Business archives can be vulnerable to neglect if not actively managed and are especially at risk when a company goes into administration, liquidation, or winding up. Both analogue records and digital records can be at risk.
The following resources can help to ensure business archives are safeguarded and, where necessary, found a new permanent home where they can be preserved and made accessible.
Crisis Management Team for Business Archives
The team was formed as an output of the National Strategy for Business Archives (England and Wales) in 2009 and the National Strategy for Business Archives in Scotland in 2011. It co-ordinates efforts to preserve business records in cases of liquidations, administrations, takeovers and other circumstances where records may be in danger.
The group agrees on an appropriate response and nominates a suitable person from among their number to carry the matter forward by advising the business in question, as well as liaising with relevant repositories, administrators, and other relevant parties as appropriate. A recent success story was the preservation of the archives of Thomas Cook PLC at the Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland.
Advice for archive services on how to rescue business records
The team encourages archive services to become confident in the process of rescuing records and has produced guidance on ‘How an Archive Service Can Rescue Business Records’. Archive services may use this independently of working with the team, but the Crisis Management team does welcome services notifying the them of any cases archive services deal with themselves, so that the Crisis Management team has a full picture of the number and kinds of crises affecting business archives.
The Archives and Records Council Wales has also produced remote records surveying guidance for archive services and additional resources including a risk monitoring template for archive services.
Guidance for insolvency practitioners on how to rescue archives
The Crisis Management team has also produced guidance for insolvency practitioners on how they can rescue archives and is actively working on a strategic level with the Insolvency Practitioners Association to increase awareness of the importance of archives within the insolvency profession, and foster collaboration with the archive sector.
The Crisis Management team also welcomes contact from businesses that are at risk and is happy to provide advice to ensure the company’s archives are preserved.
Find out more about the team and how to contact members.
Records at Risk Grants
The National Archives has Records at Risk grants, delivered in collaboration with the Business Archives Council and the British Records Association, that may be suitable to help fund the rescue of business records.
The Records at Risk fund has already supported Oldham Local Studies and Archives in their project Capturing the Coliseum, ensuring the transfer and preservation of the closed Oldham Coliseum theatre, established in 1885 and the last-surviving professional theatre in the town.