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Acquisition and Disposition strategy
The strategy sets out The National Archives' overriding objectives for acquisition and collection of public records for permanent preservation, and for the distribution of these records across the UK system of archival repositories.
- Download the Acquisition and Disposition strategy (PDF, 129.79kb)
The National Archives and the selection of records for permanent preservation
Each year, some 1.5km of shelving at The National Archives is filled with public records which have been transferred to the archive from UK government departments. These records represent no more than 5% of the records created by government in the first place. Because of their strong local or specialist nature, some of the remainder are permanently preserved as public records in 240 approved archives up and down the country.
In the light of these statistics - both the great volume of annual transfers and the small percentage selected for preservation at The National Archives - it will be immediately apparent that the selection process, which determines what comes into the archive, is of central importance to the future of our archival heritage.
The National Archives, which is both a government department and an executive agency, plays a central role in the public records system in general and, in particular, in the selection of records. The review work is undertaken across government but, in accordance with the Public Records Act 1958, it is carried out under the supervision, guidance and co-ordination of the Keeper of Public Records. This role was assigned to the keeper in the light of the recommendations of the Grigg Committee on Departmental Records, which reported in 1954. This argued that The National Archives was particularly well placed to take on this leading role. The 1958 Act also established the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Council on Public Records to advise on public records matters - including selection. Its membership includes historians, other researchers and public figures. This role was taken over by the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives in 2003.
Background to the Acquisition and Disposition strategy
In 1999 The National Archives published its first Acquisition policy which set out eight collection themes to guide selection of public records. In 2000 this was re-issued together with a Disposition policy which explained the sort of records which, although worthy of permanent preservation, would be deposited elsewhere and which records, if not selected for The National Archives or another place of deposit, could nevertheless be presented to another bona fide collecting institution as an alternative to their destruction.
The implementation of these two policies took place through:
- Publication of Operational selection policies to apply the principles in the Acquisition policy to records of individual departments and agencies
- The establishment of a Records review panel within The National Archives to approve specific selection decisions
- A reinvigorated programme of inspection of places of deposit for public records
- A clearer set of procedures governing the process of transferring records to a place of deposit or other repository
When both these policies became due for review, The National Archives (TNA) established an Acquisition Advisory Forum, "to provide stakeholder advice on the review and revision of TNA's Acquisition and Disposition policies". The Forum agreed the merging of the two policies into one strategy. Such a move emphasises the way acquisition and disposition complement each other. It is in line with other initiatives from The National Archives regarding the positioning of The National Archives within a nation-wide system of archival repositories.
As a result the revised strategy covers broad policies on acquisition and disposition, with the precise collection themes and guidance on disposition gathered into a set of four appendices.
The collection themes in Appendix 1 of the strategy have not undergone radical revision, but are now more closely defined and take account of recent changes in British government.
The strategy was available for public consultation between December 2006 and February 2007 and the final document was agreed and published in March 2007.
The Strategy is due for review in 2012.
For further informatiom about The National Archives' disposition activities see: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/recordsmanagement/disposition/default.htm
The strategy should be understood in conjunction with emerging principles for National Collection Strategies.
Any queries should be addressed to either:
Joanna.Moorshead@nationalarchives.gov.uk
Andrew.Rowley@nationalarchives.gov.uk
