A key priority for the sector, outlined in Archives for the 21st Century, the government policy on archives, is to develop access to archives for a wide range of individuals and communities. This can be through online engagement, outreach or a high quality on site service.
Improving your engagement and communication involvement will help to ensure that:
- your service and the community form an ongoing and mutually beneficial relationship
- your service is of high quality, appropriate for the community and leads to more positive outcomes for local people
- individuals feel empowered and able to influence service planning and delivery
- your archive is sustainable and progressive
Archive Service Accreditation defines current good practice and agreed standards and can be used as a tool to develop access to services to meet the standard.
This section will help you plan and develop an accessible and engaged service and form strong links with your community. Read about how archives can help develop learning experiences for school-aged children and provide an engaging learning environment, and find out why volunteers are so important to archive services.
We also provide you with case studies, guidance and links to legislation and websites that provide up-to-date information.
Guidance: Developing access and participation (PDF, 0.57Mb)