The National Archives' plans to merge with Office of Public Sector Information in 2006, and relocate services from the Family Records Centre to Kew by the end of 2008

Report of Open Meetings held in June

18 August 2006

James Strachan, Director of Public Services and Marketing at The National Archives (TNA), presented A New Vision for The National Archives, 2006 - 2011, at public meetings at the Family Records Centre (FRC) on 29 June and at Kew on 30 June. Below is a summary of exchanges about TNA´s plans.

Q. Why has TNA decided to transfer its family records services to Kew?

A. So that we can bring all of our expertise and sources together on one site and thus provide a better service to family historians and other researchers.

Now that the census returns from 1841 to1901 are available online, we no longer need to provide a central London site for the public to consult them. Online, they are accessible by nearly everyone, whereas the FRC benefits comparatively few: 85% of its users come from within 50 miles of London.

FRC visitor numbers have fallen by more than a third since the peak year of 2002-03 and are likely to continue to do so.

TNA is facing continuing cuts in its budget and cannot justify duplicating services which can now be delivered from its main site at Kew. The FRC costs TNA £1.1 million a year for accommodation alone.

Q. Why did TNA not consult users before making the decision?

A. The FRC has been very popular, so we knew that the vast majority of users would oppose the withdrawal from Myddelton Street. However, in view of the factors described above, the transfer is an operational necessity and gives us an opportunity to create improved services. We shall consult with users about the best way to meet their needs at Kew. This will include more public discussions, meetings with stakeholder organisations, and a workshop at Kew in September hosted by Baroness Ashton, TNA´s government minister.

Q. Will it be possible to consult the microfilm copies of the census at Kew?

A. Yes.

Q. Is Kew big enough to accommodate current FRC users?

A. We shall ask FRC users if they intend to visit Kew and shall then review and redesign the accommodation and facilities at Kew to ensure that they will be adequate for the estimated increase in visitors.

Q. What will family records services at Kew be like?

A. We shall transfer the FRC´s services and staff and create a dedicated family history area at Kew. We intend to preserve the high level of expertise and individual assistance offered by staff, the streamlined processes and the more relaxed security environment currently provided at the FRC. Many family historians will benefit at Kew from:

Having a wider range of records and staff expertise on the same site

The availability of car parking spaces

The larger cafeteria and shop.

Q. Kew is more difficult to reach and far from other family history repositories.

A. We regret that many FRC users may find visiting Kew more expensive and less convenient. However, others may find it easier or cheaper, including those wishing to travel by car and wheelchair users. The Kew site is no further away from underground and rail station facilities and there is a bus (R68) from Richmond station (served by regular trains from Waterloo) which stops close to TNA. We shall consider the possibility of a shuttle bus from Kew Gardens station. Meanwhile we plan to make other records on microfilm, such as RG 4 and PROB 6, which are very popular at the FRC, available online within the next couple of years.

Q. Not everyone has a computer and/or adequate printers at home to access TNA´s online services or can afford to subscribe to online services such as Ancestry. Meanwhile, it can be difficult to search the online PCC wills before 1700.

A. We have developed online services because they offer good value to the taxpayer, being accessible to millions of additional users, regardless of where they live. About 70% of the population now have access to a computer at home, and over 50% of homes have broadband; also there are widespread facilities in public libraries and other places. We have no plans to remove free access to our online sources at TNA sites and we shall investigate the possibility of providing it at another central London location. High quality prints from online screens can be ordered remotely from Kew. The microfilms of the pre-1700 PCC wills are available at Kew.

Q. What will happen to the General Register Office (GRO) services at the FRC?

A. The GRO has not announced any plans for these services. It already has an online service for ordering birth, marriage and death certificates and is digitising the index information held at the FRC. TNA hopes to continue its partnership with GRO in jointly developing online services.
 
Q. Is there enough room for the 30 years worth of paper still to be accessioned?

A. Yes, and we are creating more space all the time by moving low-usage records to our Cheshire repository.

Q. What is TNA´s relationship with DeepStore?

A. We have a service contract with the Deepstore, a private company that owns the Cheshire repository. The cost of this storage space is actually less than it is at Kew.

Q. Will there be a policy of ´digitise and destroy´?

A. We have no plans to do this.

Q. If a digitised document is unreadable, and the original needs to be ordered, could a system be set up to correct the problem with the digitisation?

A. A procedure is already in place to do this.

Q. Will digitised documents still be readable in fifty years?

A. Our Seamless Flow project is focusing on ensuring that electronic documents produced today are readable in fifty years´ time and beyond.

Q. As part of TNA´s plan to take a policy lead on information management, does it set standards for Places of Deposit? For example, standardising opening hours and copying charges?