Plymouth Archives

[Thunder]

TNA gives them accreditation even though they will only be open about half of the week (Tuesdays is the only day they are open most of the day) and you can only order five items!.

https://www.theboxplymouth.com/permanen ... earch-room

[Norfolk Nan]

I’ve had cause to contact a number of regional archives across the country recently and I’ve yet to find one that is open every business day. Most aren’t open a full working day either. I gather some are restricting the number of visitors/researchers because there aren’t enough staff to cover visitor needs. It seems to be a fact of life now (along with many other changes) but, on the plus side, I am finding online enquiries get speedy, efficient replies and often the staff go a bit further than I expected. For me, stuck in the wilds of Norfolk, this has been very useful.

[Thunder]

Yes, staff in the archives are the first to be got rid of, the City of Portsmouth Record Office was absorbed into Portsmouth Central Library without any archivists. Of course this all started when TNA closed on Mondays!. But how can you accredit an archive when it is open only half of the week?.

[Norfolk Nan]

I suppose (for researchers) half the week is better than closed for good. It’s different times, isn’t it …

[Mick Loney]

Thunder,
I assume accreditation is a sign of how well they do their job as archivists. Which has nothing to do with allowing access to the public! They are governed by tight financial controls like everyone else, and as we, the taxpayer end up paying, a good thing too. If it means restricting their opening days, it is something we’ll have to live with. In the current financial situation, lack of access should come way down the government’s list of priorities!

[Hardwork]

Mick,

I can't agree with you. Access for the public shouldn't be a token effort. I recently went to Huntingdonshire Archives at the library where access is just three days a week, Mon, Tues and Fri, divided into morning and afternoon sessions. Only three people are allowed in at once (presumably because Covid restrictions are still in place), so six people per day, so 18 a week. A person cannot book two sessions on the same day, however, so that means for anyone travelling any distance it is not cost effective to attend. Even if more sessions could be booked, only Mon and Tues would be practicable for the travelling researcher. The search room would easily normally hold 15 to 20 people.

No doubt, the next step to save money would be even greater restriction imposed under the claim that usage didn't justify opening longer. It is a "no win" situation for all but local researchers.

It is my understanding that there is a statutory obligation to provide access to public records but with such severe restrictions it seems to me councils are observing the letter of the law above the spirit. The only reason public services are being cut is because national government have been under funding local government for a considerable time. Even today, municipal swimming pools are reported to be closing. So much for the benefits of a "small state".

[Norfolk Nan]

Well, I’ve just discovered the Hillingdon local studies and archive is open SEVEN days a week and from 9.30 - 20.00 for five of them! Impressive!