Managing COVID-19

The National Archives’ reading rooms remain open to the public, providing a safe environment to deliver our services. We are also keeping a close eye on government guidance and wider developments. Please see our 'visit us' webpages for the latest information on booking and access arrangements.

Many of our staff are working from home and still providing a service and point of contact for the archive sector. Here you can find our statements relating to Archive Service Accreditation, Places of Deposit, collections safety and our funding programmes. We have also compiled a list of useful resources from other organisations and created a re-opening checklist of areas for consideration as the archives sector moves towards re-establishing access to collections.

Our coronavirus response and guidance

We are still providing a service and point of contact for the archive sector during the pandemic.

Collaborating with the archive sector

Find out about our work with the Archives and Records Association (ARA), our Covid-19 impact surveys and our online events during the pandemic.

Information for Places of Deposit

Places of deposit for public records are appointed to hold specific record classes in agreement with their parent authority under Section 4 (1) of the Public Records Act (1958).

Other useful resources

Numerous other organisations and networks have produced useful resources for responding to Covid-19.

Making plans for re-opening

Discover principles and operational factors that an archive service should take into account when planning for its re-opening following an extended closure.

Planning short-term changes to services

The pandemic response has required archive services to manage their operations with different levels of access at different times.