1. Keynote
Nick Kingley,
Head of Archives Sector
Development & Secretary of the
Historical Manuscripts
Commission, The National
Archives UK
Open Forum
5 december 2013
Brussel
2. Keynote
18/03/2014 | Closed Brainstorm Nick Kingley,
meetings around
diversity | Antwerp and Ghent Head of Archives Sector
Development & Secretary of the
19/03/2014 | Conference Mainstreaming Diversity |
Historical Manuscripts
Brussels
Commission, The National
Archives UK
18 – 22/08/2014 | Summer School Archives &
Education | Neerpelt
Open Forum
5 december 2013
Brussel
3.
4. Archives for the 21st century:
policy, strategy and action
Nick Kingsley
FARO, 5 December 2013
5. Policy, Strategy and Action
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Policy
• Process
• Content
Implementation
• Turning policy into action
• A sudden change in our
circumstances
• Archives for the 21st
century in action refreshed
What has been achieved?
What next?
6. Developing the policy: process
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Analysis of the existing evidence base
Identification of some key themes
Ministerial clearance of consultation draft
“New burdens assessment” in England & Wales and formal
impact assessment
Three month public consultation with 625 responses
Publication of all consultation responses and of the formal
Government response to them
Translation of the policy into Welsh
Publication of the completed policy and its presentation in
Parliament by the Minister
8. Key challenges identified
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Local authorities offering
services of widely diverging
quality & not co-operating
Inadequate buildings
Lack of proactive collection
development
Online access incomplete
Lack of capability to manage
born digital records
Lack of clear and strong
leadership in and of the sector
9. Questions for debate in 2008
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How far could structural changes contribute to optimising efficiency
and effectiveness?
Would ‘fewer bigger better’ services secure capital investment?
Are cross-sectoral partnerships part of the answer?
Should we change or develop the existing framework of standards,
inspections and approval in any way?
How urgent is it to address the born digital challenge?
How important is it to strengthen leadership at all levels? What role
should TNA and MLA play in future?
Who can make the case for archives most effectively and how can
archives secure increased priority for funding?
What more can be done to increase the non-public funding of
archives?
10. Formal consultation propositions
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In the longer term, there is significant value in moving towards
fewer, bigger, better archive services for a more sustainable future
(51% agreed; 36% disagreed)
Strengthened leadership and a responsive skilled workforce are
necessary to raise the profession’s profile at both a national and
local level (85% agreed; 6% disagreed)
Developing a co-ordinated response to managing digital
information and for continued access in the future (94% agreed;
3% disagreed)
Ensuring that there is comprehensive access to archive catalogues
and content (94% agreed; 3% disagreed)
Developing active participation in partnerships with other cultural
and learning services (85% agreed; 4% disagreed)
12. Finalising the policy
• 625 responses received (82% from UK; 68% personal;
26% organisations and 6% from businesses)
• 61 detailed amendments were made to the text
• First recommendation was widely misinterpreted and
much less strongly supported, so we amended it to:
• “Bigger, better and more sustainable services”
• Published in November 2009: different versions for
England & Wales with different case studies and
ministerial introductions but the same policy content
13. Archives for 21st century – in action, April 2010
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Policy is about objectives not
actions
“New burdens” doctrine
means Government cannot
mandate actions it cannot
fund
Action Plan to set out what we
would do and wanted others
to do
Implementation Board to
advise on content and tone of
action plan
Action Plan issued April 2010,
just before General Election
16. Adapting to sector leadership role
• Detailed review of structure and services of my team to
embed new responsibilities and funding, February-July 2011
• Extensive programme of communications with sector to
ensure everyone understood what was happening and why
• Appointment of Transition Manager to support us through 12
months of change and development and migrate resources,
and knowledge from MLA
• Published commitments to the sector about our activities as
sector leader and our working style, August 2011
• Transfer of functions from MLA , 1 October 2011
• Commitment to update Archives for 21st century – in action
17. Our commitments to the sector
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Monitor, communicate and respond to policy initiatives across Government
Ensure that we understand the issues facing the archives sector, and brief
Ministers and those developing policy across Government accordingly
Undertake or commission research and evidence-gathering to support
advocacy on behalf of the sector
Develop programmes and initiatives to create new opportunities for
archives
Stimulate collection management and development and improved resource
discovery to make archives more accessible to the public
Encourage public engagement with archives through widening participation
and increased volunteering
Develop an accreditation scheme for archive services that supports their
improvement journey and enhances sustainability
18. Our commitments to the sector (2)
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Enhance our advice and guidance to the sector
Provide every major collecting institution in England and Wales with a
named contact point at The National Archives
Develop and maintain a relationship of strategic influence with key national,
home nation and regional organisations that shape the context in which
archive services are provided
Focus our work with the wider archive sector in one team at The National
Archives but commit the whole organisation to support of our leadership
role for the sector.
Consult and engage continuously across the sector
Act as a critical friend for archive services and their parent bodies, offering
advice and guidance, support and challenge
Use all the tools at our disposal to achieve outcomes that are in the best
interests of archival records and their users
Be a benefit not a burden to the sector, and provide regular opportunities
for feedback from all those with an interest in our work
19. Archives for the 21st century in action – refreshed
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Updated Action Plan for
remaining years of Policy
(2012-15)
Reflecting the clearer
leadership remit of TNA
Responding for the major
reductions in public funding,
which have affected local
authority archives – the core
of the network – in particular
20. Built to last – developing sustainable services
Actions for TNA
•Identify innovative models of service
delivery
•Ensure archives are firmly
positioned as a core part of the
cultural sector
•Build networks of archives
practitioners
•Enhance the knowledge base of the
sector
•Plan for the implementation of a 20year rule
•Identify new funding streams
•Use archive service accreditation to
advocate for investment.
21. An effective, skilled workforce
Actions for TNA
•Demonstrate good practice by
investing in its staff and volunteers
•Run the “Opening Up Archives”
traineeship programme
•Review the skills needs of the sector
•Sponsor two postgraduate trainees
•Support services in developing
volunteering in archives
22. Digital by design
Actions for TNA
•Continue to innovate and develop
solutions
•Promote the contribution that digital
continuity and preservation makes to
wider organisational goals
•Make training and guidance
available online and share good
practice across the sector
•Explore the potential for archiving
websites using models adapted from
a pilot run in 2011-12
23. More accessible online
Actions for TNA
•Complete commercial digitisation
consortium project with ARA
•Provide support and guidance on
amended EU Directive on re-use of
public sector information
•Extend TNA’s resource discovery
infrastructure to provide single point
of online access to catalogue and
name authority data from across
archive sector
•Extend Cataloguing Grants Scheme
for further 5 years
•Complete Manorial Documents
Register revision
24. Real outcomes through partnership
Actions for TNA
•Demonstrate the social, economic
and educational impact of archives
•Collate and disseminate case
studies of good practice across the
sector in collections management,
outreach and learning
•Develop stronger relationships at
national and regional level with
government, cultural organisations
and funders
25. What has been achieved?
• Despite drastic cuts in budgets (especially in local
government), the national network of archival provision
remains intact and new archive buildings continue to be built
• Archive Service Accreditation has been developed as a UKwide scheme with general approval from sector and is now
being rolled out:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/archive-service• New programme initiatives developed for sector:
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Digitisation consortium
Digital Preservation requirements definition
Diversification of funding
Diversity of workforce
26. What has been achieved?
• Wide range of new guidance and case studies of best
practice available on our website:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/learning.htm
• Support in accessing new funding streams:
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Diversifying funding
Collecting Cultures
Strategic Commissioning programmes
Arts Council “Creative Media” funding and “Grants for the Arts”
Cataloguing Grants Scheme extended
Work to reduce burden associated with transfer of public records
alongside reduction of transfer period to 20 years
27. What has been achieved?
• Archiving the Arts project to focus strategic collecting activity
in an area of need
• TNA Discovery infrastructure being extended into a national
union catalogue of archives and manuscripts:
http://beta.discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
• Increasing focus on partnerships in service delivery:
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The Keep: http://www.thekeep.info/about_us/building/
Manchester and London borough service partnerships
South-East Midlands project
Devon and Somerset Heritage Trust
28. Where next? Looking ahead 2015-2020
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During 2014 we expect to draft strategy for the next five years
Anticipate launching in autumn 2015, after the next general election
Key themes of sustainability, digital records and online delivery
unlikely to change
Likely to promote archival role in transparency and accountability
more strongly
Will be more explicitly inclusive of private archives than current
document, and reflect particular challenges of areas such as
business, religious and charity archives
Likely to have an enhanced focus on partnership working for
efficiency, reach and co-ordination
Likely to build on creation of Discovery infrastructure
