National Archives - Kew Tips?

I mean, just look at this from the Wellcome Collection. How hard can this be?

https://wellcomecollection.org/works/mzahruhu/items?canvas=47

Very hard I guess if the government doesn't give you any money. But strategies are cheap.

All the best

Andreas

 

Looking through old Kew User Forum minutes on the UK Gov Web Archive I came across this explanation as to why the MOD used 116 years' of retention of records rather than 100 years.

"3.5 Q. (Item 3.13 11/14) It is interesting that some MoD service records have been released for individuals born 100 years ago, whereas some are retained for 116 years from date of birth.

A. The reason for this is because of the way the records were created and managed. Some parts of the Armed Forces kept records by date of birth, but others by date of recruitment or service number. The records were created in different ways and therefore need to be handled differently."

https://webarchive.nationalarchives...ts/user-forum-22-january-2015-final-draft.pdf

I also read that the MOD service records are so vast they amount to 20% of the total Kew Archives to date.

Kew have been talking about the MOD service records since at least 2008......

{ Later Edit at about 1938 22 September 2022}

Extract from minutes of User Forum held on 15 October 2009:

"5.3 Q. Last year the MOD ran a consultation exercise on the Transfer of Historic Service Records to The National Archives. Since then we have heard very little news on this subject. Can we have an update?
A. We are still in discussions regarding the processes and format in which these records will be taken in, and are not currently in a position to give an exact timescale. However we will try to arrange for this to be covered in more detail at the next meeting."

Full minutes of the October 2009 meeting are here.

https://webarchive.nationalarchives...documents/user-forum-minutes-october-2009.pdf

{ Even later Edit: add links to November 2009 User Forum Minutes and text }


"5. Transfer of Post World War Service Records from the Ministry of Defence (MoD)- Caroline Kimbell, Head of Licensing
5.1 The MoD undertook a public consultation about the transfer of historical service personnel records to The National Archives between July and September 2008. Following this consultation it has been decided to go ahead with the plans to transfer as outlined in the consultation proposals (97% of those who responded to the consultation were in favour of early transfer).
Accessioning these records physically would be very problematic. In total, they would occupy 33.7 Kilometres worth of shelving.
5.2 It has been agreed that the Second World War Home Guard records will be the first tranche to be transferred as they are both the most popular and relatively simple to manage as a test case: they consist of a single sheet per soldier.
5.3 The timing of the transfer of these records is contingent on finding a suitable commercial partner to scan and index them first to make them available online; we are consulting at the moment to find a suitable partner and a number of partners have already shown an interest.
5.4 This process will involve the creation of a database including an age field – this is vital as under Data Protection the individual records can not be opened until 100 years after the birth of the soldier. With this in place, individual soldiers records can be made available ‘automatically’ as the 100 year mark is reached.
5.5 Q. Will it be possible to tell if a record for an individual exists, but is currently closed?
A. This is one of the requirements in the tender.
5.6 Q. In the past we would hear from Howard Davies in regard to the transfer of WW2 service records, is he still the Client Manager for the MOD?
A. No, he has moved on, Andrew Dyer is now the Information Management Consultant (formerly Client Manager) who is responsible for liaising with the MOD. The reason that Caroline Kimbell was invited on this occasion is that this project involves digitisation prior to transfer. Therefore the licensing process is fundamental from the outset of the project. The Commercial Delivery and Licensing department work closely with Information Management and Practice (formerly Records Management).
5.7 Q. Would it be possible to get a list of Information Management Consultants and the departments they are responsible for?
A. We will look into that and see if that’s possible.
(post meeting note: We have considered this and discussed with colleagues in Information Management and Practice (IMP). As a government facing department, it would be difficult for IMP to take on the responsibility for liaising directly with the public as they do not have the required resources in place. In addition, the Information Management Consultants spend a lot of time out of the office, liaising with government departments. Many of the queries relating to records of government departments also need t be directed to the department, rather than internally to IMP. It has been agreed that the Advice and Records Management Department should manage the interface, directing any enquiries they can’t deal with themselves to the relevant Information Management Consultants in IMP, and responding on their behalf).
5.8 Q. Is there a high proportion of service records from the Second World War that do not survive?
A. As far as we know, there has been no individual incident that has lead to large portions of the records being lost or damaged (as with the bombing raids which destroyed a large portion of the First World War service records). However, as the records are still with the MoD, this is a query that would need to be directed to them as we do not have statistics on survival rates of the records.
5.9 Q. You mentioned that the records will be digitised with a commercial partner, would access to those digital documents be freely available to view on site at The National Archives (TNA) and regional hubs around the country?
A. They will be freely available to view on site at TNA. It is possible that they may also be made available at regional hubs but this has not yet been decided.
5.10 Q. Have you considered the sensitive nature of some of the Home Guard records which indicate where an individual has had their ‘card marked’ and / or has not been taken up for service for various reasons?
5.11 A. The records have been ‘dip sampled’ and given a clean bill of health by the MoD. However, we will feed this point back for clarification.
5.12 Q. Why has The National Archives not thought about digitising the records in-house instead of using a commercial partner?
A. We do not have the staff, resources or funds to commit to such a large operation. The revenue generated from these commercial partners gets put back into public services."

https://webarchive.nationalarchives...ocuments/user-forum-minutes-november-2009.pdf

The 2022 version of 100 years is 115 years....fancy that !

Still, if you do next to nothing for 14 years, and there is no 1931 census to digitise, it all makes perfect sense.

 

News from Kew on FCO 141:
Access reinstated for FCO 141 Record Series - The National Archives

Wednesday 21 September 2022
We are pleased to announce that access to the record series, FCO 141 – Foreign and Commonwealth Office and predecessors: Records of Former Colonial Administrations: Migrated Archives, has now been restored.

" Records from the FCO 141 record series will be viewed in a separate room within the main Reading Room and must be ordered in advance to ensure you are allocated a seat on the day you wish to visit.
We will provide disposable Nitrile Gloves for you to wear while using the FCO 141 documents.
If you are using mobile phones, cameras, laptops and any other objects while viewing the documents, they must be wiped down with the materials provided prior to leaving the Reading Room or after handling the documents.
Please refrain from touching your face, eyes or mouth whilst viewing the records, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap once finished.
All other Reading Room rules should be followed."

 

Latest release of files from MI5 - The National Archives

Today we have made available to the public 147 previously top secret files from the Security Service, or MI5.

The records cover a range of subjects predominantly from the 1960s and 1970s although there are some from earlier years.

Personal files include individuals classed as Cold War-era Soviet intelligence officers, agents and suspected agents, right wing extremists who came to the attention of MI5, and other individuals of Security Service enquiry.


Read more about the release in our blog Spies, Social Climbers, and Suspicious Stories.​

 

Is on-the-day ordering off again? The rules say it is not possible, but I am pretty certain when I went last year it was.

All the best

Andreas

 

The Kew Annual report for 2021 - 2022 at page 93 states:

"When we reopened our site at Kew in April 2021 following government pandemic-related regulations, we required readers to book a seat online and order all documents in advance so that they could be quarantined before being viewed. From July 2021, in accordance with government regulations, we reinstated the option of being able to walk in and order documents on demand, as well as gradually increasing reader numbers, reading room opening times and the number of documents readers could order."

https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/annual-report-accounts-national-archives-2021-22.pdf

I note that the first available date for a bulk order is the 30th November according to today's list of booking slots.

( I've not been for nearly three years so bear that in mind. )

 

You can definitely order on the day but they are still not opening until 9:30am. Think the last ordering is still 3pm?

If you have a bulk order they have always seemed very reluctant to allow you to order any more docs - unless you state you have finished with your bulk order.

 

Did anyone sign up for this?

Join our User Advisory Group - deadline extended - The National Archives

 

I am not "diverse" enough to qualify, anyway, you don't get paid ( & I've not been to Kew recently, but I suppose I could be an online family historian, but I'm not.) To do the job properly would require some sort of remuneration.

The Advisory Council is the top table and offers pay since 2019: this year's annual report states:

"Remuneration for Council members, excluding the Master of the Rolls, was approved and introduced on 1 April 2019 and is provided by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Members are remunerated at a rate of £386 per day to a maximum of £9,264 per year. Council remuneration for 2021-22 totalled £93,280.50."

Next body, which is, in my opinion, virtually useless, also gets paid if claimed: the Non-Executive Directors or National Archives Board. No minutes from that body since their meeting in May 22 when they discussed or "Reviewed and agreed the 2022-23 Board Effectiveness Action Plan", which about sums it up. The old Chair person used to talk darkly about "what we are trying to achieve" but would not say what that was supposed to be. They get paid various sums up to £20,000 according to the main accounts, but some members may not claim anything.

The National Archives Trustees don't get paid, or shouldn't. Their job is to reduce the size of the reading room by spending money from outsiders, supposedly to attract school children. ( Not meant to sound sinister.)

I was quite happy to just get a cup of tea and a biscuit at the old User Forum where serious users asked awkward questions, which is the reason it was "exterminated" without notice. Funnily enough, I never asked a question, there were plenty of proper experts there.

I am sure there are plenty of people on here who would do an excellent job but they are looking for:

"We would particularly like to hear from you if you think you could represent one or more of the following user groups:

• Diversity and inclusion (two representatives): those who represent LGBTQ+, ethnic minority communities and other diverse groups who use archives
• Map Room users & early career academics
• Family history users, including online family historians"

 

The latest minutes of the Advisory Council were published a while ago and relate to a meeting held last July:

https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/advisory-council-minutes-2022-07.pdf

Minute 3.3 :

"Members asked about the implications for The National Archives of Civil Service 2025 (CS25). Mr James responded that The National Archives had made a submission to HM Treasury as required, however given the current conservative leadership challenge The National Archives was unsure when it would hear back from government on its targets. The understanding was that 20% reduction would have a significant impact on the organisation. Ms Fletcher added that there would also be implications for other government departments and their records management teams."

 

"Discovery, our catalogue, is moving to a Cloud-based platform

Monday 27 February 2023
Next month, The National Archives will start moving Discovery, our catalogue, to a Cloud-based platform as part of ongoing work to improve the resilience, reliability and security of our public services. This work will also resolve recent issues with searching for newly released records. Discovery’s look and feel will not alter."

Discovery, our catalogue, is moving to a Cloud-based platform - The National Archives

 

This was published on the Kew news site on 14th March. Have your say by email by 15th APRIL 2023.

News - The National Archives

"Review of the Statement of Public Task

Tuesday 14 March 2023
The National Archives is reviewing its Statement of Public Task in line with its statutory requirements.

Members of the public are invited to submit any comments on the draft Statement of Public Task to { email link: statement of public task at national archives. etc.}

The consultation period for this review will run for one month, until 15 April 2023.

Please be aware that any comments submitted will be published as required by our current Statement of Public Task. Personal details will be removed before publishing.

A copy of the draft Statement of Public Task is available to view."

Car Parking changes:

"Cashless car parking and new payment app coming soon

Thursday 16 March 2023
Our visitor car parking payment system will not accept cash from Monday 27 March. Most visitors already pay for their parking by card, and this change will be in line with other local car parks and our other services, including our shop.

Later this year we’ll introduce a new app to make it even easier to pay for parking, and to reduce the need to pay at the machines at the end of your visit. This will also provide a convenient solution for visitors who forget to pay before leaving. More details about this will follow.

We will continue to provide free parking for motorbikes and bicycles, and accessible parking bays for disabled visitors."

 

Went yesterday, parking was fine, and I didn't mind the extra cost, even though it was more expensive than fuel from Gloucester.

An observation, I ordered a bunch of things over the course of the visit, right up to the order close at 1530. Quite a few of the items were not produced. Has anyone else experienced this?

All the best

Andreas

 

Hi Andreas

No, generally I get what I ordered both in advance and on the day. Haven't been since January though.

 

Document production statistics from the Annual Reports for 2005-2006, and for 2021-2022.

Yes, sometimes I could not see documents, but I've not visited since November 2019. Kew sometimes used volunteers to deliver documents. The staff always tried to help.






The last column shows the 2019-2020 "outcome."

 

In my last two visits, I've had the wrong documents delivered (including a number on an advanced order). In both cases, just getting WO 166 documents instead of WO 169. Easy enough mistake to make I guess but the advanced order gets ticked off on the form.

I've never experienced it before.

 

Kew "User Advisory Group" discuss document ordering from time to time. These minutes are 3½ years old but have pre-Covid statistics on document production in more detail and the rationale employed to encourage advance ordering:

UK Government Web Archive

"Changes to document ordering and other services in 2020 (DF, TG and DP)
2.1 TG advised that the changes will be introduced as a pilot from March 2020 as part of a gradual movement from an ‘on demand’ to an advance ordering service. On demand ordering has reduced from 80% to 50% of orders with little impact on user groups and TNA would like to extend this.
2.2 DP explained how user data taken from DORIS had been analysed to inform the decision. Of the daily orders from April to July 2019 there were 120,000 productions for approximately 5,000 users. Of the top 200 users, the percentage of advance orders (excluding bulk orders) showed that only around 1% of users may need to adjust how they place orders under the new model. The top 200 users were analysed on frequency of use; 50 users never used advance orders, half used it rarely. The remaining group used advance orders frequently. This showed that the two groups to be most impacted would be i) those who had done little preparation prior to their visit, ordering documents in batches and ii) those unaware of service. TNA will therefore be increasing communications to encourage its use. Each year around 450,000 public productions are delivered, two years ago 100,000 of these were advance/bulk orders but last year this had doubled to 200,000 and for 2019 is anticipated to be around 230,000. This demonstrates a natural readership trend supporting the change.
2.3 An average of 8 documents are ordered each day by users. Under the current model a maximum of 12 documents may be ordered on the day over 5 ordering slots. The advance orders remain at 12 documents per day, with the facility for readers to order up to 12 additional documents on demand per day. This gives the maximum total that readers can view in a day as 24 (excluding bulk orders). A small proportion of readers (10%) place 30% of each day’s orders including overseas visitors. The majority of users will not be impacted by the changes
2.4 A frequent complaint from users has been that only 3 documents can be ordered at a time – the new system enables users to order twelve. This is also more efficient for document retrieval as the system sorts the references enabling one circuit of the repository only.
2.5 CVM asked if increasing volumes of advanced orders would create challenges for storing documents on the floor. DP advised that additional racking has been already installed in the map room and there is an overflow space behind the reading room locker area. TG advised that the changes made are part of the trial so if improvements are needed they can be made.
2.6 COS commented that the new model is also more efficient for users as they can plan in advance they wish.

 

Well I did order in advance as well. It's just that most of the documents ordered while I was onsite, specificially those ordered after about 1pm didn't arrive. Which is not an issue I have ever had before, but I haven't been in a while.

Lesson learned, don't delete your document order list items UNTIL the documents have been produced.

All the best

Andreas

 

I wonder if Kew could get some of these?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FUJITSU-ScanSnap-SV600-Document-Scanner/dp/B01AJI0426

Gus

 

Represent the views of archive users, anyone ?

Join our User Advisory Group - The National Archives

"Join our User Advisory Group

Monday 10 July 2023
Would you like to represent the views of archive users and help to improve our services? If you are a regular archive user then we would love to hear from you, as we are seeking new voluntary representatives to join our User Advisory Group (UAG).

The group gives our user community the opportunity to participate in our planning and decision-making processes, helping make The National Archives an archive for everyone.

Representatives are expected to represent and speak on behalf of different sections of our user community. As well as attending quarterly meetings, each representative has a responsibility to engage with members of their user communities, to share information and gather feedback.

We would particularly like to hear from you if you think you could represent one or more of the following user groups:

Diversity & Inclusion: those who represent LGBTQ+, ethnic minority communities and other diverse groups who use archives
Academic Users
Student Users
On-site Personal Interest Users
Prospective representatives should be able to demonstrate they have the qualities to actively participate in the group, including:

Willingness to express the views of their communities in the setting of a large meeting
Time to prepare for meetings, including reading papers and networking.
Ability to think strategically and see the bigger picture.
Quarterly meetings are usually held at The National Archives in Kew with an option to join virtually by video conference – the meetings are usually scheduled on Tuesdays during working hours. Dates and times are published well in advance and delegates are expected to make every effort to attend. Delegates may claim travel expenses.

We ask prospective representatives to commit to a minimum term of one year’s service. Find out more about the current representatives and the groups that they represent.

How to submit an expression of interest

If you would like to express interest in representing one of the groups listed above, please email UAGrecruitment@nationalarchives.gov.uk with the following information:

Indicate in the subject line of your email that it is an expression of interest
Indicate which sections(s) of the user community you would like to represent; if you list more than one, please rank them in order of preference
Check the list of the sections of the user community which are already represented; if you feel that there is a group that we have not listed, and that you would like to represent, please specify this
Tell us about your experience as an archive user and why you feel that you would be suitable as a user advisory group representative (please write no more than 150 words)
Give examples to show that you have the personal qualities required as a representative (please write no more than 150 words)
Indicate your ideas and suggestions for how you would disseminate details of the group to the user community or communities that you would be representing, and how you would gather feedback (please write no more than 150 words).
Representatives will be selected based upon the information provided.

The closing date for expressions of interest is Friday 4 August 2023.