Fresh chapter as archives gain accredited status

Six contrasting archives from different parts of Britain have won accredited status for the first time.

They range from records about one of the grandest religious buildings in England, York Minster, to the local history of Hackney Borough, whose earliest document dates from 1356.

Bradford’s National Science and Media Museum archives, which charts exciting developments in sound and media technology, also earned accredited status, along with the Marx Memorial Library which holds archival collections on the Spanish Civil War and the history of trade unions and campaign groups.

Also newly accredited, The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art holds both collected and institutional archives, with the former chronicling research into British art and architecture from the sixteenth to the twentieth century.

Powys Archives, which tells the story of the ancient Welsh kingdom of Powys from medieval times to the present day, also won coveted accredited status.

By attaining accreditation, archive services demonstrate that they meet the UK standard for managing archive collections and providing access to them, showing resilience and an ability to manage changing circumstances successfully. The awards are made by the UK Archive Service Accreditation Committee.

Etienne Joseph, Archives Manager, at Hackney Archives said: “We are so happy that our consistent work to become a proactive, resilient, and collaborative archive service has been acknowledged.”

Charlotte Connelly, Head Curator at the National Science and Media Museum, said: ‘We care for remarkable archival collections that are valuable for researchers and for our visitors. We are proud to have achieved the accreditation standard.”

All accredited archive services must apply six years after their initial award to retain their accredited status. The following archive services had their accreditation granted for a second time:

• Historic England Archive
• Historic Environment Scotland Archive
• National Library of Scotland
• Suffolk Archives
• Tameside Archives

View the full list of accredited archive services

Find out more about Archive Service Accreditation