No more Directors or Non-Executive Directors or Board Meeting minutes published since my last post on 17th March. But there is a Complaints Policy written by the Operations Director, or published below his name in "March 2021." See here: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/complaints-policy.pdf
Reopening 27th April, same restrictions as before. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/coronavirus-update/
Anyone know what the "large accession of Ministry of Defence service records" referenced in this job ad could be? Archivist (Military Records Project) - Civil Service Jobs - GOV.UK
Extract from Job Description for this post. "The National Archives will be receiving a vast historic collection of 9 million military personnel service records over the next few years, including those from the Second World War. We need to grow our team to support this special transfer project and to back-fill for other activities relating to the accessioning of new government records, regardless of medium."
I wonder how much Ancestry or FMP will be paying for these? If it means they get digitised quicker and to a high standard then I suppose that’s a price worth paying.
I made a serious enquiry a few years back when they were looking for three new posts dealing with the then forthcoming WW1 medical cards. They thanked me but said they were leaning towards graduates with a degree in either History or English. I replied that they might be better off with applicants who had an interest in the subject matter and an understanding of what researchers wanted when accessing the files.
I see the first day's booking is going swimmingly. Feeding Time In The Shark Tank: https://twitter.com/UkNatArchives/status/1384103662566342661 Edit:
It’s working this evening - booked a visit, ordered 12 documents, be still my beating heart!! regards Tom
The latest tranche of executive and non-executive meeting minutes ( or Board meeting minutes ) have been published, not certain when, but since about the 12th April. Four month delay, almost, for Directors, and two months for Board minutes. Small downloads, 163 KB for executive team and 327 KB for Board minutes. See here: { Edit: December minutes were in list between January and February so missed link and have edited this } https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/executive-team-minutes-2020-11.pdf https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/executive-team-minutes-2020-12.pdf https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/board-minutes-2021-02.pdf
Following on from recent releases of kew Executive's and Kew Board's minutes best to download the full minutes but noticeable items were: Last November the Executive meeting discussed various things including these: "Suspected Stolen Records sold in the open market The Executive Team discussed the latest position and technical reports in respect of suspected stolen records." ( No idea what was stolen, paper or digital records ? ) Another item: " LF provided a verbal update on changes to MoD funding for year 1 of the service personnel records transfer project and noted this would have minimal impact on the project plan." In December there was more on the "Service Personnel Records Transfer Project" at Executives' meeting: "MoD Service Personnel records - Project Steering Group Terms of Reference (ToRs) & Accession Paper The Executive Team was asked to: note the project status update and anticipated next steps; agree proposed governance arrangements for the duration of the transfer; note and agree with the recommendation to accession the entire collection. A specific decision was requested regarding the approach to accessioning. AF confirmed weekly meetings with the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Task and finish groups were focused on data protection, freedom of information and public access. The aim was to return to the Executive Team with clear recommendations. The support provided by the Head of Cataloguing, Taxonomy and Data was commended. The need to prepare communications for public engagement was emphasized. CO-S advised on the need for records expertise to enhance service delivery, and commended the Head of Military Records. Further recruitment was under consideration. Cost recovery was also considered, including risks associated with rental charges at DeepStore, and solutions. DECISION: The Executive Team fully endorsed the project and approaches outlined." The Board meeting in January minuted: "In respect of the MoD Service Personnel records project, LF was pleased to report that a pilot transfer of 18 linear meters would take place on 9 February, which will enable The National Archives (TNA) to learn more about the informational rights issues, preservation risks and commercial opportunities of the collection. She undertook to provide an update on the pilot at the next meeting." We now have the February Board minutes : no update seen. On the 1921 Census the February Board minuted: " 1921 Census programme update The Board received a late report providing a progress update on the 1921 online Census programme. GMR introduced the report and highlighted the project was moving quickly and therefore the report would become the first of regular updates to the Board for their major project oversight and assurance. Discussions centred on managing public expectation relating to the potential risk of slippage in the delivery timetable as a result of the ongoing pandemic. The Board was assured that the Frequently Asked Questions section on the website had been updated and that communication lines were being prepared in partnership with the Office for National Statistics (ONS)." Previous minutes state that transcription work on the 1921 Census is being carried out in India.