ScotlandsPeople website to be overhauled

The National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) is advertising a service contract for a consultancy to redesign the ScotlandsPeople platform at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, which has been running since 2002 under the care of Dundee based DC Thomson Family History (previously Brightsolid). The new site and service is intended to go online to the public in September 2016, with the new service contract running for 4 years, and with an option to extend it by two more (2 x 12 month extensions).

From the tender:

NRS wishes to appoint a service provider to deliver a flexible service which we anticipate will be developed and expanded over the course of the contract. The service provider will deliver web design, application development, search functionality, e-commerce, testing, secure web hosting, infrastructure, website management (including further expansion) and support for the replacement service to support internet access to the official ScotlandsPeople online service (http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk). The replacement service must go live to public users on 1.9.2016, when the current contract expires.

It is expected the new service provider will begin design and development of the new service from August 2015 with all testing phases completed and signed-off by the end of July 2016 in readiness for the new website service to go live on 1 September 2016, ensuring the ScotlandsPeople service to the public is seamlessly maintained from the ‘Go live' date.

The deadline for applicants is January 20th 2015. Full details for the NRS requirements can be viewed at http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:426525-2014:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0

(With thanks to Design Week at www.designweek.co.uk/latest-opportunities/scottish-family-history-service-to-be-overhauled/3039564.article)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

Are NRS buildings going up for sale?

I've been hearing over the last week that staff at the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) in Edinburgh are being advised that a meeting is apparently to be held there later this month to discuss the possibility that some of their assets, namely buildings such as New Register House and General Register House, may be put up for sale to raise money for the UK Treasury. This is apparently in line with UK Government thinking outlined in a Treasury Green Book, and its April 2013 supplementary entitled Value for money and the valuation of public sector assets, available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-book-supplementary-guidance-asset-valuation.

There are apparently a few options being potentially considered by the NRS - to maintain the status quo with regards to its asset holdings, to perhaps sell off some of their assets and retain others, or to sell them all off completely, and then perhaps take up residence in the future at a rented purpose built, or already existent, premises to deliver NRS services from there.

Interestingly, at an archive conference in Dundee last year I jokingly suggested to a high ranking NRS member that I would personally be happy to see the present buildings of the NRS knocked down and something more purpose built erected there instead. I have commented before that I find many of the NRS provisions antiquated and not really as fit for purpose as its equivalents in London and Belfast (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/comparing-uks-three-national-archives.html). The serious response I got was that the NRS had in fact previously looked into the option of selling off its buildings, but had decided against it at that stage.

If the buildings are to be sold off and something more purpose built erected, that would actually be a great thing in my view. But if it is decided that the buildings are to be sold off and the money sent to the UK Treasury, and not reinvested in an alternative facility here, how will such new premises, if decided upon, be funded? I don't often get political on this blog, but if that is indeed the case, that sounds to me a bit like asset stripping.

Definitely one to keep an eye on...

UPDATE: Just read a tweet that says that as NRS is a Scottish Government asset, money could not go to UK Treasury. That's what I thought also - would be good to have some clarification from the NRS.

UPDATE: NRS has kindly responded - see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/more-on-national-records-of-scotland.html

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

National Records of Scotland website expansion

Almost three and a half years ago the National Archives of Scotland and the General Register Office for Scotland merged to form a single body, the National Records of Scotland. Despite the merger, both institutions retained their respective websites, with only a limited portal website for the National Records of Scotland being established at www.nrscotland.gov.uk.

Today sees a major expansion of this NRS website, which will soon completely replace its predecessors at www.gro-scotland.gov.uk and www.nas.gov.uk. From today the GROS website will no longer be updated with any new content, and the catalogues and other content from the NAS site will soon also be made accessible via the National Records site.

(With thanks to Anne Slater at the NRS)

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And please consider purchasing the great new version of Caledonia by The Libations at 79p via www.caledonia2014.com - all profits go to help fund Scottish foodbanks