QualityHouse have in the past answered my queries asto the location of records with some thought.This I appreciated. Both my husband and I,although over retirement age, do a great deal of

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research in the County Archives, the PublicRecords and the Cambridge University Library.When I look around at many of the otherresearchers I consider that many of them too aresenior citizens who now have the time to doresearch that they were unable to do in their‘working’ years. Because of this I would like tosuggest that any future trends in the location ofbuildings for archives should take into accounthow those whose brains are still active butwhose bodies are wearing out could have easyaccess by public transport. For example theNorthamptonshire County Record Office issome considerable distance from the railwaystation and the town centre.

While many county archive offices still operatereasonable opening hours there are some wholimit opening, for example Lancashire whoclose for a week every few weeks. Onoccasions a researcher has to go from onecounty to another and it does corrupt the train ofthought if you are unable to continue the workwithout interruption.

The younger generation seem to think thatmicrofiche, microfilm, The Internet etc. aregoing to solve all our problems. Microfilm andfiche have been around for many years but inmany record offices the machinery for readingfilm or fiche is crammed together, giving thereader little space to make notes. If the ficheand film reader is replaced by the computer Ihope you will consider making representationsto authorities to provide more space in whichwork

One can see the necessity for material to be onmicrofilm or microfiche but there seems to beno standard. It sometimes appears that, in orderto preserve the original archive, the material hasbeen copied with the least expense ‘by theyard’, rather than by painstakingly filming thearchive, frame by frame. Surely this is a falseeconomy as one then has to demand to see theoriginal. This does not make for goodrelationships between the user and the archivist.

It is only from painstaking research that goodscholarship results. The research can only bedone if the records are given for archival storageby people, companies etc. With many localactivities being superseded by national orinternational firms etc., I consider that timeshould be spent in encouraging the small andlarge business organisations to consider that thecountry would benefit from their depositing old

records. I know that the Bedfordshire and LutonArchives and Records Service do responsiblework in this field. Do they all? Some countieslike Lancashire do not have one organisation fora potential depositor to approach.

I realise that today many records are kept ondisc and that many of these discs will not bereadable in the future unless some strategy is setin train now. Perhaps it has already been done.As well as looking at what has gone wrong withsome of the late 20th century implementationsin archive offices the reading and storage in areadable form for the future seems to me to be agreat challenge for Archives at the Millennium.

AM 147 (Surrey County Council. Dr DavidRobinson, County Archivist, 3/99)BackgroundSurrey County Council began to concern itselfwith archive preservation in the 1920s when itbegan a series of surveys of various classes ofrecords - its own Quarter Sessions records andthe records of parishes, boroughs, manors andendowed institutions. In 1926 it acquired theAshtead court rolls as a gift and the CountyCouncil was formally appointed by the Masterof the Rolls as a repository for manorial recordsin 1929. By 1945 thirty-seven accessions hadbeen received, at County Hall, Kingston. In1948 an archivist was appointed and in 1951 thefirst County Archivist. Accessions of recordsincreased from 37 in the 1950s to 56 in the1960s, 115 in the 1970s and 200 in the 1980s.The increase at Guildford Muniment Room,which was taken into the county archivesservice in 1970, was similar: 19 in the 1950s, 31in the 1960s, 60 in the 1970s and 80 in the1980s. Numbers of searchers (Kingston andGuildford combined) increased from 430 in themid-1950s to 3,500 in the mid-1980s.Meanwhile the number of archivists and archiveassistants increased from 3 to 8, well below therate of increase of accessions and searchers.

In 1986 and 1987 a working group of membersvisited Essex, West Sussex and WorcestershireRecord Offices, recognised the deficiencies ofaccommodation and staffing in Surrey andrecommended improvements in both, includingconstruction of a purpose-built county recordoffice to be completed by 1994. Theirrecommendations were partly fulfilled: a three-year revenue programme was accepted by theCounty Council but because of budget pressuresonly the first year’s tranche was implemented.

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Funding for the proposed new record office, inthe form of a proposed Surrey History Centrebringing together the county’s archive and localstudies services, was included in the 1995/6capital programme. Heritage Lottery fundingenabled the building to be larger than CountyCouncil funding would have permitted, lectureand exhibition rooms to be included and thecounty archaeological unit and museumdevelopment staff incorporated. The buildinghas been highly praised by, among others, theSecretary of your own Commission, and theservice is being heavily used and widelywelcomed. It is also the base for an educationservice and for a local access service based onlocal libraries and museums.

Lessons from Surrey’s experience1.Resources have generally lagged behindincreases in demand until a major leap forwardhas been inspired by awareness of the extent ofthe shortfall. This has required an articulatepolitical sponsor aware of the importance of theservice and of the standard of comparableservices elsewhere and able to sway themajority of members who were unaware ofeither. It has also benefited from the existenceof the national inspection and advisory servicesprovided by your Commission and the PublicRecord Office and from the willingness of thelocal history community to lend support whenopportunity has arisen. The proposedreorganisation of local government in the early1990s was the occasion of a remarkableoutpouring of support for county archiveservices in Surrey as elsewhere in England.

2. The capital cost of a new record officerepresents for many local authorities a highproportion of their capital allocation. Even withthe possibility of lottery funding and theuncertain prospect of new funding arrangementssuch as the Private Finance Initiative many localauthorities will have extreme difficulty inreplacing inadequate accommodation.

3. Investment in high quality accommodationproduces increases in directly comparablepublic use and permits welcome newdevelopments such as school and adulteducation and local access programmes.Equally important, it provides high standards ofpreservation for the archives themselves,considerably reducing the need for expenditureon repair in the long term.

4. The existence of outside funding is aconsiderable, and often essential, factor in newdevelopments. Archive budgets rarely extendfar beyond the level necessary to maintain theservice. Although Surrey County Council madeits decision to fund the History Centreindependently of the possibility of lotteryfunding, the potential for this funding helped topromote the project and the Centre’s pioneeringuse of information and communicationstechnology was heavily dependent on £200,000allocated by the Heritage Lottery Fund for thispurpose. In the past four years the service hasalso been able to acquire two major collectionswith considerable grant aid from governmentand charitable funds and has undertaken a majorconservation project with support from theNational Manuscripts Conservation Trust:£22,000 towards the £28,000 purchase price ofa collection of Gertrude Jekyll garden designs;£60,475 (and £50,000 tax concessions) towardsthe £120,000 purchase price of a largecollection of topographical water colours andprints; £22,500 towards the £45,000 cost ofrepairing Broadwood piano day books.

External inspection and advisory services,notably those provided by your own Secretaryand staff and by the staff of the Public RecordOffice, are important in providing externalassessment and wide-ranging expertise.Regrettably local authority archives do notenjoy the extent of funding, research andadvisory services which museums enjoythrough the Museums and GalleriesCommission and area museum services.

5. Although Surrey archives are heavily used bySurrey residents, a significant proportion ofusers are from other parts of the country:residents of south-west London, many of whoselocal archives are among the county’s archives;family historians from elsewhere with Surreyroots; enthusiasts restoring Dennis fire engines;academics with nationwide researchprogrammes. Conversely many Surreyresearchers are dependent on LondonMetropolitan Archives for the Surreyarchdeaconry and probate records held there;Surrey family historians use record offices inthe parts of the country where they have theirroots; and Surrey academics use record officesholding material relevant to their researches.Surrey History Centre, like county and boroughrecord offices throughout the country, is both alocal service and part of a national network forrescue and preservation of archives and for

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public access to them. Foreign researchers alsouse the county’s archives: Professor J M Beattieof the University of Toronto who based hisstandard work on crime and the courts in theeighteenth century largely on Surrey material;and the American or Australian whose ancestorsmoved, voluntarily or involuntarily, fromSurrey.

6.Possibly the greatest challenge for SurreyHistory Service, as for other archive services, isto achieve good levels of rescue, preservationand cataloguing, all of which are of long-termvalue to the public, when the daily direct serviceto individual members of the public pressesmost immediately on available resources.Backlogs of cataloguing and repair and a lack ofsustained and systematic surveys of archives atrisk are a fact of life in Surrey as they areendemic among local authority archive services,whereas the direct public services, in Surrey aselsewhere, receive high levels of publicapproval.

ConclusionThe main lesson of Surrey’s experience is thatsuch success as an archive service or a broaderhistory service enjoys depends on manyelements: local political and public support;national advisory and inspection services;government and charitable grants. No singlelegislative provision is a substitute for thiscombination of forces in achieving goodstandards of service although those localauthority archive services which fall clearlybelow basic standards of adequacy might beimproved by effective implementation of s.224of the Local Government Act 1972 whichrequires councils to make ‘proper arrangements’for documents in their custody.

Nationwide networking initiatives such as‘archives on-line’ , the project to make archivefinding aids electronically searchable through anational digital network are to be welcomed anddeserve national support, from centralgovernment and lottery funds. Surrey, with itsstrongly-developed use of ICT, is well placed toplay an important part in this development.Finally, Surrey, which benefited greatly fromthe willingness of other archives services toshare their experiences in designing andbuilding new record offices and in developingservices such as archive education services, isalready gladly offering its experience to theservice of others and will continue to do so.

AM 148 (Derbyshire County Council,Department of Libraries and Heritage.Kathleen Trueman, Chair, 3/99)This is an opportune time to review the presentsituation because of the formation in April 2000of a new strategic body, the Museums, Librariesand Archives Council.

The state of local authority archive services hasbeen recorded in two 1998 reports, Our SharedPast: An Archival Domesday for England and,in respect of information technology, ArchivesOn-Line: the establishment of a UnitedKingdom Archival Network. Both reports,while recognising the advances which havebeen made in recent years, also drew attentionto current issues. Local government re-organisation in Derbyshire has resulted in jointarrangements for archive services being agreedbetween Derbyshire County Council and DerbyCity Council. We welcome the partnershipbenefits resulting from this, but there is also thepossibility that it may make the long-termfinancing of services more complex. On thepositive side, numbers of people using the jointarchive service continue to grow and there aremany exciting developments. Interest inarchive services in Derbyshire is increasing andDerbyshire Record Office’s programme toattract new users remains very successful.Progress is also planned with computerisedcataloguing to improve access to the archives inDerbyshire Record Office by users at a distance.The development of common standards andsharing of data will facilitate these initiatives,but, given the constraints on local authorityfinance they will remain dependent on externalfunding from sources such as the HeritageLottery Fund and the New Opportunities Fund.

Successful initiatives in areas such as that ofdigital access would transform the availabilityof archives and broaden the contribution that thearchive service would be able to make to theworlds of learning, information and heritage. Itwould enable archives to be used by every age-group from the primary school upwards. Atpresent, outreach activities are a wellestablished strength of Derbyshire RecordOffice, but the arrival of the Internet Age couldnow provide the opportunities to take archivesto the community at large as never before.

We will also continue to ensure the carefulpreservation of archives to safeguard long-termaccess for future generations. The RecordOffice’s premises in New Street in Matlock

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meet your Standard for Record Repositoriesand maintaining this situation for the archiveservice is a priority for the authority.

We welcome your interest in the current stateand use of archives in the United Kingdom andhope that these comments will be of interest andassistance to the Commissioners.

AM 149 (Leicestershire Record Office. CarlHarrison, County Archivist, 3/99)I think the NCA has highlighted very clearly theresource pressures on archive servicesnationally. These have borne particularlyacutely on local government archive services, incommon with other local authority services. Aslocal government budgets tighten cuts tend tobear increasingly on non-statutory services.Despite the statutory basis of some archiveactivities many repositories are linked to non-statutory services such as libraries andmuseums, and suffer along with their partners.Local government reorganisation has appliedfurther pressure, complicating theadministrative structure which supports manyrepositories, without producing muchcompensatory increase in resources. Whilemost of the larger local authority record officeswhich are recognised as the backbone of archiveprovision in England, have been maintained,this has been at the expense of a great deal ofeffort by staff whose primary focus should bepublic service. In our own case only now, withtwo years of a still unsigned three-yearagreement gone, have we been able to begin toexplore with our partners some of the positiveopportunities of joint arrangements.

The other aspect of the resourcing of localauthority archive services which is of increasingconcern (and again this is common to most‘cultural’ activities) is increasing reliance onoutside funding for any new developments.While the benefits to successful services areobvious, the very considerable effort required tocompete for grant is both a drain on resourcesand a deterrent. In this context recent moves tocreate a wider regional view of the resourceneeds of archive services must be welcomed.While I had considerable reservations about theway the Mapping Project was handled I mustconfess myself a convert to its potential benefitsin helping to direct resources to needs. (In thesame way the present scramble to ensure thepresence of archives in the emerging regionalcultural fora is unsettling, but may also be

beneficial if it leads to a wider view and ahigher profile for archives in a regionalcontext.)

I support strongly the NCA’s proposals for aplanned allocation of Lottery resources into thearchives sector. Chief among the needs to beaddressed are the most ambitious and the mostbasic. I know that I have no need to convinceyou that the use of ICT for networkingcataloguing information, to deliver surrogates orto create new resources incorporating archiveswill be absolutely central to access in the future.The Archives On-Line report and proposals haveprovided an essential stimulus by setting out abroad vision, but a frightening amount of workand resources will be needed to make it areality. Some relatively well resourced archiveservices (such as my own) have yet to come togrips with computerised cataloguing, and I amsure the problem is much worse in smaller andless well resourced repositories. (Indeed theMapping Project has reinforced previoussurveys of local government archivesrepositories which showed many small servicesstill way behind in even more basic resourcessuch as satisfactory storage or acceptablestaffing levels.) I think the importance ofsupporting the adoption of computerisedcataloguing as basic provision, together with itsessential accompaniment, the refinement andadoption of common standards for cataloguing,cannot be underestimated. If it were nothingelse, it would be a sign of a distinct and matureprofession, but of course it is also essential as aprerequisite for networking information. So faras the network is concerned the need to identifyand work with all available partners, both withinthe archive world and outside (particularly inthe education sector) will be equally important.It is vital to ensure that archival resources taketheir natural place as a key element in thegovernment’s educational resources networks,and it seems increasingly clear that the preferredroute for the future will be cross-sectoralpartnerships.

I am equally concerned about the increasinglypressing need for us to gain control of recordsand archives in electronic form. The MappingProject illustrated graphically how poorlyprepared we are – in our own knowledge of themedia, in the formulation of strategies, and inpressing the case for archival concerns tobecome an essential element in the managementof electronically held records. Within localgovernment I am encouraged by the present

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moves to refine and define what localauthorities should be expected to do to meettheir statutory obligation to make ‘properarrangements’ for their own and records in theircare. Not only does this offer the opportunity toreinforce the importance of traditional archiveservices; it should also establish for the firsttime a clear obligation, through recordsmanagement, to plan now for the preservationof archivally significant information which willotherwise be lost. Here as so often before localauthority archive services will have a pivotalrole, in providing the backbone of ‘national’archive provision and in offering a technical andtheoretical lead to other sectors.

Once again this leading ro1e will requiresignificant resources and finally I cannot resistlinking this thought back to the distribution offunding from the centre. It has been arguedalready that a proportion of available projectmoney from the Lottery distributors should beearmarked for archives. However this takes noaccount of the very considerable resourcesalready expended by local authorities in caringfor records which are the responsibility ofcentral government under the Public RecordsActs. The time is long past when some meansshould be found for the government torecompense this expenditure directly with fundsearmarked specifically for local authorityrepositories maintaining Public Records.

I hope this does not appear too unfocused, orderivative, but to recap, I think the key issuesfacing local authority archive services at thestart of the new Millennium are1. the need to acknowledge and bolster theircentral position in the preservation of thenation’s archives;2. the need to ensure that changes to localgovernment structures work to reinforce localauthority archive services rather than threatenthem (and in the short term to ensure that theybenefit from the development of regionalism);3. the need to ensure that necessary resourcesare channelled to local authority archiveservices from all available quarters;4. the need to seize on the opportunities of ICTto extend access to archives;5. the need to gain control of the systems forgenerating and maintaining electronic records,to ensure that there are archives in the future.

AM 150 (Peterborough City Council. DanielGoodwin, Head of Arts, Libraries andHeritage, 3/99) You will be aware that Peterborough CityCouncil has recently taken responsibility forarchive services as part of its change to unitarystatus. Accordingly, our comments are brief butwe believe have importance in relation to yourstudy. Our observations are as follows:� There needs to be regional and nationalstandardisation on electronic methods of servicedelivery.� There is a clear need for service plans andstandards, perhaps in line with the recent libraryplanning guidance issued by the Department ofCulture Media and Sport.� A good practice methodology needs to bedesigned for making material available to localcommunities from county or regional archivesrather than remote county town record offices.We believe that this could either be by a moreliberal attitude to duplicate deposits or byproviding photocopies, microfilm or electronicmethods of service delivery for the mostcommonly requested items.� Linked to the above points there needs to bemore flexible resources to provide reproductioncopies. We believe that this could be throughelectronic means including large scale scannersand that access should be given as high apriority as conservation in the care ofdocuments.� Archivists in general should ensure that theyhave the customer care skills necessary to assistthem in identifying appropriate relateddocuments when they answer queries. Webelieve that too often the onus may be on theenquirer to search catalogues and otherreference material whereas further developmentof enquiries by archivists could actuallyimprove the value of the record office visit to itscustomers. We acknowledge that there is likelyto be a relationship between the extent ofcomputerisation of archive services and thepossibility of searches based on relatedmaterials from indexed sources.� Options for increasing expenditure onconservation and cataloguing should beinvestigated, particularly where it can be shownthat added value to customers might beachieved through enhanced access tocollections. This particularly relates to thelisting of collections and the need to ensureaccess to, at the very least, information aboutprimary resources.

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� Looking to the future we have particularconcern that there seems to be little consensuson methodologies and approaches to thequestion of access to electronic records and alsoto software which might give access to thoserecords. We believe that these should beconsidered as primary resources and that workto develop approaches to these sources presentsa significant challenge for archives in the nextMillennium. However, we acknowledge thatwith the burgeoning of the Information societythis presents a significant challenge to themanagement capacity of archives record officesand other information storage facilities.We realise that under the circumstances thesecomments are neither exhaustive norparticularly well developed. However, wewould like these concerns to be registered andnoted in the work towards the study currentlyunderway. We would particularly like to stressthat we feel that the direction of this workshould be defined by consideration andagreement of the outcomes to be achieved byarchive services. It is thought that this willprovide considerable assistance to the case thatneeds to be made for the development of suchservices, in order to ensure the safety of primaryinformation sources for the decades andcenturies to come.

AM 151 (Scarborough Borough Council.Jane Mee, Museums Officer, 3/99)The majority of historical archives pertaining tothe borough of Scarborough are held centrallyby North Yorkshire County Council atNorthallerton. Scarborough Museums &Gallery holds some material (town charters,photographic collections) as do the independentmuseums of Whitby and Filey.

The main issue in Scarborough would be that ofaccess and the need for key/popular archivalmaterial to be readily available within theBorough through local libraries, museums, etc,(ie wherever appropriate to a given community).

A more pro-active approach to access wouldprobably also encourage donations of archivalmaterial or maybe arrangements should beexplored whereby the ownership of the archiveremains with the owner, the central archiveoffering specific services (eg management,documentation, conservation etc.) in the waythat the Yorkshire Film Archive operates.

AM 152 (Royal Historical Society)[Report by Dr Elizabeth Hallam Smith on acolloquium held at the Institute of HistoricalResearch, London University, on 30 January1999]Issues discussed by the colloquiumThe colloquium was on themes of commoninterest to historians and archivists, and wasattended by some 40 people representing both.The discussions were lively and very wideranging and a number of significant issuesemerged:� in the selection of records for permanentpreservation, what the priorities should be, andhow historians and other users may mosteffectively be involved, particularly in the lightof current government initiatives on FOI;� the differing perspectives of the historian andthe archivist (‘historians may know a lot about alittle and archivists a little about a lot’, as onespeaker put it) and how each needs to be awareof the other’s;� the complexities of current archival provisionand the risks and dilemmas which result; andhence the potentially enormous value of theproposed National Archives Networks forEngland, Wales and Scotland in bringingtogether information from a plurality of sources;� the findings’ some still emerging, of recentsurveys of archival provision such as theLottery Mapping Projects for Scotland, Englandand Wales and the Historical ManuscriptsCommission’s study of Archives at theMillennium, which point to major gaps inarchive cataloguing, conservation andappropriate accommodation, and in particularhighlight the dangerously low level of provisionfor the preservation of and future access toelectronic records, many of which ought to bekept as critically important evidence forhistorians in the future;� the key importance of a more systematicapproach to the electronic cataloguing ofarchival material following agreed technical andscholarly standards, to underpin historicalresearch;� the utility of digitisation of images as anaccess medium, but the dangers and limitationsof seeking to use it to preserve manuscriptsources; and the need for a coherent strategy fordigitisation projects to maximise their value andeffectiveness. The National Preservation Officeis championing such an initiative and isdeveloping preservation standards;� the need for historians to understand theperspectives of other archive users: the very

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numerous family and local historians, many ofwhom are highly effective and competentresearchers; researchers on legal issues; andschool teachers and pupils, the historians of thefuture, whose interest in the subject needs to beengaged by the presentation of sources in alively and stimulating manner, as on the PRO’swebsite;� the importance of educating other potentialdonors and depositors – such as firms ofsolicitors and the individual with a meticulousapproach to record-keeping – so that awarenessof the importance of record-keeping can beraised and valuable archive material can becollected rather than lost. The British RecordsAssociation is carrying out a key role in thisarea;� the need for archivists to provide more guidesto their records and to collaborate to drawtogether a checklist of what postgraduatestudents need to know when they are startingtheir research (eg archival theory and whatarchives are as opposed to libraries, how toidentify and locate relevant sources, and so on);� the desirability for academic historians toproduce at least some material which will be ofvalue to the study of history in schools and byfamily and local historians and life longlearners, material which can feed through intothese disciplines.

Funding opportunities: the need for a coherentapproachThere are currently numerous potential sourcesof funding to further historical research – thenew Research Support Libraries Programme,the AHRB, ESRC, HLF, NOF, Leverhulme, etc– and the overarching theme of the colloquiumwas the need for historians and archivists todevelop a far more coherent and collaborativeapproach to making applications. The sense ofthe colloquium was that the current situationreflects a piecemeal and at worst incoherentsituation with blind alleys and lostopportunities. The Royal Historical Societywas seen as being an appropriate body to takethe lead in discussions, and some suggestions,building on those made at the colloquium,follow for how this might be taken forward byCouncil and other interested parties:

1. A simple checklist is needed of the differenttypes of historical ‘products’ for which fundingapplications might be made, their purposes andthe most appropriate funding bodies. Forexample:

a) catalogues of material – whether improvedversions of existing catalogues, or newcatalogues – with an emphasis on on-linesearchability, as research tools to assist users tolocate and access sources. HLF (for ‘popular’projects) and the Leverhulme Trust areexamples of suitable funding bodies.b) more detailed finding aids and guides, theoutputs of special projects identifying themes ofspecial interest within archive collections (egmaterial relating to the history of black andAsian people in the UK, or the location ofephemera collections) to assist the study ofthose subject areas. A variety of fundingsources are feasible; some would requireelements of type (d) material (see below) to beincluded.c) surrogates of the documents themselves, suchas calendars, transcripts, microform anddigitised images, as a means of widening accessto the information in original sources (as well ashelping to preserve the originals). HLF, NOFand the academic funding sources are likely tobe appropriate, but the latter would probablyrequire elements of type (d) material to beincluded in the project.d) historical studies based on these sources,which are enabled by all the others and stand astheir logical end products; they are also of keyimportance both to the academic funding bodiesas the rationale for making awards, and tosuccessful ratings in the research assessmentexercise in Universities.

2. A survey of the projects which have beenspecially funded in the UK over the past 10-15years, and in particular those relying on ICT, isessential (as surveys of some areas have alreadybeen done, in part it will be a question ofpulling together and updating existinginformation). A checklist of completed andongoing projects can then be drawn up. Thiswill need to be widely available – and should beupdated regularly. It will enable an assessmentof strengths and weaknesses of existingprovision to be made, gaps to be identified, andpriority areas to emerge.

3. A checklist of relevant recommendedstandards should be drawn up and again kept upto date: eg scholarly, technical/ICT (HTML),calendaring/editorial, cataloguing/nameauthority, digitising, preservation (required forall ICT-based projects), project management(essential for large projects), arrangements foraccess. These could guide applicants and act asan assurance for funding bodies.

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4. A set of priority areas for applications needsto be developed and a programme of changingpriorities evolved. This cannot and should notbe seen as exclusive, and it must be flexible andadaptable. Nor should it focus only on populartopics: a more sophisticated decision modelneeds to be created. A well-thought-through listof high priority subject areas, and perhaps oftypes of material (eg studies based onphotographs or maps) would undoubtedlyensure that greater value for money is obtainedfrom the funds available and a more effectiveuse made of them. HLF has adopted thepractice of consulting its professional advisorsand then announcing priority areas in differentfunding sectors, which has helped applicantswith the timing and focusing of their bids.Extensive consultation within the historical andcognate professions will undoubtedly be neededbut there is no reason why this approach cannotbe taken by historians.

5. Partnerships, local, national and international,are an excellent way of leveraging extraresources into funding applications. Thisapproach can work equally well for smallprojects (where commercial publishers mayprovide the key to making material available)and for very large projects which have a varietyof likely end-uses. Examples of the latter arethe SCAN project and the Tithe MapsCollaborative Project, which sprang from aninitiative of the National Council on Archivesand is likely to include partners from archives,universities, museums and local studies groupsand to involve applications to a variety offunding sources. Some method of fosteringpartnerships between historians and othergroups is needed, perhaps through publicisingthe lists of priorities across related disciplines,professions and user groups.

6. Further conferences and colloquies to discussthese issues would undoubtedly be of greatvalue, but it is also suggested that a workinggroup be set up further to develop the aboveproposals and to implement them asappropriate.

AM 153 (Worcestershire County Council.Tony Wherry, County Archivist, 3/99)There are a great many areas where archiveservices are changing fundamentally, reflectingmajor changes in society itself. Not least,within Worcestershire County Council theprovision of a range of related services,

including archive services, is now to be made ina fresh and more integrated way. The variouscomments below are grouped under broadheadings, but in many cases, of course, theissues are closely interrelated and cannot beseen in isolation.

StandardsThe continuing support for archive services byparent bodies, and to an extent by the public andusers, will increasingly depend onaccountability expressed through a number ofmechanisms. These will include Best Valuestudies from the point of view of controllingbodies and formalised standards for access andservice in the case of the public. Ideally, thisprocess will have the effect of bringingstandards up to a common high level withoutironing out all the distinctive features ofindividual Offices.

External measures to validate these standardswill be essential. An inspecting body will beneeded with power to give official recognitionto repositories meeting agreed standards. Thiswill replace the present piecemeal systems ofrecognition for various purposes by differentbodies. Any inspecting body must not justimpose standards, but work with the widevariety of archival institutions to foster anddevelop best practice.

Such exercises as the Archive Mapping projecthave highlighted wide discrepancies in serviceprovision. To ensure a greater consistency thereneeds to be consideration of what an archiveservice should consist of and this should bebacked up by statutory requirements.

Public pressure on servicesThe growth in use of archives shows no realsign of abating, and this raises questions abouthow to ensure the provision of services at anacceptable level in the context of greatlyincreased demand. The archive communityrecognises the need to widen awareness of itsservices beyond its traditional white middle-aged constituency. If the standard for accessmentioned above is to be met then new waysmay need to be found to meet demand. Theremay be ways in which more routine elements ofenquiries can be filtered out and dealt with innew ways, leaving more staff time available tobe dedicated to interpreting them moreeffectively and making the best use of staffexpertise. This begs to some extent thequestions of how people will seek access to

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archives in the future, and the qualitiesemploying bodies will look for in archive staff.

Electronic delivery of servicesReal fears have been expressed that the increasein access offered by Internet links couldoverwhelm services if there is not also acorresponding development in streamliningaccess to such users, for example by puttingmore original sources on-line in digitised form.There are many technical, financial and policyissues here, but the reality is that government ispromoting such initiatives as the National Gridfor Learning which presupposes resources beingavailable in this form. The archive communityhas recognised this with its discussion of anational network for archives, but there aremany issues that remain to be addressed beforereal progress can be made. These includestandardisation, mismatch between the stagedifferent parts of the ‘network’ have reachedand long-standing issues such as listingbacklogs. Regional co-operation betweenarchives, libraries, museums and otherorganisations in providing content for thenetwork is already under consideration in theWest Midlands.

StaffingWith so many changes it will be essential bothto retain traditional archival skills and at thesame time help staff to develop and add on newskills to match new demands. Relevantconsiderations are the need for continuing staffdevelopment at all levels and a greaterrecognition of the value that skilled staff canadd to any mechanised or electronic system ofservice delivery. This will inevitably raiseissues as to how such training is to be fundedand delivered.

Electronic recordsThis area is, perhaps, one where the mostfundamental changes are taking place andshould have a much higher profile. If themedium in which information is storedcontinues to become more and more anelectronic one then the archive profession has tomake clear the implications for record keeping,and be part of the solution to any new problemssuch as the integrity and control of records.Archivists have to find ways to have a voice indecisions affecting such large social concerns asData Protection and Freedom of Information,and highlight legal, intellectual and historicalissues thrown up by technical changes in theway the world works.

FundingMuch of the above is concerned with thefunding of archive services. The Lottery hasmade some new resources available, but not inany structured way which tries to meet needs ina consistent and integrated way. There do notseem to be any new ways in prospect forincome-raising and such ideas as Trusts, whichhad some currency as the way forward someyears ago, have not proved themselves.

The provision of services such as conservationmay need the formation of partnerships, perhapswith other archive institutions, perhapsinternally within the authority, perhaps withother institutions with compatible aims, to helpensure services are maintained and developed.

StructuresThis is the area of greatest uncertainty, and oneon which many other potential changes arecontingent. For a local authority such as this,which itself has only just emerged from a longprocess of reorganisation, the developments inregional government will be watched with greatinterest and some concern. The recent debateon regional structures by DCMS highlightedhow vulnerable archives are, lacking as they dothe sort of regional structure presupposed by theDepartment. Both at a regional and nationallevel it is not always clear who can speak for thearchive world as a whole. This will need to berectified if archives are to have a meaningfulvoice in the proposed regional culturalconsortia.

ConclusionTo those living in the ‘real’ world of localarchives, still trying to cope with everincreasing searchroom demand, large backlogsof uncatalogued or poorly catalogued materialand new demands for accountability and access,it can be difficult to see the relevance of largesurveys of the way forward. However, this isoutweighed by appreciation of the opportunitiesthat exist to build on what has already beenachieved, whatever the shortcomings. There isan increasing understanding of the importanceof archives to the fabric of a democratic society.The public is more aware of archives than ever.Even if many will still not use the searchroomthey will appreciate the ways archives can affectthem.

Archive services will need to look for a firmerbase in legislation, secure sources of funding,whatever those may be, and new ways to serve a

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wider public, from educational use to Freedomof Information. The keeping of archives is atoken of faith in the future as well as the past.The long term nature of this undertaking needsto be recognised at all levels so that short termissues do not distort the wider process.

AM 154 (Wrexham County Borough. AlanWatkin, Chief Leisure, Libraries andCulture Officer, 4/99)Wrexham Archives Service was established atlocal government reorganisation in Wales,1996. The service forms part of the Culture &Heritage Services section within the Departmentof Leisure, Libraries & Culture, which is in turnpart of the Directorate of Education & LeisureServices.

The formation of the new authority providedWrexham County Borough, for the first time, anopportunity to develop its own recordsmanagement and archives services. Prior to thistime, records relating to the Wrexham CountyBorough area were collected by Clwyd RecordOffice: these records remain, by agreement withthe successor authorities, in the existing RecordOffices at Ruthin & Hawarden.

In its first three years, the service has receivedsome 2,000 boxes of modern records and arecords management system has beensuccessfully established to store and retrieve thesemi-current records of the new authority. It isintended that the remaining records of theformer Clwyd County Council, which relate tothe County Borough area, will be disaggregatedto the Wrexham service when the current 5 yearagreement expires in March 2001.

Due to budgetary constraints, the proposal todevelop archival collections and supportingservices will be implemented on a phased basis,with the long-term intention of establishing anArchives & Local Studies Centre as an integralpart of the new Wrexham County BoroughMuseum. The collection of archival materialfrom the County Borough area is presentlyrestricted because of the lack of adequatestorage in compliance with national standardsand the conservation needs of such material.Priority has therefore been given to identifying,cataloguing and conserving material which isalready held by the authority. This programme,together with an increase in the number ofmicroform records held, and copies of relevantlists and indices produced by the existing

records offices, has already enhanced localaccess to records relating to the Wrexham area.

However, it remains a policy aim to endeavour,at some future date, to achieve ease of access toarchives relevant to Wrexham at a local level -this policy position reflects the needs and natureof the local community, whereby only thosewith the most sophisticated research techniquesand adequate personal resources are able toaccess local, remote archive facilities inHawarden & Ruthin.

The authority is currently planning to developan integrated computer system within theauthority’s heritage and library services, which,if linked to a wider regional and nationalnetwork (such as the proposed ArchivesNetwork Wales project), would be ofconsiderable benefit and increase public accessto the available resources. However, fundingremains a major issue both to establish thenetwork in the short term and to ensure that itremains viable over time.

The Archivist also works closely with othercolleagues in the Heritage services section todevelop & produce exhibition and educationprogrammes. In addition, the grouping of boththe Education and Leisure, Libraries & CultureDepartments within one Directorate has greatlyenhanced the linkage between heritage servicesand formal educational provision within theCounty Borough.

AM 155 (Dr Peter Spufford, 5/99)The work of the British Record Society over thelast 110 years has been very various. We wereset up to preserve and publish historical recordsand to make them more accessible by creatingand publishing indexes and calendars to them.Much of the work of the Society has resulted inthe spinning off of other bodies. Our very firstactivity, to start lists and indexes for the PublicRecords, became in turn the List and IndexSeries of the PRO itself and much later the workof the List and Index Society. For aconsiderable period we pursued the work of theManorial Society which we incorporate, but it isyou who have now run the Manorial DocumentsRegister for well over sixty years. We began bythinking of the whole of the British Isles, andour Scottish Records Section became theScottish Record Society, although our parallelattempt to create an Irish Record Section, andthen Society, failed. After the First World War,

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our Records Preservation Section, which wasdistributing records to newly formed recordoffices, evolved into the British RecordsAssociation. In the 1930s, after our recordpreservation work had ceased, we promoted thenecessity of a joint publication, series to enablelocal societies to put things into print that theycould not necessarily afford. After the SecondWorld War you yourselves took up this idea. Itneeds re-reviving. The latest spin off is thatEnglish Record Collections has taken over thefinancing of the creation of indexes to historicalrecords, whilst we remain as publishers ofhistorical records and of indexes to them.

For all record societies there is a tensionbetween, on the one hand, publishing wholedocuments, which make visits to archives to seethese particular documents unnecessary, and, onthe other hand, publishing indexes and listswhich make it possible to know in advancewhether or not it might be worthwhile to visit anarchive to look at a range of documents. Inbetween lie the publication of abstracts, and ofextensive calendars, which are much moreuseful than simple indexes and lists. Abstractsdo have disadvantages, however. Volumes ofabstracts can, by their very nature cover farfewer documents than lists or indexes.Furthermore abstracts tempt readers to believethat they have the full documents under theirhands, when they do not. They therefore fail tofollow up the leads that they have been given,by going to the archives concerned.

Nearly all the British Record Society’spublications have been simple indexes and lists.There have been very few calendars, volumes ofabstracts or whole documents. In this we areatypical of record societies in general. On alocal level, record societies have interspersed afew volumes of indexes or abstracts among alarge number of whole documents. On anational level, the whole document type ofpublication has been coped with by the CamdenSociety/Royal Historical Society, or byspecialist societies like the Pipe Roll Society orthe Canterbury and York Society. The twolatter had some of the same founding fathers asourselves, and saw the work of this Society tobe a different one. Most of our recentpublications have not merely been confined toindexes, but more narrowly to indexes toEnglish probate records. My predecessor, MarcFitch, was aiming for this Society to have seenthe publication of indexes to all probate recordscreated in England before 1700. We will not

quite have achieved that aim by the end of themillennium. My own contribution to theevolution of the Society has been to push for areturn to the publication of some whole records,particularly as joint publications with localrecord societies (a return to the ideas of the late1930s) . We are currently embarking on aproject to see that at least one hearth tax returnis in print from each county, either from PROE179 or from a local Quarter Sessions copy.This is achievable in some twenty volumes,interspersed with the probate indexes stillremaining to be published.

Our relationship with local record offices hasbeen very varied over the years as aconsequence of the chameleon-like nature of theSociety. At an early stage of our existence wewere even important in lobbying for the creationof local record offices. It is hard for us to judgehow the general public is treated in recordoffices, for we have often been given privilegedaccess to documents, since our work hasgenerally been of a nature to benefit the archiveconcerned. This has meant that those workingfor the society, either in a voluntary capacity, orpaid, if we could raise grants, have often beentreated more like temporary members of staffthan as ordinary readers.

The problem that we can see for all the archiveswith which we are in contact is that of finance.Every local authority (like central government)is faced with an explosion of its ownpaperwork. It is desirable that as many aspossible of the core records of the authority arepreserved, but storage is not infinite. There aretwo contradictory problems, persuading localgovernment departments to keep and pass ontheir records, and at the same time not expectingthe archive to retain everything. Settingpriorities for weeding the records of localauthorities is work for historically trainedarchivists (as well as the oversight of thesubsequent processes of destruction) . At thesame time the very success of local recordoffices has drawn large quantities of records inas deposits, from diocesan archives, parochialvestries, country houses, solicitors, localbusiness, health authorities, etc. At one timearchivists were out actively seeking formaterial. Now the problem is how to cope withtoo much of it. Donors are unhappy if theycannot see a catalogue of what they have givenin the short term. I am getting the impressionthat shortages of staff and space mean that thereis an increasing backlog of cataloguing and

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conservation. At the same time the number ofreaders for a limited range of documents (notgenerally the core documents of the localauthority, which still have to have the highestpriority for local authority archivists) isincreasing exponentially.

Offering documents that are much in demand onmicrofilm or microfiche or on disk, andallowing readers self-service for them, savesfetching time and manpower in the long run,and preserves the documents from over-handling, but the creation of the microfilm etc.,provision, maintenance and replacement ofmicrofilm-readers etc, costs time and money, sothat the balance is difficult. There is also theproblem of what ought to be microfilmed - themost used? the most fragile (which could meanthose from the beginning of this century)? orwhat? To microfilm a large proportion ofmedieval documents, as the Archives Nationaleshas done in Paris seems strange, since there arerelatively few readers of such documents. Onthe other hand microfilming the most useddocuments makes it possible, as the ArchivesGénérales in Brussels have done, to havemicrofilm reading facilities, which need littleoversight, open on public holidays when familyand local historians (who have not yet retired)are very glad to have access to them. I am notaware whether any English record offices yetopen for microfilm users on bank holidays orSundays.

The traditional users of local records, fromwithin the local authority itself, and professionalhistorians, are now greatly outnumbered bythose working in the fields of local and familyhistory who have other weekday jobs. This has,of course, frequently been reflected by movingrecord offices from the direct oversight of thecounty clerk/chief executive to ‘LeisureServices’. Evening, weekend and Bank Holidayopening are much desired by this new majorityof readers, at least to be able to consultmicrofilm/microfiche, but even limited accessopening demands manpower, and comes roundonce again to the question of resources.

One of our concerns as a record society, is onethat archivists also share. In what ways shouldwe embrace new technology? For somepurposes the advantages are indubitable. Forexample, the making of indexes has now beenimmensely speeded up for printed volumes.More problematic is the question of how farrecord societies should go on producing printed

volumes. Since so much effort goes into theproduction of every record society volume, itseems that, when it has been completed itshould be in a suitably durable form, so that itnever needs to be done again. Despite the cost,printed volumes still seem the only really safesolution, printed on acid-free paper, properlybound and kept in a wide range of libraries.Our feeling is that other forms of productionshould complement printed volumes not replacethem. For several years we have produced‘volumes’ on microfiche, but we have alwaysmade a limited number of copies of the sametexts available in print for those who wish tohave them in that form and are prepared to paythe large additional cost. I do not know howlong microfiche lasts, but suspect that, in ahundred years time, all that will survive of thesevolumes, will be some of the printed examples.We are now contemplating putting together theindexes to all the Prerogative Court ofCanterbury Wills, in a gigantic database. Iknow all too well the perils of large databases,having been involved with four of them on thenow defunct university mainframe computer.The translation of electronic documentationfrom one form to another takes a prodigiousamount of time. What seems currently obviousand easy to use will tomorrow be oldfashionedand exceedingly difficult to access. When suchthings are created one needs to bear in mind thatthere is a perpetual commitment of manpowerto maintenance. How should such largequantities of information be published? CD-ROMs look obvious today. and most PCs cancurrently use them, but it is not so long sincebroad floppy disks were normal - and now it isvirtually impossible to find a machine whichwill take them. In the short run CDs seemsensible, but for how long? ‘Publication’ on aweb-site also poses problems. For one thingthere is no subscription or sale revenuegenerated to maintain the work of a recordsociety. This means that a society can only puta publication on such a site after it thinks that ithas sold all that it is likely to do in print,microfiche, CD Rom etc. For another thing aweb-site needs to be perpetually maintained andkept up to date. I am told by those who do so,that running a web-site is as onerous as editing ajournal – and record societies run on thegoodwill of volunteers, usually busy peoplewith quite different sorts of jobs.

Some of this is applicable to archives as well asto record societies. In what form should arecord office ‘publish’ its own catalogues and

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lists? Is the traditional single copy available tothe user in the search room any longer enough?with perhaps another behind the scenes for thestaff? Or should archives keep one member ofstaff more or less fully occupied in putting listsand catalogues on the web and maintainingthem there? Can they afford that? You willhave heard all that, and more from yourrepresentatives from the world of familyhistory, who obviously need to be heard, sinceso many of the users of archives, and membersof record societies are now family historians,and also since so many family historians seemto be particularly taken by informationtechnology.

I hope I have managed to speak not only for theBritish Record Society, but, to a certain extentfor record societies in general. However, theseare the thoughts of a medieval Europeanhistorian, who chairs a society primarilyconcerned with English seventeenth centurydocuments, and thus rather far removed fromthe vast majority of current users of Englishrecord offices.

AM 156 (Consultative Meeting, 5/99)Note of a consultative meeting with familyhistorians and genealogists, held at QualityHouse, 10 May 1999.

Present: Sir John Sainty (in the Chair), Dr AliceProchaska, Rosemary Dunhill (Commissioners),Dr Christopher Kitching (Secretary).Invited guests: David Annal (Family RecordsCentre), Dr Richard Baker (Institute of Heraldicand Genealogical Studies), Rosemary Boyns(Glamorgan Record Office), Simon Fowler(Society of Genealogists), Michael Gandy, LordTeviot, Lady Teviot.

The Chairman first invited Rosemary Boyns,author of a recent article in the Journal of theSociety of Archivists on archivists and familyhistorians, to elaborate a little on her survey.She emphasised the great proportion of users oflocal record offices who were family historians:an average of over 50%. Almost all repositorieshad responded directly to the needs of thisgroup of users, although in a pragmatic andrather varied way according to local resources.Many users started from general sources such asthe General Register Office Indexes and censusreturns and worked outwards to an awareness ofother sources. They were clearly a growing andimportant constituency.

In discussion, it was noted that there was stillsome feeling that the more academic user stilltended to look down on family historians, butthis attitude was changing especially in localrepositories. Some private and specialistarchives, which were less used to dealing withfamily historians and their needs, still put upbarriers.

There was general agreement that certain kindsof family historian could be excessivelydemanding, trying the patience of staff andother users. Some had special needs forinduction training, which could be costly onstaff resources, although it was a highlydesirable investment. Many of the questionsthey tended to ask were quite predictable, and ina well ordered repository should be anticipatedin any initial guidance, whether personal orpublished. There was however another side tothis: many family historians were working on aself-service basis from microforms, and oncethey knew the ropes scarcely needed to troublethe staff.

All present agreed that, in the case of heavilyused genealogical source materials, there was aneed to minimise wear and tear on originalrecords by using only surrogate copies forconsultation, except in special circumstances,provided that the copies were of a good qualityand that the equipment for reading them was ingood working order. There was also strongsupport also for the injection of funds intoconservation of the original records. Microformhad many advantages: not least that it was cleanand that it could be reproduced in multiplecopies to make the sources available remotely.It also in general offered a speedy service tousers who were pursuing only a single enquiry:many new users of record offices in fact makeonly one or two visits to check particular piecesof information. The service at the FamilyRecords Centre was particularly commended.

Users were not all familiar with the issuessurrounding digitisation of original documentsto produce a different form of surrogatemedium, and more information would bewelcomed. Some of the potential advantages ofdigitisation seemed clear, but these had to beweighed against the costs in both the short andlong term. Whilst there was support for furtherresearch and development in this area, the pointwas also made that for most purposesmicroforms were still very acceptable and cost-effective. Thought might perhaps be given to

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replicating whole sets of surrogate copies (suchas those currently held by the Family RecordsCentre) for local or regional use.

Specific concern was expressed about the highcost of obtaining certified copies of registerentries of births, marriages and deaths, and alsoabout the recently announced sharp increase inthe cost of access to wills. This was restrictingfor family research and tended to limit thefreedom of access to these documents, whichwere of a public nature. There was a continuedfeeling that registration records should be madePublic Records, but this alone would not solvethe problems because practicalities of accessstill had to be resolved. Further discussion wasin train about these issues. Concern was alsoexpressed about the physical custody of theserecords, where anecdotal evidence suggestedthat best standards were not everywhere beingmet.

The meeting was divided on the question ofcharges for access to records. Some presentwere robustly against charges and doubted thatthey were cost-effective if the real cost of theiradministration were taken into account. Othersfelt that family historians would be quiteprepared to pay modest sums, especially if theincome could be reinvested for the improvementof services or the acquisition of new sources (aswas the case at Glamorgan Record Office formicroforms of sources held elsewhere).

The importance of preserving film and soundarchives as well as records on paper andparchment was emphasised. Efforts were beingmade to gather them in, but as yet there was lessdemand for access to this kind of material. Itwas suggested that these (but other records aswell) could be the subject of more and bettertargeted promotion to encourage use, notnecessarily for research or academic purposesbut for more general recreation and enjoyment.

AM 157 (Consultative Meeting, 5/99)Note of a consultative meeting with officers ofnational archival bodies, held at Quality House,10 May 1999.

Present: Sir John Sainty (in the Chair), Dr AliceProchaska, Rosemary Dunhill (Commissioners);Dr Christopher Kitching (Secretary), AlexRitchie (HMC).Invited guests: Dr Deborah Jenkins (Associationof Chief Archivists in Local Government);

Roger Bettridge and Professor Paul Harvey(British Records Association); Melanie Aspeyand Edwin Green (Business Archives Council).

The Secretary explained the background to theArchives at the Millennium survey andsummarised some of the main themes emergingfrom the written evidence, whilst emphasisingthat other evidence including the manypublished reports and surveys on archives in thepast few years, and the Commission’s ownobservations on the ground, would be taken intoaccount in compiling the eventual Report to theCrown.

Much of the discussion centred on the paradoxof encouraging and discouraging developmentsin archives running in tandem.

� The archive profession was in generalspeaking with a more united voice than everbefore, and in this respect was the envy of themuseum profession. Yet the number of bodiesconcerned with archives and archival issues wasmultiplying to the extent that it was difficult toidentify any lead individual or lead body whenswift responses were required to issues of publicconcern. Archives were thus ‘coherent butleaderless’. Nevertheless, the meeting wasagreed that most of the existing bodies,including the Commission, had clearly definedremits which should not too quickly besurrendered just for the sake of making matterssuperficially tidier. Also, in some respects,leadership was a two-edged sword: BACemphasised, for example, that other bodieswhich were not themselves stakeholders in thebusiness archives function could not fullyrepresent their views. Nor would all welcomethe Keeper of Public Records (for example)being seen as a spokesman for archives as awhole. On balance we probably had to live witha plural solution, at least for the time being,although the question might be raised whetherthere was a role for a national inspectorate ofarchives as there was for schools.

� The swift reponse of the NCA and its memberorganisations, in setting up the means wherebyarchives could be represented in regionalcultural bodies was welcomed, provided thatthere was a funding dimension to this regionalwork so that real benefits could be seen to flow.But it was going to be a strain on some of thethinly-spread archive services in the regions tofulfil this commitment.

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� Standards were perceived to be generallyrising, yet there was solid documentation (e.g.in the mapping surveys) of local problems.There seemed to be a case for a morecoordinated approach, perhaps led by HMC,towards the theoretical and practical researchthat could underpin standards, in key areas suchas electronic records, records management andconservation. In the latter context morerigorous evaluation of conservation standards inwork undertaken as a result of grant-aid by theHeritage Lottery Fund was desirable. The pushtowards Best Value in local governmentservices meant that there was a greater need forexternally validated standards and models ofbest practice.

� Training of archivists and conservators washeld in high respect, but there was a case forencouraging more questioning of set learningand practices and more imaginative solutions toproblem solving. Whenever a trainingdimension could be identified in HLF projects itwas worth emphasising this and getting itproperly written into the project funding.

� Business archives were on a surer footing thanever before, with a growing number ofbusinesses employing archivists. Yet there wasno public funding available to support this worksince the HMC grant to BAC had beenwithdrawn, and the sector appeared to havebeen by-passed in initiatives such as the currentAccess to Archives project. The public sectorneeded to be better informed about the burdenborne by the private sector with regard to thecare of archives, for which there was nocontribution of public funding. The Secretaryexpressed regret at the withdrawal of the HMCgrant to BAC and the forecast withdrawal of theHMC grant to BRA, moves which had largelybeen dictated by the insistence of the successivesponsoring departments (DNH and DCMS) thatthese funds should be seen as a core part of theCommission’s own funding. In this contextthey obviously became vulnerable when thegovernment allocation was insufficient tosupport the Commission’s own core work.

Among other issues discussed:The BRA emphasised the need to gain a moregeneral acceptance of the importance of thecontinuum of current records and archives.Sound records management was a key to thefuture survival of archives.

The meeting supported the calls, made by manyrespondents to the Commissioners’ survey, forlegislation to make the provision of localauthority archive services a statutoryresponsibility. It saw the improvement ofstandards, however, to be of a higher priority. Itwas in any case arguable that an authorityhaving exercised its powers under the LocalGovernment (Records) Act to run an archiveservice was obliged thereafter to maintain it.

There was general support for morecollaborative working across sectoral andauthority boundaries which might amelioratesome of the shortcomings of the presentposition in the local archives network, andachieve more ‘critical mass’ for archives, butsuch arrangements would need to be enteredinto rather carefully because of the uncertaintiesarising from having plural (and perhapsuncertain) sources of funding for a singleventure. New opportunities might presentthemselves on a regional basis in view of thecurrent moves towards regionalisation of policyand funding.

The need for more specific central governmentfunding of archives, ranging from thechannelling of funds to and through existingbodies such as HMC, BAC and BRA to thereimbursement of local places of deposit for thecare of Public Records.

AM 158 (Joint response from the Archivesand Records Management Training Schools,including the Aberystwyth School, 10/98)This annual meeting has featured since the1970s, providing a focus for discussion ofcommon academic and professional issues inpostgraduate archival training and anopportunity to act in concert in the commoninterest. Current plans envisage a more formalstructure for the future to enable archivaleducators to focus their efforts, both individualand collective, on research issues, professionaldevelopment and better public understanding.

The UK Training Schools have reached theirage of majority and, in the human analogy,display the maturity of middle age. Bornlargely in response to training needs of countylocal record offices which proliferated duringthe present century, they thus reflected aspectsof social change, wartime upheaval and‘heritage’ consciousness. Located within

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University College London, the University ofLiverpool, and the University of Wales atBangor and Aberystwyth, all are accredited bythe UK Society of Archivists throughquinquennial visits, as also is the course atUniversity College Dublin. Together with themore recent Records Management course at theUniversity of Northumbria at Newcastle (alsoaccredited), and the Society’s own in-serviceDiploma, these training schemes now supplyprofessional recruitment needs in archives andrecords management within the UK and beyond,in ever-widening contexts, from county/localrecord offices, business, or private/specialcollections on the one hand, to a host ofcorporate, institutional and governmentalorganisations on the other.

The necessary disciplines and skills haveexpanded in equal measure. The chief concernof early trainees was the rescue and safekeepingof priceless archival collections, both great andsmall, which all contribute to evidentialknowledge of the past and the common heritage.By now, rapid expansion in use of paper, printand electronic media is such that managementof current and semi-current records is anessential skill for securing survival ofinformation of value to the future; issues ofselection criteria and information strategyabound, together with growing legalresponsibilities for availability of evidence andfreedom/control of access. Hence theemergence and continuing development of theprinciples and practice of Records Management,essential to modern archival training.

Yet demand for traditional skills continues,necessary to the bulk of surviving archiveswhich predate the present informationexplosion. Palaeography, Diplomatic andadministrative history, together with Latin andarchaic vernacular languages, are all essentialprerequisites to understanding documentarysources from medieval times to the eighteenthcentury, whether for cataloguing purposes orinterpretation of content. Since these skills havedeclined in modern educational provision, it isnow more difficult both for archivists to acquireand develop personal skill and for them to meetthe demand for assisting others with explanationand interpretation. While training provisionshould always evolve to meet emerging needs,archival training faces an unusual dilemma inmeeting the continuing need for ‘traditional’skills while, at the same time, respondingurgently to the requirements of modern records

management. In a profession which is smalland not well-resourced the answer cannot, forthe most part, rely upon training specialists withnarrower fields of expertise, although thisapproach has a part to play.

Further difficulties of matching the ‘old’ withthe ‘new’ are raised by the advance of moderntechnology. While it is now possible todisseminate archival images worldwide forpublic access, the interpretative skills which arenecessary to much archival material are notwidely available, thus creating natural limits ongeneral access. Electronic dissemination ofcatalogue information has more practicalpotential, but this requires huge investment ofarchival skill in order to convert existingcatalogues to an appropriate format, a dauntingprospect for a small profession within whichsuch skill is fostered. Commonmisunderstanding of such ‘retrospective’ issues,even by allied professionals and academichistorians, adds to the difficulties. Passingpolitical policies can be equally unhelpful, ifregarding ‘heritage’ as essentially backward-looking (and therefore undeserving) rather thanrecognising a forward-looking responsibility foran inheritance which must be secured for thefuture, suitably augmented by the present.

The Training Schools are proud of their successto date. Whether measured by their ownexperience of the field or by commercial andmarketing criteria, demand for the product isbuoyant, employment is available andunemployment negligible. The full range ofskills is in demand. The professional societies(the Society of Archivists and the RecordsManagement Society) provide for continuingprofessional development, as also do theTraining Schools, for whom new developmentsin distance learning and para-professionaltraining will enable further contribution to morevaried training needs within the fields ofarchives and records management.

Many significant challenges are apparent forfuture archival training, and comment on themore obvious will surely abound in the contextof this response. There is no wish to rehearsethe comments of others regarding widerprofessional concerns of technological advance,its use and control, neglected areas of interest,the needs of different users and the complexityof records management issues which will surelyfeature largely and appropriately, together withresource difficulties. So too will continuing

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needs for professional development and relatedpublic, academic and business awareness.

For the Training Schools, particular challengesare perceived in both internal and externalcontexts:Internal factors are represented bydevelopments within the university sector, withwhich archival and records managementtraining, in the Training Schools, largely rests.Organisational and resource trends have led tolarger units and cost centres within institutions,with consequent pressure on small, specialistareas which cannot achieve financial balancebecause of the range of skilled input required totrain small numbers; these, when measured byeconomic factors, must raise questions of‘inefficiency’. Furthermore, ‘traditional’archival skills of Palaeography and Diplomaticare rare within today’s university schools of‘History’, and cannot presume upon the kindlypatronage of larger disciplines. Yet, such skills,with increasing rarity value, are now among themost significant resources which ArchiveTraining Schools can offer to their hostinstitutions in terms of postgraduate trainingand research support for colleagues in manydisciplines, together with expertise in locationand use of primary source material. The‘modern’ skills of records management are alsoof huge potential benefit to universitymanagement teams at a time of growingcomplexity of paper-work, audit pressures andchange to electronic record keeping, togetherwith increasing requirements for legalcompliance.

Other university-linked issues have affected theTraining Schools in recent times and will for theforeseeable future. Of particular significance isthe pressure on research output, so difficult forthese Schools where heavy loads of challengingteaching play a key role in their basic raisond’être and where professional links areparamount, but where numbers are small, part-time input from practising professionals isessential, and wider academic appreciation israther scarce. Quality assessment is lessproblematic, given essential efficiency arisingfrom complexity of course management andprofessional accreditation. Widespreadmodularisation of university courses has addedto administrative burdens and contributed toclose definition of subject areas; it has alsobrought difficulties in accommodating schemesof progressive development. In compensationshowever, it offers a unit structure which

facilitates part-time take-up and is fundamentalto exciting developments in new learningmodes, whether ‘distance’ or ‘open’, all ofwhich will improve and widen access.

Two external issues exemplify the way in whichthe Training Schools must respond to changingneeds as they emerge. One is the current battleover terminology, where understanding of thedefinitions of archives, records and documentsis being blurred by variant uses favoured byInformation Technology, leading to furtherpublic misunderstanding of the world ofarchives and records. Lack of clarity in therelationship between the disciplines ofInformation Management and RecordsManagement is similarly problematic: both areindeed related, but the latter is of broader scopeand purpose than the former. The informationrevolution, hailed with such pride as anachievement of the 1990s, must serve the needsof all users in appropriate measure and permitboth definition and recognition of the individualqualities of its many contributors.

The second issue relates to conservation andpreservation. While the Training Schools havealways included understanding of traditionalarchival materials in terms of paper, parchment,inks etc. for purposes of good practice inpreservation and conservation, the myriad ofother substances which have developed in use inthe present century present a daunting challengefor future conservation practice. Not only willsubstantial archival and record material be inelectronic form raising new issues ofauthenticity and integrity apart frompreservation and accessibility, but the range ofwriting materials and inks is changing beyondall recognition. Some are difficult to identifybecause of commercial secrecy, and behaviourover time and in different circumstances isunknown. While archivists and recordsmanagers will continue to depend on thepractical skills and knowledge of their qualifiedconservators, their own knowledge must alsoextend to understanding the practices andprocesses which prevent/arrest deterioration andthe active intervention procedures required toreverse/repair existing damage. It is clear that,in future, archivists and conservators will needto develop close working relationships withadvanced scientific facilities and also to drawon the techniques of forensic science in somecircumstances. The final solution to themystery of the Hitler diaries in recent decadesserves to illustrate how historical interpretation

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of modern archival material may now requirethe archivist to seek sophisticated scientificsupport.

Caught in the middle between coping with thepast and anticipating the future, the Archivesand Records Management Training Schools willcontinue to respond to the challenge of evolvingprofessional need to the best of their collectiveabilities.

AM 159 (Flintshire County Council)[Extract from a report to the Library andInformation Committee by the Director ofEducation, Libraries and Information, 25 May1999]While there was certainly a variation in thestandards of provision for local authorityarchive services in Wales before localgovernment reorganisation, the situation hassince become more transparent. We are nowlooking at upper, middle and lower ranks ofarchive provision and sadly the FlintshireRecord Office forms part of the middle rank.

The problem essentially is one of basicresources. Flintshire County Council inheritedan archive budget that the previous authorityhad cut to the bone, finally leading to the loss ofone archivist’s post, which in real terms was a25% reduction in professional posts. It issalient to note that we now employ fewerarchivists than we did in 1975, with all theresulting pressures on service delivery anddevelopment. Elsewhere the diminishedbudgetary base places particular constraints onstaff training and development, microfilmingand copying and the replacement of equipment.

Storage of archives in the strongrooms has beensubstantially upgraded through a successfulapplication to the Heritage Lottery Fund in 1997which allowed for the installation of automaticfire suppression, flood detection, environmentalcontrol and environment monitoring systems.The storage of archives in the Flintshire RecordOffice now fully conforms to British Standard5454. However, the Record Office will soonneed to identify and plan for an additionalstrongroom to accommodate accruals to ourcollections and I have concerns about thedistance from the strongrooms to the publicsearchroom and the physical demands placed onstaff carrying the records between the differentareas.

Management. Concerns have arisen over theindependence of heads of archive services in thehierarchy of local government and it is pleasingto note that the County Archivist reportsdirectly to the Libraries and InformationCommittee of the County Council and retainsresponsibility for the archive budget.

Public perception of the management of theFlintshire Record Office is monitored through acomments books, comments to staff and in 1998the Record Office participated in the Survey ofVisitors to British Archives conducted under theauspices of the Public Record Office. Theoverall service of the Record Office was ratedas excellent or good by 97 per cent ofrespondents.

Catalogues. Over 90 per cent of the collectionsin the Flintshire Record Office have beencatalogued and indexed. This remarkably highfigure is a reflection of the staff resourcespreviously available but which is not the casetoday. The catalogues reflect a particularhouse-style and will need to be retrospectivelyconverted to the General International StandardArchival Description (ISAD(G)) withimplications for staff training and theacquisition of the relevant software andhardware.

Conservation. The Flintshire Record Office hasa particular strength in the field of preservationand conservation of archival collections. Theupgrading of the strongrooms has already beenmentioned and automatic environmentalcontrols were also extended into theconservation studio. We are the only localauthority archive service in Wales to teachtrainee conservators as part of the Society ofArchivists in-service training scheme and ourtwo fully qualified conservators have beenactive in the development of pro-activepreservation measures in the Record Office. Theconservation studio is in urgent need ofmodernisation and the absence of a separatetraining budget effectively means that moniesare taken from equipment and materialsexpenditure to meet training needs.

Availability of archives. The inadequacies ofthe present public searchroom have given rise toprofessional concerns and public complaint. Thesearchroom has nine seats which can be pre-booked and invariably are; the average dailyoccupancy in 1998 was 11.6. It can now take upto a fortnight to book a seat and people wishing

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to use the archives are turned away on an almostdaily basis. The public facilities we now offercompare badly with other archive services innorth Wales and in the northwest of England.There is member and officer support to developa new, enlarged searchroom but there is also amatter of staff resources to provide thenecessary support to public.

There have been many successes since theFlintshire Record Office was re-established,notably in preservation and conservation,records management and in publications,including a first CD-ROM. However, the lackof staff and resources is greatly limiting thedevelopment of the archive service in Flintshireand we are failing to meet the ever-increasingpublic demand for access to the archives.Present difficulties, are likely to be compoundedby developments in ICT and electronic records,Freedom of Information and Data Protectionlegislation, Lifelong Learning and informationcontent for the National Grid for Learning.Public demand and Government policy suggestthe need for a properly resourced archiveservice but there is no strategy in place toindicate how that can be achieved.

AM 160 (Consultative meeting, 4/99) Aspects of archival care and use in Wales in1999: Notes of a consultative meeting held onSaturday 17 April 1999 at Pantycelyn,University of Wales Aberystwyth [Abridgedversion of a report by Dr Susan Davies. The fulltext is filed with the original evidence and hasbeen privately circulated in Wales. 35 peopleattended; many others apologised for absenceand asked to be kept informed about theprogress of the initiative.]

CONTRIBUTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS[Introductory remarks by Dr ChristopherKitching, Secretary, Royal Commission onHistorical Manuscripts, setting the context ofthe survey and the Report which will result, andindicating some of the views already expressedby those giving evidence.]

Culture and Heritage in Wales 1999 [Session chaired by Dr Susan Davies,Commissioner at HMC]1.The local authority context. By GarethHaulfryn Williams, Assistant Director(Education and Culture), Gwynedd CountyCouncil.

On the whole, he considers that he has been 'firefighting' rather than 'achieving' over the pasttwenty eight years. Yet much has beenachieved.

Before local government reorganisation in 1974,Wales had thirteen counties; archive serviceswere small (many had 1 or 2 staff), and theyoften formed part of the county administrationdepartment. There was a tradition of respect forrecords - even if they were not properly lookedafter - and awareness of records in anadministrative context. Caernarfonshire, forexample, saw some prestigious publications ofCalendars of Quarter Sessions records, but itmust be admitted that these were of greaterinterest to academics than to the countyratepayers. Many exciting collections werereceived into the care of the record office,relating to landed estates and industry; it was anexciting era.

Local government reorganisation in 1974 can becompared to the 'Big Bang'! Thirteen countieswere reduced to eight, resources seemed easy toobtain; things looked good and there was an airof confidence. During 1974-6 there were somearguments with the National Library of Wales(NLW) about custody of parish records,illustrating the point that county record officescould now offer facilities comparable to thoseof NLW to look after these records. The countyrecord offices had come of age. There was nowa recognisable career structure (outside bodieslike NLW), from assistant archivist to countyarchivist. Services were big enough to be eithercompletely, or largely independent. 1914-1977was the golden age of archive services in Wales.

From 1977, other influences became apparent.Resources became an issue, and the term'heritage' (unsatisfactory in many ways)appeared. During the 1980s, local governmentin general acquired more Directors managingfewer Departments, although there were somesurvivals among county officers (including a'county shepherd' in Merioneth, responsible forrounding up stray sheep!). Archives now cameunder Directors of Culture and Leisure in somecounties, and were effectively pushed down theadministrative ladder, the voices of archivists nolonger being heard in the corridors of power.

More recently, the 1996 local governmentreorganisation split resources. as eight countiesfragmented into twenty-two unitary authorities.Gwynedd became three counties, with little

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consideration of where resources were needed.Conwy Borough Council was given 30% of theprevious archive budget for Gwynedd but hadno record office, so the appointed archivist wasseconded to Caernarfon to a desk there!Economies of scale were lost, and there wasmore emphasis on empire-building. Archiveswere moved into Culture rather thanAdministration departments. In Gwynedd,museums, libraries, archives and cinemas aregrouped together and, where previouslyarchives had comprised one department, theynow became one strand in the Leisuredepartment. This new environment requiredadjustment and espousal of the Heritage option,regardless of preference.

Many of the new counties created in 1996, likeNeath Port Talbot, Conwy, Rhondda CynonTaff, need time to build up their area identitiesafter boundary changes. Yet localadministrative pride suggests that a proper localgovernment body cannot be without an archiveor joint archive service! Such pressures aredifficult to resolve.

The present situation reveals some positivepoints:� The old worry of being 'taken over' no longerexists, since this has happened. It is nownecessary to make the most of being part ofmulti-professional directorates and to buildmutual respect. Cooperation in combinedschemes, e.g. local studies provision, have realadvantages in avoiding duplicated effort andresources.� The old argument that libraries are statutoryand archives are non-statutory has lost relevancebecause Section 60 of the Local Government(Wales) Act, 1994, requires the preparation ofschemes for provision of care for archivalcollections and current/semi-current records,these must be submitted to the Welsh Office forapproval. Local government officers respect theimportance of this procedure and it has givenarchives a stronger claim to resources.� Better relationships have been establishedwith colleagues at NLW and the RoyalCommission on Ancient and HistoricMonuments in Wales (RCAHMW).� Wales has become a separate region in theSociety of Archivists.� More Welsh bodies are gaining strength andoperating at a national Welsh level e.g.Archives Council Wales (ACW).� Archives do not provoke adverse feelings orcomments; this helps their cause and offers the

chance to persuade National Assemblymembers to provide support for archives.

Negative points:� Budgets have been extremely difficult since1996 and are being cut. (The general financialstringency can be illustrated by the fact that in1974 the Welsh Office gave Gwynedd £20m forcapital road spending, but in 1998 the figure forthe same geographical area was £6m for allcapital needs - roads, schools, libraries etc.)� HMC's Standard for Record Repositories iseasy to adopt and should be adopted by all, butit is ignored by some.� Archives have a weak voice in many counties;in some, the archivist has no voice in council orcommittee meetings.� There are widespread backlogs of cataloguingand conservation, and full strongrooms with noresources for more space.� Reduced funding has stretched staff.� The annual growth in searcher numbers addsfurther pressure. At Dolgellau in 1970 therewere 3 searchers, which increased to 49 In1971, at Caernarfon in 1998 there were c.7,000,and it is necessary to close one day a week toreturn documents to their proper places!� Archives have been disregarded in severalcontexts. The Welsh Local GovernmentAssociation has specialist advisors on libraries,but has refused both a museum and archiveadvisor per se.� The recently established Cultural Forum inWales had no archival representation in the firstinstance, although NLW and the Council forMuseums in Wales had.

Points for action:� New government policies and structuresfavour the Heritage brief and certain specifiedtargets, such as lifelong learning. It is necessaryto 'go with the flow' in order to gain resources.� We need to make sure that the voice ofarchives is heard - as a separate Welsh voice.� We should press for the equivalent of MLAC(Museums, Libraries & Archives Council),which currently seems to apply only to England.� New opportunities must be seized, e.g. theNew Opportunities Fund, lifelong learninginitiatives and European Objective 1 status forWest and South Wales. � It is necessary to cooperate acrossgeographical and sectoral boundaries.

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2.The National Library context. By AndrewGreen, Librarian, NLW

NLW had recently issued a document calledChoosing the future, as part of a comprehensivereview of its function, activities and purpose.For the first time, the people of Wales werebeing asked what they felt about the future ofthe National Library. Responses were stillcoming in and the returns were being analysedbut, on the whole, the feedback had been goodand the responses considered. A summarywould be published when completed, and a newcorporate plan for the Library drawn up in timefor consideration by the National Assembly inthe Autumn.

Since NLW's Charter dates from 1901, it istimely to ask questions as to whether or not itremains satisfactory for the new millennium. Itconcentrates on functions rather than theusers/services, with the exception of theprovision that NLW should support highereducation research. It focuses, in particular, onbuilding and preserving collections, but suchconcentration on reference to the collectionspartly obscures NLW's actual role. Oneconsequent effect is that staff structure is basedon the collections, but it has also contributed inthe past to the National Library being regardedas a 'body apart', without many links at eithernational or local level. By today, it is becominga less absolute organisation, thinking moreabout users, access, and exploitation of linkswith other bodies. These various views arebacked up by responses to the consultationdocument.

The core functions remain 'collecting,preserving and access', and these must beprotected at all costs. Yet it is essential to moveforward, even in the core functions, such as inconsideration of modern media and electronicrecords. The information office for the newWelsh Assembly is particularly enthusiasticabout electronic documentation, which posesmany challenges of preservation andmanagement.

As for the users and uses of the NationalLibrary (about whom the Charter says little),researchers of many kinds form the bulk of theclientele, although student use (especially fromUW Aberystwyth) has increased significantly inrecent years. Current government policy isfirmly focused on 'learners', aiming for 50%participation in higher education. This will

have a massive effect on learning in the UK,and NLW must take note.

Outreach is an important considerationwhenever a client base may be perceived to betoo small or limited. Options for NLW includethe following:i) devolving the library and collections. Afunding bid was made to site the medicalsection next to the Medical School in Cardiffbut it was not successful, and ideas may havechanged by now;ii) establishing access to services (notcollections) in the more populous parts of Walesto encourage greater use of NLW's resources;iii) reaching a wider audience through newtechnology (the Internet and digitisationprojects). Numbers of e-mail enquiries aregrowing rapidly.The consultation exercise suggests a strongresponse for the third option.

NLW is looking to enter into partnerships withboth public and private bodies. Past conflictsbetween NLW and county record offices overunique material must be relegated to the past:such 'turf wars' should end and collectingpolicies be agreed. Cultural institutions mustcombine, not compete. Andrew Greenrepresents Wales on the Research SupportLibraries Programme, and notes that Scotlandhas successfully drawn partners together tomake a large number of funding bids, benefitingfrom a longer history of cross-sectoralpartnership: e.g. SCAN and SCRAN. In Wales,partnerships include: ACW, and ACARRD)(the Aberystwyth Centre for Archive andRecords Management Research &Development), a partnership between theUniversity's Archive Training School and NLWwhich is soon to be launched. There is scopefor a large scale 'grand coalition' in Walesbetween archives, libraries and the NLW tomake an HLF bid on the theme of NationalTreasures. Such cross-sectoral funding andprojects are likely to be the future trend.

Public policy will be significant in theimmediate future. The National Assembly willhave no preconceived or fully-fledged views onthe future of the documentary heritage, so it willbe up to archivists to give a lead. Furthermore,the National Library, the National Museum &Galleries of Wales (NMGW) and ArchivesCouncil Wales (ACW) together form a natural,self-elected body which could provide astepping stone to heritage policy. The proposed

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body called MLAC (Museums, Libraries &Archives Council) will offer advice and supportto central government in these sectors. Atpresent, it appears that it will cover Englandonly, so it is crucial that Wales has a similarbody. There is a need for partnership, and forachieving a stronger view through collaboration.

In summary of NLW's position, it should giveleadership in archival matters et al, and offersupport and facilitation, i.e. leadership withouthegemony.

3. A Commissioner's view. By Dr Susan DaviesThe public appointment system plays asignificant part in the successful operation ofbodies which have responsibility for 'heritage'work at national level, including archives. Thisis not generally well-known or understood bythe public at large, especially in present timeswhen many official bodies are described asQUANGOS in a rather derogatory way, with asuggestion that they are not accountable orsuitably 'transparent' in action. It is unfortunatethat this is the popular view, because the bodiesthus described as Quasi Autonomous NonGovernmental Organisations are very varied innature, origin and responsibility. They includeold-established, Chartered bodies like NLW andNMGW (the National Museums & Galleries ofWales) and distinguished Royal Commissionslike HMC and RCAHMW (the RoyalCommission on Ancient and HistoricMonuments of Wales), all represented at thismeeting, which fulfil important and continuingresponsibilities. On the other hand, they alsoencompass more recent creations of very variedbodies which relate to development or specialinterests and which are more familiar to popularexperience. There is one significant differencebetween these two categories: most members ofthe former give their time and service freely andreceive no payment. This is less true of thesecond category!

Susan Davies currently serves three bodiesunder the public appointment system:� HMC which has a UK role and, of course, anarchival context.� The National Museum & Galleries of Wales,as a member of the Council and Court ofGovernors, and Chair of the EducationCommittee. This provides an all Wales focusand both a museum and a broader 'heritage'context� The National Library of Wales, as a memberof the Court of Governors. The focus in this

case is also all-Wales, and the context iscultural, with many specialist aspects, e.g.academic, bibliographic and archival etc.

Working for these three bodies provides a'three-cornered hat' which is more useful andproductive than would be the case with a singleappointment. The combination of national andregional focus adds to the interest of the workand the experience. The first appointment, inchronological terms, was to NMGW in 1994, onthe basis of educational experience, historicalinterests, other activities in Wales andinvolvement in related professional training.Appointment as a Commissioner at HMCfollowed, involvement in archival training beingparticularly relevant in this case. Despite longpersonal connections with NLW as a user,colleague and educator, and close proximity inAberystwyth, appointment to the Court of NLWcame by a different route - and as a completesurprise - in the form of a request to take on therole of NMGW's representation on the Court ofGovernors at NLW, since both bodies nominatea representative of their respective Councils toserve on the Court of the other!

The pattern of government responsibility forculture and heritage, including archives, iscomplex and difficult to understand, as are thefunctions of the various bodies which representthe specialist areas. A good knowledge ofacronyms is required, over and aboveQUANGO! NDPBs are also significant - Non-Departmental Public Bodies. Bodies which fallinto this category and are publicly funded,including HMC, NMGW and NLW, areexpected to function in a similar way togovernment departments and are under theoversight of particular departments ofgovernment. Which department, however, mayraise interesting questions, since there is littleapparent logic in the arrangement and NDPBswhich are related in responsibility may beattached to different departments. For example,while HMC answers to the Department forCulture, Media & Sport (DCMS), formerly theDepartment of National Heritage, the PRO isattached to the Lord Chancellor's Department:this causes a complex situation in an archivalcontext, because the two major bodiesconcerned with archives at national level are indifferent government departments. Notsurprisingly, local government, which includesprovision for county/local archive services.answers to yet another department ofgovernment, as does responsibility for

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substantial aspects of the built heritage! Thesituation is similar in Wales where, for example,NLW and NMGW currently come under oneparticular department at the Welsh Office (theCulture and Recreation Division within theEducation Department), but RCAHMWanswers to another (Planning and Transport).

While time and expertise is freely given bythose who are appointed to specialised publicbodies within a broad heritage context, there aremany personal gains from such work,principally in terms of general interest, andawareness of planning and strategy at nationallevel. The opportunity to contribute knowledgeand professional experience is also satisfying.Yet, there are inevitable anxieties overconflicting pressures and the ability of the'heritage' sector to compete in a market-ledculture, (especially in Wales). Collaborativeeffort is essential.

Finally, it is worth considering anew how thesystem of public appointments in this broadcontext might be improved. No simple answercomes to mind. Since most of theseappointments are unpaid, it is difficult to seewhat changes could be made without financialimplications and, in any case, introducing afinancial dimension might not result in anyeffective improvement of quality. Followingrecent changes of government attitude in favourof greater openness and accountability,appointments are now publicly advertised, andselection includes interviews and other forms ofscrutiny; but it is difficult to balance thesemoves towards accountability against thenatural reluctance of acknowledged experts togo through such time-consuming procedures inorder to discover whether or not they areconsidered suitable for a particular appointmentwhich is unpaid and involves considerablework. On the other hand, if pay wereintroduced, where would it come from?

Questions/discussionMr Peter White (Secretary, RCAHMW) drewupon his time at English Heritage to talk abouttwo day think-tank sessions attended by 25-30people of various backgrounds and experience.The information was subsequently distilled by2-3 people who reported back to participants.He regretted that there was no equivalentopportunity for such sessions within Wales (theonly big bodies are NLW and NMGW), sincethere was a lot of valuable expertise whichcould be shared. Getting together a broad

spectrum of people involved in differentactivities to pool ideas and devise strategies tomake things happen would be a very positivemove. Compare the situation in Scotland,which has the advantage of having all the bigbodies located in Edinburgh - it is so easy tomeet. There are relatively few players in Wales,and the difficulties of meeting, combined withincreasing operational stresses, militated againstdevoting time to collective thought.

Dr Martin Fitzpatrick (History & Welsh HistoryDept., UWA) asked Chris Kitching to elaborateon the Freedom of Information legislation.

Dr Chris Kitching (HMC): The present WhitePaper represents a discussion stage; nothing hasreached the Statute Book. It is intended thatgovernment bodies will be required to maintainrecords to show the decision making process.They will be publicly accountable.

Dr Susan Davies (Programme Director,Archives & Records Management, LTWA):Since the 1980s, there has been a noticeabledecline in the volume of paper records producedand an increase in electronic records. Therelationship between electronic record-keepingand Freedom of Information is significant:without proper management of electronicrecords, appropriate documentation and recordsmay not survive. Furthermore, there is growingpopularity of new disciplines entitledInformation Management and KnowledgeManagement, which deal with currentinformation, largely in electronic form. Thesehave not yet taken on board the importance ofRecords Management, which has a longerchronological perspective and includes appraisalof records, controlled review of retentioncriteria, destruction where appropriate andsecuring archival status for material whichmerits long term preservation.

Comment from the floor: The NationalAssembly is likely to take a great interest inFreedom of Information.

Professor Hywel Roberts (Head of DILS,UWA): There is now a greater readiness withinWales to collaborate and show good intent.However, when CWLIS (Consortium of WelshLibraries & Information Services) was created,none of the other bodies were surrendered, e.g.LISC, WLA etc. So although there is goodintent in cooperation, there is a strong will notto surrender anything either!

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Dr Chris Kitching (HMC): Nowadays, there aremore organisations to coordinate, which makesthe job almost impossible - there are so manyinitiatives.

Gareth Haulfryn Williams (Gwynedd CC): Inplaces where archives have low status, they willneed to look for a partner elsewhere, e.g. otherheritage units within the county or anotherarchive service outside the county, or auniversity etc.

Professor Hywel Roberts (DILS, UWA):Although there is a lot of opportunistic fundingavailable, one must work harder to get it - butoften there is no time/manpower to takeadvantage of funding opportunities.

Andrew Green (National Librarian): Sources offunding are crucial. The advent of the WelshAssembly may alter funding arrangements andmake cross-sectoral working easier than in thepast.

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European funding initiatives. By Linda Tomos,Wales Information Network, DILS

Two current initiatives are worth noting:i. Wales Information Society: This is one oftwenty-two regional Information & Societyinitiatives funded by the EC. The Welshinitiative is more ambitious than those of otherregions which tend to focus on sectors. TheWelsh action plan is to take Wales into theInformation Society. The plan is sponsored bythe Welsh Development Agency (WDA) whichis very interested in trying to develop projects inthe cultural arena. The published plan is worthstudying.

Possible projects relate to a digital network forthe Museum, Libraries and Archives sector.Everything mentioned in the plan has resourcesattached, and there is commitment to developthe Welsh Information Gateway. Money will begiven on a first come, first served basis.

ii. The Fifth Framework initiative: There is acultural strand under the current EC FifthFramework initiative, with a focus on practicalservices to develop research and action.Projects are needed.

There is a tight time scale attached to bothinitiatives but the speaker welcomes enquiries

from anyone who wants further information orwho wishes to submit a project.

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Using Archives and Manuscripts in Wales[Session chaired by Professor Hywel Roberts(DILS, UWA)]

1. Searching for documentary sources inunusual contexts: the Water Project. ByProfessor Aled G Jones, Department of History& Welsh History, UW Aberystwyth

This speaker is a user of archives, managing aresearch project on the history of water in Wales(with Dr Martin Fitzpatrick and Dr RichardCoopey). Water represents the only large scaleextractive industry in Wales which has not beensubjected to academic study, and study of themany aspects of the supply of water from Walesto England from the mid-nineteenth centuryonwards is the focus of the research. Theproject is funded by the Board of Celtic Studiesand has a full-time researcher (Owen Roberts).The third Water History Conference inAberystwyth will be held 9-11 July this year.More details are available on:<http://www.aber.ac.uk/~hstwww/WaterConference.htm> or from Owen Roberts,Department of History & Welsh History,UWAberystwyth.

During the course of this project, it has beennecessary to make unusual interconnectionsbetween information sources and to 'get up tospeed' with a number of things, including:� Victorian society and the scientific aspects ofwater purity.� The development of hydrologicaltechnologies.� The legislative process.� Local authority decision making.� The science and politics of reservoir siting.� Relationships between municipal socialism inBirmingham and Welsh Liberalism.� 'Water colonies' - an idea imported from theUS.� The cultural politics of water - tensiongenerated within communities when dams weresited.

A very wide range of source material isrequired, ranging from the records of private

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businesses, individuals and local authorities topublic records, and including plans,photographs, petitions and contemporary maps.The research project has also produced its owninformation as a result of an oral historyenterprise, interviewing people about Trewerynetc., and is thus producing its own archive.Qualitative information (literature, poetry etc.)is also significant.

Certain observations on archival matters haveemerged from this project:i. The researchers are heavily reliant uponmunicipal archives - but the type, range andsurvival of material has been inconsistent.Some of it has been well preserved andcatalogued, whilst other collections are in a stateof chaos. If material is difficult to locate,research planning is complicated.ii. Much of the material is in private hands.Many of the engineering companies are extantbut reluctant to allow access to researchers.Much vital information has been destroyed andother material, often of doubtful value to theparent company, is unavailable to the public.Much could be done to impress upon privateindividuals/companies the value of preservingtheir records and associated papers. iii. It is important to establish a good workingrelationship with individual archivists/librarians. Invaluable help has been receivedfrom archivists who have extensive knowledgeand understanding of particular archives andinterest in the project. Many were willing andable to make lateral connections with a varietyof documentary material.

ConclusionHowever good the subject catalogues etc,ultimately it is the quality of the encounterbetween the historian and the archivist thatmakes the difference. The interface of thearchivist between the archives and theresearcher is irreplaceable and invaluable.

Questions/commentsMurray Chapman (a civil engineer):Engineering companies are duty bound to keepcertain records since they are needed to carryout safety checks.

Peter White (Secretary, RCAHMW) pointed outthe existence of the panel of historicalengineers, which has a key role in this context.

Gareth Haulfryn Williams (Gwynedd CC): Withthe amalgamation of businesses, records which

formerly were held locally are no longer held bya local company. Benign intervention byacademics is required on behalf of sucharchives, in order to get the records into thearchive repository.

2. Using extensive, but less familiar sources:estate records in Wales. By Dr David Howell,Department of History, University of Wales,Swansea

The landed estate is one of the crucial units ofsettlement and social organisation in Wales.Many collections of papers relating to landedestates have been preserved, especially at NLW.Absenteeism by 18th century land owners inWales is an influential factor: this necessitatedletters being sent from agents to landlordsdescribing what was happening on the estate,and it has resulted in significant enrichment ofthe information in estate collections in Wales.

Not enough is generally known about the richesof these collections as research material, andtheir scope and potential for use. Themicroform publication by Chadwyck-Healey,which provides information on documentarysources across Britain, is particularly useful forlanded estates and would be a valuable resourcefor use in record offices, although cost is aproblem. Perhaps record offices could do moreto inform students about the sources they holdand the scope for research. Proper training forpostgraduate students in the use of such sourcesis also needed, because the necessary level ofmanuscript skills is scarce and rarely includedin research training. Significant landed estatesin Wales have been insufficiently studied; forexample, no PhD study has focused on theenormous Wynnstay estate.

The diverse research potential of estatecollections is exploitable in many ways. Inparticular, landed estates may be approachedfrom two directions, namely from the top (thelandowners) or from the bottom (the peasantry):estate collections may be used in both ways.During the 1760s, many estates were mappedand surveyed, adding a new dimensions to thestudy of land tenure and organisation in Wales.Furthermore, estates often cover largegeographical areas, and this is reflected in veryvaried information: Wynnstay rentals in the19th century provide a depiction of thecountryside in five counties in North Wales.There is, for example, evidence of paternalism,

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when large families were given large farms, ofnew farms being built in the 1860s and 1870s,also information on servants wages andbenefits.

Estate papers are crucial for the study of historybefore the 19th century (when the number ofnewspapers and parliamentary papersincreased), although it is accepted that they maybe biased. Most aspects of history are reflectedin these records; they should never be ignoredor over-looked, and they often provide either theonly source of evidence or significantcorroborative or comparative evidence tosupport other information. For instance, theyare valuable for studies of popular protest,especially when linked with the records of theCourt of Great Sessions. Good examplesinclude the corn riots in North Wales in the1740s (Chirk Castle papers); enclosure riots inRadnorshire (Harpton Court papers) and turfrights (Bronwydd papers)

3. Making difficult archival material accessible:Great Sessions records. By Murray Chapman

This speaker was involved in initiating a GreatSessions project for Montgomeryshire in themid 1980s, focusing on the Gaol Files becauseof the wealth of local information which theycontain, and covering the full period of theGreat Sessions Court, 1541-1830. Thedocuments which are written in abbreviatedLatin are particularly difficult to read, and thisis true of virtually all before 1650 and themajority between 1660 and 1730. ThePowysland Club’s project has by nowcalendared all of the Gaol Files forMontgomeryshire between 1541 and 1830(largely done by the speaker). This will makeavailable a new research resource forMontgomeryshire, which will be accessible toall in language and format, unlike the originalmanuscript material, and it will be fullyindexed. Information in the Gaol Files variesfrom formal writs and appointments to jurylists, coroners’' inquests and the less formal, butfascinating, depositions of individual witnesses,which reflect the ordinary person's life andexperiences.

The Gaol Files for 1650-1660, some of whichare in Latin but most of which are in English(following a decision by the Commonwealthlegislators), have been fully transcribed ratherthan calendared (also by the speaker), and thesewere published by NLW in 1996. The purpose

of this exercise was to provide full examples ofdocuments which will both illustrate thedifference between the calendared series and thecontent of the originals and also assist otherresearchers in tackling similar material for othercounties. The Gaol Files reverted to Latin in1660 and did not generally use English againuntil the 1730s.

There has been no systematic analysis of GreatSessions material by researchers because themanuscript records are so difficult to read, andthere are no detailed indexes for the bulk of thishuge collection of records. In fact, nobodyknows what is contained in many of them!Glyn Parry’s, Guide to the Records of (GreatSessions in Wales, (Aberystwyth, NLW, 1995),has made a significant contribution to makingthe records more accessible. It explains theirnature and describes the best way to access theinformation which they contain.

4. Exploring the diversity of manuscripttreasures in older collections at NLW. By DrCeridwen Lloyd Morgan, Department ofManuscripts & Records, NLW

There is no other repository quite like NLW inits range of collections and responsibilities, andthis is particularly true of the Department ofManuscripts & Records. Its diversity of non-print material includes:� Material of national importance which wouldbe held in a public record office if Wales hadone, for example, the Great Sessions records.� Material of regional importance, relating toall-Wales organisations public/private paperswhich provide a local focus.� Literary and historical manuscripts datingfrom the Middle Ages, like those which areusually found in the manuscript departments of,for example, the British Library or the BodleianLibrary.

The speaker focused on the third category(which is discussed in more detail in aforthcoming article in Trivium).

NLW holds a very rich store of Welsh literarymanuscripts dating from the Middle Ages,including the Mabinogion tales and the Booksof Taliesin and Carmarthen. Manuscripts inLatin, French and English are also significantlyrepresented. Some items were acquired fromthe collections of Sir John Williams and otherindividuals who built up private libraries, someof which became NLW’s foundation

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collections. The non-Welsh material in thesemanuscript collections is important in reflectingthe continental tradition. There are copies ofthe main medieval exemplars, and MiddleEnglish and French tales which were incirculation in the late Middle Ages.

Collection PolicyWelsh language manuscripts (it is unlikely thatNLW will be able to find/obtain any more pre-1536 manuscripts).

� Material relating to Wales and other Celticcountries appropriate to further research in thearts and science to the highest levels.� Manuscripts of Welsh interest which are inWelsh, made in Wales, or of Welsh provenance(this includes manuscripts in Latin and Englishproduced in Wales, texts of Welsh interest inother languages - e.g. in Latin, iftranslated/absorbed into Welsh in the MiddleAges, or if they influenced Welshliterature/circulated in Wales).� Manuscripts from other Celtic countries (butNLW doesn't compete with the NationalLibraries of Ireland and Scotland), includingCornish and Breton manuscripts whenappropriate. N-LW has started to collect somematerial in other minority European languages.� There is also a policy of obtaining examplesof the main classes of medieval manuscripts,e.g. examples of the main scholastic texts,liturgical texts etc.; types of writing, bindings,texts produced in different parts of Europe(mainly in French, German, Flemish andItalian). There are over 200 medievalmanuscripts in languages other than Welsh - theearliest dates from the 9th century, but most arefrom 1100 onwards.

There are two problem areas (or challenges!):i. Conservation: Medieval manuscripts are verycomplex artefacts - they are often codices whichhave a complex construction and are made ofdiverse material requiring different treatments.NLW material ranges from Greek papyrus from113 AD to late medieval slates from a monastichouse.

ii. Cataloguing: Those who work on cataloguingmanuscript material of this kind need a widerange of special skills and knowledge, such asthe following:� Classical (especially Latin) and vernacularlanguages, including both medieval and modernversions of the latter, since there is a need tolook at secondary literature e.g. Cistercian

manuscripts require a knowledge of French andGerman;� access to a good library;� a firm grounding in intellectual, art andcultural history;� palaeographical skills;� medieval history and literature.

Additional points� New technology, including the Internet andCD-ROMs, can help research, e.g. there is newGerman software which can assist withrecognition and interpretation of manuscriptabbreviations and provide information on dateand origin.� Better appreciation of the work involvedshould result in fair salaries being paid for theexpertise required for cataloguing andconservation.� More resources are required for equipment,supplies and good buildings.� The new technology has raised the expectationof readers.

Preservation and conservation issues. By IwanM Jones, Preservation Officer, NLW

Opinions and definitions relating to preservationand conservation have evolved over time and,by now, a preservation policy is an essentialrequirement for archive and library material.According to current thinking, preservationshould be interpreted as care in the widestsense, while conservation comprises actualtreatment

Certain ‘milestones’ in conservation/preservation thinking can be identified in recentdecades: for example, the Florence floods in the1960s destroyed thousands of books anddocuments and shocked the world of archivesand libraries. The response to that disaster gaverise to the concept of Disaster Planning andmuch wider recognition of conservation issues.This was followed in the 1970s by recognitionof the brittle paper danger, which has suchwidespread implication for modern books andpapers and has created vast problems in the US.Also during the 1970s, the Society of Archivistslaunched its training scheme for conservators,and BS5454, a key standard for archival care,was developed. By now, in the 1990s, theSociety of Archivists has published ‘best

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practice’ guidelines on preservation andconservation.

These changes of opinion have been reflected inthe role of the professional conservator. Nolonger is concern focused only on the craft skills- now a much wider range of technical skill isrequired, spanning all aspects of archival safetyand care, including environmental monitoringand safe-handling. Preservation practice shouldnow be based on rigorous scientific foundationsand a total regard for the integrity of documents.

Ironically, the most desperate preservationproblems are likely to occur with the mostmodern materials, for reasons of chemicalstructure or technical obsolescence. At thesame time, full conservation treatment ofeverything is impossible, so it is essential toprioritise. The role of the preservation policy isto set out plans and justify actions with a longterm view. This kind of approach involveschanging the role of the conservator towards apolicy-related position; this is challenging forall concerned for the conservator, because it isnew, and also for the archivist who may not likethe change!

It is essential that institutions give priority topreservation issues. Money is available fromthe BLF for this work, but Welsh archives areslow to apply - Shropshire was notablysuccessful in such a bid. Cooperation inbidding for funds would be particularlyconstructive. An example of a large scalepreservation venture is offered by the Newsplanmicrofilm project, devoted to newspapers,which received £5m for its first phase.Although long established and successful, evenmicrofilming has its problems, because of theneed to adapt to standards and change workingpractices.

Funding preservation needs. By Dr ChristopherKitching, Secretary, HMC

Preservation is expensive. It is a majorcommitment in the provision of new archiveservices which is not always appreciated inadvance, and it requires education, goodpractice and prioritisation. Core funding forpreservation must come from the parentauthority.

Identifying sources of funding for preservationand conservation purposes takes time and effort,but there are several possibilities and it is worth

persevering in the search and applicationprocess.

The Heritage Lottery Fund places high priorityon preservation strategies, and there have beenseveral successful HLF bids in this context.The PRO, for example, gained funds formicrofilming documents relating to World WarI which are fragile but popular with searchers;both preservation and access can thus featureamong the objectives of such projects. Anothersimilarly funded project is under way inconnection with the Dean and Chapter of Ely,and a few bids by county record offices havealso been successful, e.g. in Shropshire andDorset.

The National Manuscripts Conservation Trusthas recently been in the news because theDCMS has withdrawn its funding support.Fortunately, funds relating to its endowment aresafe, augmented by gifts, so it is possible thatgrants of four or five figures may be available,and also that the match funding requirementsmay be eased. Recourse to this Trust has beenthe only support for smaller bodies withconservation needs, although the match-fundinghas been an insurmountable difficulty for some.Partnership with the Pilgrim Trust has takenshape, and administration of the NMCT is beingcarried out by the National Preservation Officeat the British Library.

The British Library also used to give grants forconservation and cataloguing, but this has endedand future prospects are unclear.

Various other possibilities exist. For example,in the case of technical, industrial and scientificrecords, the Science Museum’s PRISM Fundmay help. Other special categories compriseMellon support for microfilming, possibilitieswithin EU funding schemes, a preservationdimension within the Research SupportLibraries Programme, a bursary scheme offeredby the Museums & Galleries Commission, andsome charitable trusts, such as the PilgrirnTrust.

No specific source of conservation fundingrelating to Wales comes to mind, but the HLFCountry Committee for Wales should beconsidered.

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AM 161 (Consultative Meeting, 6/99)Note of a consultative meeting on NationalPolicy and the Private Owner, on 24 June 1999at Petworth House, by kind invitation of Lordand Lady Egremont.

The Commission’s chairman, Lord Bingham ofCornhill, took the chair, and other speakersincluded the Commission’s Secretary, DrChristopher Kitching, the Commission’sDirector of Advice and Liaison, Dr NormanJames, and the chairman of the Historic HousesArchivists’ Group, Mrs Ann Mitchell. Thoseattending [list attached, not reproduced here]included Lord Scarbrough, Sir John Sainty andRosemary Dunhill (Commissioners), owners ofmanuscripts, country house curators, librariansand archivists, and representatives of nationalbodies.

The Chairman, in welcoming those present.drew particular attention to the presence of fourguests from Scotland: one owner. two countryhouse archivists and the Registrar of theNational Register of Archives (Scotland). Thepurpose of the meeting was to follow up themeeting on the country house archive held atHatfield House in 1996, and to consult ownersand custodians of private archives in connectionwith the Commission’s Twenty-eighth Report tothe Crown, which would be published later in1999 under the title Archives at the Millennium.

Dr Kitching explained the background to theReport, in which it had been decided to examinethe archival health of the nation as it approachedthe Millennium. A large number of individualsand institutions had submitted written evidence,and this had been followed by a series ofconsultative meetings, of which the present onewas the last before the Report went to press.The Commission had no mission to steer, letalone force, private collections into publicrepositories: its guiding principle was what wasin the best interests of the records themselves,and in some cases this could mean retention inthe hands of the family or institution that hadcreated them, provided that they were kept insatisfactory conditions. The Commissionappreciated both the interrelation of public andprivate in the world of archives, and the greatvariety of arrangements and circumstances thatexisted in the private archival sector.

Norman James then put the Commission’sposition in the context of current developmentsin national policy. He described the

government’s current emphasis on educationand access, and initiatives towards an overallgovernment policy on archives represented bythe Interdepartmental Archives Committee andthe new Museums, Libraries and ArchivesCouncil. The national importance, however, ofmaintaining privately-owned collections ofmanuscripts intact and preserving them fromdestruction or, where possible, from sale abroadhas long been recognised. The NationalManuscripts Conservation Trust, for instance,set up by the British Library and thisCommission in 1989, makes grants for theconservation of privately-owned material whereit is deposited in a public repository, is ownedby a charitable trust which allows access to it, orhas been conditionally exempted from capitaltaxation.

Conditional exemption itself is seen as a way ofhelping to preserve private manuscriptcollections intact for the benefit of futuregenerations. Under the Finance Act of 1998,however, changes in the administration of thescheme had been introduced which werecausing anxiety to some private owners andtheir archivists. Dr James outlined the effect ofchanges to the criteria for granting conditionalexemption (in future the more stringent test ofpre-eminence will be applied, except wheremanuscripts are accepted along with a house orsite that is itself held to be pre-eminent), and thearrangements for access (access by appointmentonly will no longer be acceptable, somemeasure of open access having been specifiedby the Act).

Mrs Mitchell described the role of the HistoricHouses Archivists’ Group, which maintainscontact both with the Society of Archivists andthe Commission. It would, however, like to seeboth a stronger voice in the national archivesforum for private owners and their archivists,and also improved communication and co-operation between private and local authorityarchives. It was important to recognise thecontribution to the national heritage made byprivately-held archives, which were maintainedat their owners’ expense, and to recognise alsothe differences between privately administeredarchival collections and those held by localauthorities. In the case of the historic housearchive the primary emphasis was bound to beon the management of the records for the needsof the house and estate, and not on the provisionof a public service. Moreover many suchcollections were administered by single, often

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part-time, archivists. Time spent by them inanswering historical enquiries or invigilatingsearchers inevitably lessened the small amountof time available for cataloguing the archiveitself.

In the following discussion these points weretaken up in the context particularly of the newInland Revenue rules for conditional exemptionoutlined by Dr James. Access to view a pictureor piece of furniture was normally easier toarrange than access to a collection of papers forscholarly study, the latter requiring considerableinput from the archivist. As recognised in manypublic repositories, it was often against the bestinterests of the records themselves to allowaccess to fragile or uncatalogued material.Given the circumstances of private archivists itwas felt by many present that ‘reasonableaccess’ was already provided, and that todemand more was to create a double standardwhen compared with access arrangementsdeemed acceptable in public repositories.

In some cases access was provided by thetemporary deposit of records in a publicrepository for study by the scholar making therequest to see them. This appeared to work wellwhen the archivist at the record office was alsothe archivist responsible for the administrationof the private archive from which the paperswere deposited. Where the country housearchivist, however, had to hand over the recordsto somebody else there was an inevitable loss ofcustody. The records might have a long journeyto and from the record office, and the scholarwould lose the benefit of speaking to thearchivist who best knew the collection.

It was pointed out that, now the Act itself hadreached the statute book, it was important tomonitor its application, and to attempt to ensureboth consistency and flexibility in theapplication of the guidelines. The Commission,the Museums & Galleries Commission and theDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport wereall supportive of this.

Other issues raised included the desirability ofextending the scheme for government indemnityto conditionally exempt collections on loan torecord offices. (At present it was known that insome record offices deposited collections werecovered by the office’s own general insurancecover, but not whether this was generally oruniversally the case.)

The Chairman concluded by thanking all thosewho had spoken for their valuable contributions.He also thanked Lord and Lady Egremont fortheir hospitality, and the National Trust for allits arrangements.

AM 162 (Consultative Meeting, 6/99)Note of an informal consultative meeting Withofficers of the Society of Archivists and theNational Council on Archives held at the PublicRecord Office. 11 June 1999Present. Rosemary Dunhill and AliceProchaska (Commissioners); Mary Clapinsonand Janet Smith (SoA); Vic Gray and NicholasKingsley (NCA)

1. It had not been possible for SoA or NCAofficers to be present at the consultative meetingwith officers of national archival bodies on 10May 1999 and it had been difficult to schedule afurther meeting. The present meeting hadtherefore been set up on an informal basis, andSir John Sainty, who had chaired the earliermeeting, had been happy for AP and RCD to actwithout him. AP took the chair.

2. The notes of the meeting of 10 May had beencirculated and served as a starting point fordiscussion.

3. There was agreement from both sets ofofficers that the need for collaboration betweenall bodies within the archive sector was ofparamount importance. At a time of so muchchange it was essential that all the bodies actedtogether, if any one body moved forwardindependently there was a real risk of beingpicked off and losing the gains in profile etcwhich had been made.

4. There was no conflict of interest betweenHMC and the other bodies but HMC’simportant tradition of independence couldappear as a barrier to the collaborationidentified as so critical, and a more overtlyconsultative approach on a wide range of issueswas considered desirable. Such an approachwas indeed evidenced by the present exercise. Itwas hoped that the report would be presented asone stage in a continuing programme ofconsultation.

5.HMC’s role in the definition of standards hadbeen very valuable, and the establishing,monitoring and inspection of standards wouldbe an important continuing task for the future.

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There was some disappointment that noadequate carrots or sticks had been devised tobed the standards down more firmly.Association in MLAC with MGC and theirmore strongly developed registration systemmight have an interesting effect on this,

6. It was impossible to know yet what the effectof MLAC would be on the archives sphere or onthe work and position of HMC. It seemedlikely that there would be a divorce between thepolicy making and advisory function and theexecutive function and that MLAC would nothave an executive function. HMC of coursecombines both roles.

7.The issues which would face archives in thenext millennium were in part addressed by theNational Archives Policy document, thoughsome of this had now been realised and somehad been overtaken by events and no longerseemed appropriate. Key issues were identifiedas training; establishment, monitoring andinspection of standards; research; legislativeframework; resources; and changes in publicuse, methods of access etc.

8.There was a continuing problem ofinequalities and the development of theinformation rich and poor and the access richand poor, which it was hoped that A2A woulddo something to address but to which there wasno simple answer.

9. We must also expect that there would he anew excuse from the Government for notmaking new resources available: ie that bybringing all existing resources together throughthe creation of MLAC and the regional culturalconsortia, the opportunity to share andrationalise had been created.

10. It was important to determine what areascould best be covered by joint work with othersectors and where it was helpful and importantfor the archive sector to be separate. Was therea role for HMC is championing these separateareas? The perceived remoteness of HMC tomany parts of the profession might make thisdifficult. Could this be lessened, (or theperception changed)? The role of NRA waswidely understood within the archiveprofession, HMC’s other roles less so. It wouldbe highly desirable, for example, for thelobbying activities of HMC to be more visibleto the profession.

11. There was, also the issue of the futurerelationship between central and regionalbodies. DCMS was pushing towardsregionalism. A view needed to be developed onwhich of the issues identified needed to be dealtwith centrally and which might appropriately bedealt with at regional level. Standards must becentral, and probably training. Research mightbe either, The structure of the nascent regionalarchives councils provided a place for HMC toparticipate as observers as at NCA nationally ifthey wished, and HMC already had regionalpitch officers.

12. Legislative framework. Work was in trainin Scotland towards a Scottish Archive Bill.This might provide a platform for similarlegislation elsewhere. The provision that theLord Chancellor should issue codes of practicein relation to the Freedom of Information Billcould also be helpful, for instance inincorporating the work done by ACALG ondefining ‘proper arrangements’.

13. Concern was expressed about continuingdivisions within the profession between (verybroadly) the governmental sector, central andlocal and the business and specialist sector.This covered a number of areas such as disputesover collecting policy. but in addition there wasa widespread sense of exclusion. The ending ofthe BAC grant in aid was unfortunate in thecontext. while it was understood that this issuewas a complex one, Archivists within this sectoralso felt excluded because they could notbenefit from HMC’s much valued salesmonitoring service as HMC’s remit was tosupport public, not private, archive services. Itwas important to find ways of bridging thisdivide and asserting our concern for archives asa whole, and as a source of information as wellas for their heritage significance.