Staffordshire Record Office opening hours consultation

From Staffordshire Record Office (https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Heritage-and-archives/homepage.aspx):

Staffordshire Record Office opening hours consultation

We need your views on proposed opening hours

In recent years demand for access to archives through personal visits to the Staffordshire Record Office searchroom has fallen from a peak of 9,409 visits in 2005/06 to 3,804 in 2017/18.

By contrast online use of the service has grown from 168,199 visitor sessions in 2005/06 to 964,353 visitor sessions in 2017/18. During consultation in 2015 the Archive and Heritage Service set out a new vision to increase online access and widen engagement activities. The Service is committed to delivering savings to meet the Medium Term Financial Strategy for Staffordshire County Council.

We currently open 37 hours per week, as follows:

Tuesday: 9.00 – 5.00 (8 hours)
Wednesday: 9.00 – 7.00 (10 hours)
Thursday: 9.00 – 5.00 (8 hours)
Friday: 9.30 – 4.30 (7 hours)
Saturday: 9.00 – 1.00 (4 hours)

We have monitored use of the current opening hours and found that:
Saturdays are not well used for public services but our events on Saturdays are well attended
Wednesdays are the busiest day of the week, but the evenings are not well used
The first and last hours of each day are the quietest
Mornings are generally busier than afternoons

From Monday 15 July 2019 opening hours will be reduced from the current 37 hours per week, to 25 hours per week. We would like to hear your views as to how these hours are allocated through the week. We are putting forward three options on which we would like your views, each of which has a slightly different focus. Please also feel free to suggest an alternative option, with the provison that the opening hours do not exceed 25 hours per week, as these are the resources available for the service.

Important note: whichever option is chosen and implemented, our existing volunteer groups will be unaffected by the changes, as their supervision and document production are not primarily dependent upon the duty staff in the reading room.

Options for the future

Option A (25 hours per week)
This option maintains opening on four weekdays, plus one Saturday per month.

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10.00 – 4.00 (6 hours)
Wednesday: 10.00 – 4.00 (6 hours)
Thursday: 10.00 – 4.00 (6 hours)
Friday: 10.00 – 4.00 (6 hours)
Saturday: 9.00 – 1.00 (one Sat per month) (1 hour)

Option B (25 hours per week)
This option concentrates opening on the three busiest weekdays, plus one Saturday per month.

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 9.00 – 5.00 (8 hours)
Wednesday: 10.00 – 6.00 (8 hours)
Thursday: 9.00 – 5.00 (8 hours)
Friday: Closed
Saturday: 9.00 – 1.00 (one Sat per month) (1 hour)

Option C (25 hours per week)
This option concentrates opening on three weekdays, with a consecutive Saturday once per month.

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 9.00 - 6.00 (9 hours)
Thursday: 9.00 – 5.00 (8 hours)
Friday: 9.30 – 4.30 (7 hours)
Saturday: 9.00 – 1.00 (one Sat per month) (1 hour)

To leave feedback and to vote on the consultation proposals, visit the archive's consultation page at https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Heritage-and-archives/Staffordshire-Record-Office-opening-hours-consultation.aspx

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

PRONI fees consultation ending soon

From the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni):

Consultation on Draft Statutory Rule - Public Use of the Records (Management and Fees) Rules (NI) 2016

The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL)/ Department for Communities (DFC) is seeking views on a draft Statutory Rule that deals with admission to the Public Record Office, the amounts of fees to be laid by the Office, and security of the documents.

In finalising the Statutory Rule, DCAL/DFC will take account of the comments it receives by 9.00am on Monday 23 May 2016.

The Consultation Paper can be accessed at https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/consultations/proni-public-use-records-management-and-fees-rules-ni-2016 and responses can be submitted by email to proniconsultation@dcalni.gov.uk.

(With thanks to the PRONI Express)

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.

PRONI public consultation on services and fees changes begins

As I have been reporting from recent stakeholder forum meetings of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni), the Belfast based national archive has been planning to run a consultation on proposals to update existing legislation which deal with admission to PRONI, the amounts of fees to be laid by the Office, and security of the documents. Amongst the positive developments that are envisaged and proposed are the ability to do self-service photography at the facility in the reading rooms (without the use of flash), as well as several revisions to currents fees order, and T&Cs for users.

These changes will entail some changes, not least a code of conduct form to be signed recognising responsibilities as a PRONI user on visits. The suggested wording for this is as follows:

Code of Conduct
This code has been issued under rule 4.
Principles of Conduct
I declare that:
(1) I will display my Visitor Pass at all times, and produce it when requested by a designated officer.
(2) I will undertake instruction as required by the Deputy Keeper in how to handle documents.
(3) I will safeguard the documents issued to me and handle them carefully.
(4) I may bring any of the following items when using the search room or reading room:
i. one clear plastic bag or document wallet;
ii. pencils;
iii. paper or a notepad; iv. a laptop or tablet;
v. a mobile phone; and
vi. medication required for emergency use.
(5) I will not use flash photography in the search room or reading room.
(6) I will avoid making unnecessary noise in the search room or reading room. My mobile phone(s) will be switched off or set to silent mode before entering the search room or reading room.
(7) I will not remove any original documents from the reading room.
(8) I will extend respect and courtesy to others in the Office.
(9) I will follow the health and safety requirements of the Office.


To facilitate the ability to use self-service photography, a copyright disclaimer form is also being proposed, placing the burden of awareness of copyright issues on the user:

Copying and Copyright Declaration
This declaration has been issued under rule 5(4).
I declare that:
a) Materials made available by the Office are governed by UK Copyright Law (Copyright, Design & Patents Act 1988).
b) I understand that ‘the copy’ as designated below relates to a copy made by me or supplied to me, whether hard-copy or digital, of the material or part thereof referenced; and that a copy supplied to me will be treated as if I had made the copy myself.
c) I will not use the copy except for private study or research for a non-commercial purpose and will not supply a copy of it to any other person. I understand that should I, at a later date, wish to reproduce or publish the copy in print, online or via any other media, I will first seek the permission of the Deputy Keeper; and that it is my responsibility to ensure copyright is not infringed.
d) I will not make or request a copy of a work which has been published prior to deposit in the archive and where copying would be in breach of copyright, or where copying has been prohibited by the depositor or copyright owner, without first obtaining the necessary permissions.
I understand that if the declaration is false in a material particular, the copy shall be an infringing copy and that I shall be liable for infringement of copyright.


Self-service copying looks to be reduced to 25p per page (I think it is 30p at present), and various new fees and revisions for other services are also discussed.

PRONI already has an excellent scanner in the reading room which wonderfully resembles something out of Star Trek (and which thankfully no longer imposes a garish watermark that used to obscure documents being copied!). Self-service photography, however, will bring the institution into line with other UK national archives, namely The National Archives at Kew, and the National Records of Scotland (although there are some exemptions there on private deposits which cannot be photographed by users, only staff).

The consultation document or this is now available online at https://www.dcalni.gov.uk/consultations/proni-public-use-records-management-and-fees-rules-ni-2016. The consultation began at noon on Thursday March 24th 2016 and will run until 9.00am Monday May 23rd 2016. If you are a PRONI user, please do respond to the consultation.

(With thanks to Stephen Scarth at PRONI)

Chris

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. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.

Scotland's 2021 census topics consultation

The National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) has announced a topics consultation for the 2021 census:

Scotland's Census 2021 - Topic Consultation

As announced last year, NRS are planning for a census in 2021. To help inform this planning, we will be conducting a consultation from October that will help determine the topics to be included... 

If you have any events between now and the end of the year that you think we might usefully contribute to regarding this consultation, please e mail us on scotlandscensus@nrscotland.gov.uk

Further updates and news on the consultation will be available in due course via www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk.

(With thanks to the NRS)

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.

Camden's Libraries and Archives consultation

A new online consultation concerning the future of Camden Libraries and Archives is available at https://consultations.wearecamden.org/culture-environment/camden-future-libraries-formal-consultation/consultation/intro/.

It's a twelve week consultation on the facilities being offered, with a background to the consultation available at https://consultations.wearecamden.org/culture-environment/camden-future-libraries-formal-consultation.

From the background doc:

By 2017 our funding from central government will have been cut in half. We have some tough decisions to make about the way we deliver council services. It is important that we look at the Library and Registration Service as part of those savings and consider how we run our libraries in the future.

We are consulting on how we might save £800,000 from the service’s current budget of £4.5m. Although we have less money we will aim to invest £3.7 million to create a modern library service that supports both existing and future customers and best meets the needs of Camden residents.

A lot of decisions have to be made, so if in the area, please do take a few moments to make your views known.

(With thanks to Emma Jolly via Facebook)

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.

Shropshire Council seeks to reduce archive opening hours

Shropshire Council is proposing to reduce its archive's opening hours to just twenty hours a week. They have launched a consultation process online, which can be accessed at
www.shropshire.gov.uk/archives/options-for-reduced-opening-hours/ (link now dead - see below)

From the consultation page:

Budget reductions, part of the overall spending pressures on Shropshire Council, require a major adjustment in staffing and functions at Shropshire Archives. Inevitably this means a reduction in the service’s opening hours. We are seeking people’s views on three options and inviting them to suggest a fourth, one of which will be in place from April 2014. The consultation closes on Sunday 23 March 2014.

If you are likely to be affected by these cuts, please do respond before March 23rd.

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

UPDATE: The previous link above is now dead - to access the survey visit http://new.shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/archives-options-for-reduced-opening-hours/ and access the How to get Involved section

Chris

My latest genealogy books are Tracing Your Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records, and Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet. My next Pharos course is Scottish Research Online, which commences Feb 27th 2014, 5 weeks, price £45.99.