Saul Nassé – Chief Executive, The National Archives, and Keeper of Public Records
Welcome to the 2025 edition of A Year in Archives. A Year in Archives showcases the sector’s work and the pivotal role it plays in communities across the country. It has been great to meet so many record keepers over the past 12 months, whether at visits to individual archives or at networking events and workshops.
The Leadership for Recordkeepers Summit captured our sector’s ability to come together, share best practice and develop new skills. The international DCDC conference in Durham also featured a wellspring of inspiring talks and activities, from the display of History Day North research projects to the Archives Job escape room van, run by Northumberland Archives. In August, I attended an expert panel at the Library of Birmingham to discuss next steps for the Government’s new strategic vision for archives. As many of you will know, The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has commissioned The National Archives to create this new vision, informed by a collaborative process of roundtable discussions and consultations.
I am grateful to the many colleagues from across the sector who have contributed to this process. Your input has been invaluable and I look forward to us unveiling the new vision in the new year.
Lucy Fletcher – Deputy Chief Executive, The National Archives
The case studies in A Year in Archives 2025 celebrate work from a range of archives, from local authorities and universities to charities, arts organisations and regional partnerships. From exceptional cataloguing practice to food-themed engagement activities, the featured projects are emblematic of yet another busy and varied year for the archive sector.
This year, over 300 archives responded to our first UK-wide annual archive sector survey, giving us the crucial insights we need to advocate on behalf of archives and identify areas where they need further support. The sector’s capacity to seize opportunities is also reflected in some highly innovative and successful engagement projects, whether that be commemorative activities for the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day, or new collaborations with schools for Discover Creative Careers Month.
I am delighted to see so many exceptional projects in this publication. I encourage you to also visit our website for the online version of A Year in Archives 2025, which contains dozens of further highlights from across the sector.