Archive services and scalability
Archive services come in many sizes and governance types. Browse scalability indicators that will help you understand what is expected of services like yours.
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Storage facilities at the Museum of English Rural Life.
Richard Stonehouse
Scalability of the Archive Service Accreditation Standard
Archive services come in many sizes and governance types. The scalability indicators below indicate broad characteristics of the legal basis, collection size, public role and user offer of different types of archive service operating within the UK, to provide transparency to the assessment process.
Scalability is used to help archive services to understand what is expected of services of their type and size, and is referenced throughout the separate ‘Guidance for developing and completing an application’, where scaled guidance is provided. Assessors will also use the scalability indicators as a guide during the assessment process as one means of understanding the archive service’s role.
Archive services do not need to meet each and every indicator on the scale, and may find they sit between two types. Archive services should use the appropriate indicators within this document to decide which scale most closely matches their operation. Not all requirements are differentiated, as there will be areas common to all archive services. Operating budget is specifically excluded as an indicator.
If you are struggling to identify your service’s scale, a calculator is provided to give you some additional guidance.
Local authority archive services
Type one
- Place of Deposit status
Not appointed
- Size of analogue archive holdings
Up to 100 cubic metres
- Size of digital archive holdings
Up to 20 gigabytes
- Constitution
Part of a body subject to the Freedom of Information Act (2000), or the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act, or an externally contracted body delivering an archives service on behalf of one or more such bodies.
- Workforce
Paid professional archivist/manager, support staff
- Opening
Regular onsite access and developing online presence
- User offer
Reading room; outreach to wider communities/education offer. Concentrating on developing the use of archives for learning and engagement by other organisations.
- Legislative requirements for public access
Local Government Acts 1962 and 1972, Freedom of Information Act 2000, Data Protection legislation, Manorial Document Rules, Tithe Document Rules, Parochial Records and Registers Measure, s60 of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994, Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011, Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015
- Example service
Borough archives and local studies library
Type two
- Place of Deposit status
Likely to be appointed
- Size of analogue archive holdings
Over 100 cubic metres
- Size of digital archive holdings
Over 20 gigabytes
- Constitution
Part of a body subject to the Freedom of Information Act (2000), or the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act, or an externally contracted body delivering an archives service on behalf of one or more such bodies.
- Workforce
Paid professional archivists, and relevant professional staff supporting learning/outreach/technology/collection care and conservation offers
- Opening
Regular onsite access and strong online research support
- User offer
Reading room; audience development and outreach to wider communities/education offer. Developing an in house learning and engagement offer, alongside working with others.
- Legislative requirements for public access
Local Government Acts 1962 and 1972, Freedom of Information Act 2000, Data Protection legislation, Manorial Document Rules, Tithe Document Rules, Parochial Records and Registers Measure, s60 of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994, Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011, Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, Public Records Act (Northern Ireland) 1923, Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015
- Example service
City or county-wide service
Other public sector archive services
Type one
- Place of Deposit status
Probably not appointed
- Constitution
Part of a body subject to the Freedom of Information Act (2000), or the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act, or an externally-contracted body delivering an archives service on behalf of one or more such bodies.
Within a university context, may be part of university records management structure or a library service holding special collections rather than an operation combining both internal and external records.
- Size of analogue archive holdings
Up to 100 cubic metres
- Size of digital archive holdings
Up to 20 gigabytes
- Workforce
Managed by competent staff, with access to professional archival expertise appropriate to the type and nature of the organisation and collection.
Often within the context of wider library or records management operations.
- Opening
Regular onsite access
- User offer
Primarily focused on specialist/internal researchers.
Public access may be by appointment or by limited opening hours.
- Legislative requirements for public access
Freedom of Information Act, Freedom of Information Act (Scotland).
Dependent on holdings but some collections may also be governed by Data Protection legislation, Manorial and/or Tithe Rules, Environmental Information Regulations.
Archives within University Libraries and other defined Public Sector Bodies are subject to the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015.
- Example service
Hospital Archives and records management service. University archive with access to relevant expertise.
Competent staff are described in Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 197 as:
Someone who has the necessary and sufficient training, knowledge, experience, expertise, skills, and/or other qualities to complete their allotted task safely and effectively.
PAS 197
Type two
- Place of Deposit status
May be appointed if relevant
- Constitution
Part of a body subject to the Freedom of Information Act (2000), or the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act, or an externally-contracted body delivering an archives service on behalf of one or more such bodies.
Within a university context, may deliver access to both university archives and special collections.
Includes national bodies constituted by Act of Parliament (see also note below regarding national archives) and other bodies with a national remit in their constitution or their description of holdings.
- Size of analogue archive holdings
100 cubic metres or over
- Size of digital archive holdings
Over 20 gigabytes
- Workforce
Paid professional archivist/manager and relevant professional staff supporting learning/outreach/technology/collection care and conservation offers.
- Opening
Regular onsite access and strong online research support
- User offer
Strong focus on specialist/internal researchers. Institutional commitment to and expectation of regular public access.
Broad user offer including developing audiences in addition to regular onsite access and developing online presence.
- Legislative requirements for public access
Freedom of Information Act, Freedom of Information Act (Scotland).
Dependent on holdings but some collections may also be governed by Data Protection legislation, Manorial and/or Tithe Rules, Environmental Information Regulations.
Archives within University Libraries and other defined Public Sector Bodies are subject to the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015.
- Example service
University special collections and archives, large museum archives
Private and third sector archive services
Type one
- Place of Deposit status
Probably not appointed
- Constitution
Various
- Size of analogue archive holdings
Under 50 cubic metres. Please refer to the eligibility criteria to ensure your service is eligible.
- Size of digital archive holdings
Less than 10 gigabytes
- Workforce
Typically volunteer or staff member without full training in Archives and Records Management disciplines, with appropriate professional advice from outside source.
- Opening
Onsite access can be arranged or is regular but with limited opening hours.
- User offer
Primarily focused on community/internal business users.
Public access may be by appointment or by limited opening hours or through mediated online access.
- Legislative requirements for public access
Dependent on holdings but some collections may be governed by Data Protection legislation, Manorial and/or Tithe Rules.
- Example service
Small business; small independent museum
Type two
- Place of Deposit status
Probably not appointed
- Constitution
Various
- Size of analogue archive holdings
Between 50 and 100 cubic metres
- Size of digital archive holdings
Between 10 and 20 gigabytes
- Workforce
Paid professional archivist and/or records manager
- Opening
Regular onsite access
- User offer
Significant focus on internal business users.
Public access may be by appointment or by limited opening hours, or through mediated online access.
- Legislative requirements for public access
Dependent on holdings but some collections may be governed by Data Protection legislation, Manorial and/or Tithe Rules.
- Example service
Medium business; specialist body
Type three
- Place of Deposit status
May be appointed if applicable
- Constitution
Various
- Size of analogue archive holdings
100 cubic metres or over
- Size of digital archive holdings
Over 20 gigabytes
- Workforce
Paid professional archivist(s), and relevant professional staff supporting learning/outreach/ technology/ collection care and conservation offers.
- Opening
Regular onsite access and/or strong online presence
- User offer
Institutional commitment to promoting public access to collections.
Audience development and outreach to multiple user groups and/or developing online offer.
- Legislative requirements for public access
Dependent on holdings but some collections may be governed by Data Protection legislation, Manorial and/or Tithe Rules.
- Example service
Large business; charity; learned society/museum
Legislative requirements for public access are indicative only. Other legislation will affect access to specific classes of record.
Legal indicators
National archives and records bodies
Archive services run by bodies constituted by Act of Parliament. They will offer visitor facilities appropriate to a national organisation, holding and developing a collection of national and international significance and providing excellent engagement opportunities through learning, research and participation.
Places of Deposit in England and Wales
Public records, as defined by the Public Records Act 1958 and subsequent amendments to the schedules of such records attached to it, are subject to statutory controls and are placed under supervision of the Keeper of Public Records (the Chief Executive of The National Archives), and the Secretary of State for Digital Culture Media and Sport.
Many of these records are held in local Places of Deposit, which have to be approved by the Keeper. There are specific requirements for places of deposit, which however, are largely limited to providing for their management, safe keeping, and access, and do not constitute a standard.
Organisations operating Places of Deposit are expected to care for public records in their custody and make them available in accordance with the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967, the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Local authority Places of Deposit are in general expected to meet standards expected of local authority archives type two; other Places of Deposit the scale on which their archive service falls as a whole.
Further detailed guidance about the care and management of public records in places of deposit, and their loan, donation, destruction, transfer, or administrative retention can be found on the Places of Deposit section of The National Archives website, which also lists all such approved places.