UK national society closures for the holidays

The following UK national societies are closed for Christmas and the New Year, as follows:

Ulster Historical Foundation
(www.ancestryireland.com)

We wish to advise that the Foundation will be closed for the holiday period from 3:00pm Friday 23 December and will reopen again on Tuesday 03 January 2017.

On behalf of the staff, volunteers and trustees we would like to thank you for your custom, support and interest over the last year.

We would also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a peaceful and happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.


Scottish Genealogy Society
(www.scotsgenealogy.com)

SEASONAL CLOSURE OF THE SGS LIBRARY
The Library & Family History Centre is now CLOSED and will reopen at 10.30 on Thursday 5 January 2017.


Society of Genealogists
(www.sog.org.uk)

The Society will be closed on the following dates:

Christmas 2016 - The Society will close at 6pm 22 December and re-open Wednesday 28 December
New Year holiday and 2017 stocktaking - The Society will close at 6pm on Thursday 29 December 2016 and re-open on Tuesday 10 January 2017

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

UK and Ireland national archives and libraries holiday closures

The following are the closures for key archive and library repositories in Scotland, elsewhere in the UK, and in the Republic of Ireland:

National Records of Scotland / ScotlandsPeople Centre
www.nrscotland.gov.uk / https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/visit-us/scotlandspeople-centre

National Records of Scotland will be closed on 26 - 27 December 2016 and 2 - 3 January 2017.

Please note that all search rooms and public services, including the ScotlandsPeople Centre, will be open as usual from 9:00 am - 16:30 pm on 23 and 30 December 2016.


National Library of Scotland
www.nls.uk

Revised opening hours apply during the festive season:

Edinburgh
Saturday 24 December: General Reading Room, Special Collections Reading Room, Visitor Centre, exhibitions close at 13.00; Maps Reading Room closed
Sunday 25 and Monday 26 December: Closed
Tuesday 27 December: Reading rooms closed; Visitor Centre and exhibitions open 12.00-16.00
Wednesday 28 December: General Reading Room, Special Collections Reading Room, Visitor Centre, exhibitions close at 17.00; Maps Reading Room closed
Thursday 29 December: Close at 17.00
Friday 30 December: General Reading Room, Special Collections Reading Room, Visitor Centre, exhibitions close at 17.00; Maps Reading Room closed
Saturday 31 December: General Reading Room, Special Collections Reading Room, Visitor Centre, exhibitions close at 13.00; Maps Reading Room closed
Sunday 1 and Monday 2 January: Closed
Tuesday 3 January: Reading rooms closed; Visitor Centre and exhibitions open 12.00-16.00.

Kelvin Hall, Glasgow
Saturday 24 December to Tuesday 3 January: Closed
Wednesday 4 January: Re-opens at 13.30.


PRONI
www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni

Closed:
Monday 26 December 2016 - Christmas Day
Tuesday 27 December 2016 - Boxing Day
Wednesday 28 December 2016
Monday 2 January 2017 - New Year's Day


National Archives (Republic of Ireland)
www.nationalarchives.ie

The Reading Room will close at 12.30 on Friday, 23rd of December 2016 and re-open on Wednesday, 28th December 2016 at 9.15.
The Reading Room will be closed on Monday, 2 January 2017 and will re-open at 9.15 on Tuesday, 3 January 2017.


National Library of Ireland
www.nli.ie

Closed: Saturday 24th December to Tuesday 27th December
Open: Wednesday, 28th December to Friday, 30th December (10am-5pm) Exhibitions Only
Closed: Saturday, 31st December 2016 to Monday, 2nd January 2017
Library reopens Tuesday, 3 January 2017.


National Archives (England)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Closure dates (All dates listed are inclusive):
Christmas 2016 - Saturday 24 December to Wednesday 28 December
New Year’s Day 2017 - Saturday 31 December to Monday 2 January


British Library
www.bl.uk

See http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/quickinfo/loc/seasonalclosures/index.html for details on Boston Spa and St. Pancras closures.


National Library of Wales
www.llgc.org.uk

The Library will close on Friday 23 December at 17:00 and re-open on Tuesday 3 January at 09:00 (the Reading Rooms will open at 09:30)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Restrictions on NRS sheriff court records

Thanks to Jack Davis via the LinkedIn page of the Scottish Genealogy Network (www.scottishgenealogynetwork.co.uk) for flagging up that the recent decision to restrict access to records at the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) in fact goes considerably beyond divorce records.

The following Sheriff Courts records have in fact been restricted by a one hundred year closure period, as they may "contain sensitive personal data, as defined by the Data Protection Act 1998, the disclosure of which is likely to cause substantial damage or distress to the subject of the data":

• Criminal libels and indictments
• Records of criminal jury trials
• Juvenile court records
• High court circuit trial appearing before the sheriff court
• Divorces
• Family actions relating to children, e.g. separation; affiliation; paternity aliment; custody & access

As with any proposed research at an archive, it is worth enquiring in advance if the records of interest can be consulted.

(With thanks to Jack)

Chris

My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts Monday 17th May - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Bank holiday closures in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

If planning to go to an archive, library or museum tomorrow (Monday 31st) in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, you might want to check if it is open first - it's a bank holiday.

Scotland, meanwhile, stands defiantly open for business...!

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including my recently released Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Nottinghamshire Archives winter closure for redevelopment

The following has been announced by Nottinghamshire Archives at http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/learning/history/archives/archivesnews/?blogpost=2778:

Nottinghamshire Archives will temporarily close to the public from Saturday 18 October.

This closure forms part of a £2.5m investment project to extend the archives' building and preserve the county’s rich documentary heritage for future generations.

The building is expected to open again in spring 2015. Until then, you can contact the archives service via telephone, email and post. A reprographics service will be available so staff can reproduce copies of documents for the public.

From October 18, you can use the reduced service by calling 0115 9581634, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm or by emailing archives@nottscc.gov.uk.

Written requests can also be accepted at Nottinghamshire Archives, Castle Meadow Road, Nottingham, NG2 1AG.

You can also continue to explore local history collections in local libraries which host parish registers and other local history sources.

The archives’ current building in Castle Meadow Road, Nottingham, was opened by the Princess Royal in 1993 and is almost at full storage capacity.

The county council’s extension project will increase storage capacity and secure a further 20 years of extra space for historical archives. It will be built to meet new national archives building standards, and the modernised facilities will have an enhanced focus on digital archives.

There will be a new refreshments area, two meeting rooms and exhibition spaces in the new-look building. There will be opportunities to support further the Friends Group and increase volunteering opportunities as part of the refurbished centre.

We apologise for the inconvenience this closure may cause.

(With thanks to Martin James at the UK Professional Researchers in Genealogy, Family & Local History forum on Linked In)

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