BT Archives
1. Collections Management Policy
BT is the world’s oldest communications company with a history stretching from the foundation of
the Electric Telegraph Company in 1846.
BT Archives, established in 1986, preserves the records of BT and its predecessors and promotes
access to the records and their content internally as a corporate resource, and externally to
national and international communities.
BT Archives holds collections of outstanding historical and cultural significance, as recognised
through the Designation and UNESCO Memory of the World schemes.
BT Archives is located in Holborn Telephone Exchange, 268-270 High Holborn, London WC1V
7EE and its primary website is www.bt.com/archives.
BT Archives is appointed by the Lord Chancellor as a Place of Deposit for Public Records, for
those records created prior to BT's privatisation in 1984.
BT Archives seeks to abide by all relevant archive and records legislation, including but not limited
to:
• Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967 (as superceded by the Freedom of Information Act,
2000
• The Government Security Classification Policy, 2014
• The Data Protection Act, 1998
• PD 5454.2012 Recommendations for the storage and exhibition of archival documents
BT Archives is a constituent part of BT Heritage, the corporate memory of the group of British
Telecommunications plc.
BT has given a public commitment to safeguarding its heritage in a policy statement published at
www.bt.com/archives. The Heritage Policy describes BT’s overall heritage activity and informs the
work of BT Archives.
The preservation and promotion of the historical records within BT Archives
• provides a source of knowledge about past actions and decisions, which can inform decision
making in the future
• fulfils BT’s obligations under the Public Records Act 1958, as amended 1967
• supports BT in compliance with the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2000
• forms an integral part of BT’s corporate responsibility programme
• provides legal evidence
• demonstrates accountability
• substantiates claims of quality and performance
• advances the study of the history and impact of telecommunications by providing a basis for
historical research
BT Archives works with partner elements of BT Heritage, including the innovative BT Connected
Earth heritage programme - a virtual collection of telecommunication histories, artefacts and
activities on the Connected Earth website as the hub of a network of partners around the UK who
care for BT’s dispersed collection of historical artefacts and support each other in contemporary
collecting of telecommunications heritage objects.
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BT Archives works alongside related functions in Legal Governance and Compliance (LGC):
Records Management, Information Retention Policy, Data Privacy and Corporate Governance.
This Policy includes individual policies on Collections Development, Collections Information and
Collections Care & Conservation. It is implemented through related forward plans and procedures.
It is to be viewed alongside the following:
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1.1
BT Heritage Policy
BT Archives Strategic Plan
BT Archives Access Policy
BT Archives Collections Development Plan
BT Archives Collections Information Plan
BT Archives Collections Care and Conservation Plan
BT Archives Access Plan
Collections Development Policy
1.1.1 Acquisition Remit
BT Archives will acquire and preserve material which reflects the development and operations of
British Telecommunications plc, its predecessors and subsidiaries both in the UK and overseas,
from the formation of the Electric Telegraph Company in 1846, BT’s earliest direct predecessor, to
the present day.
BT Archives does not normally accept records of other telecommunications companies from which
BT cannot claim descent or ownership, nor those of international or professional bodies of which
BT may be a member e.g. International Telecommunications Union, Commonwealth
Telecommunications Organisation etc.
BT Archives does not seek to compete for records with other repositories, and seeks to avoid
competition, conflict and duplication of effort with external repositories. It works closely with other
repositories with related collections e.g. the British Postal Museum and Archive and our Connected
Earth museum partners.
BT Archives uses functional analysis of the business at different points in its history to identify gaps
in holdings and priority collecting themes.
1.1.2 Format
Material offered to BT Archives will be considered on its archival information value rather than its
format or medium. Records are accepted in every format, including, but not exclusively,
manuscript, typescript, printed, machine readable, electronic, photographic, microform, artwork and
film. The only condition on format is our ‘duty of care’, that is BT Archives will not accept:
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material where it does not have access to the expertise to adequately provide for the records’
preservation, documentation, storage or access
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material which through its unstable nature might create a risk to the collections overall.
With the advent of electronic records, BT is moving away from paper based records systems.
Procedures for the identification and transfer of born digital records for permanent preservation are
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a priority which we will tackle in our Collections Information Plan. Digital records will be ingested
into the Preservica digital repository system and preserved in accordance with the OAIS model.
BT Archives also accepts artefacts that add to the body of knowledge, and our understanding, of
BT’s corporate history.
BT Archives will accept published sources for its reference library and information files to support
the archival collection. The acquisition of published material is not, however, a primary aim of BT
Archives and the reference library does not set out to be a comprehensive library on the history of
telecommunications.
1.1.3 Methods of Acquisition
BT Archives acquires material through the following channels:
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Annual transfers from the British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) under the terms of the
Public Records Act 1958 and 1967
Regular transfers directly from core BT lines of business
Regular transfers through BT records management
Ad hoc transfers from within BT e.g. when sites close
Transfers of items from partner museums
Donations from BT people
Donations from members of the public
Purchase from E-Bay or the antiquarian trade
Proactive collections, such as gathering BT ephemera at events
Output from BT Archives' oral history programme
1.1.4 Terms and Conditions of Acquisition
BT Archives will acquire material internal transfer, statutory deposit, gift or purchase.
Where an external individual or organisation is unable to dispose of its records or where the
records are of exceptional significance to BT Archives, a long term loan will be considered only in
exceptional circumstances in line with the Guiding Principles for Terms of Deposit (1997), on a
case by case basis.
All material must come from a bone fide source and have a demonstrable provenance.
Depositors must have the authority to transfer the material and are required to sign a gift
agreement.
All donations and loans will be confirmed in writing by either a deed of gift form or loan agreement
as appropriate signed by both parties.
On transferring material to the archive, copyright will be assigned to BT Archives unless stated
otherwise.
For acquisitions from external sources, it is a condition of acceptance that material will be available
for public access either immediately or at the expiry of a specified period.
All acquisitions will be by prior agreement. BT Archives reserves the right to refuse ad hoc
transfers whatever the source.
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1.1.5 Deaccession and Disposal
BT Archives accepts the principle that there is a strong presumption against the disposal of archive
material and objects that have been formally accepted into its collection.
BT Archives does not seek to collect records or objects which fall outside our acquisitions criteria.
Such items will be offered to an appropriate archive, library or museum.
BT Archives has followed the ‘Grigg system’ to appraise registered Post Office files from the paper
based file registry system. Files were reviewed five years after they were closed (a process known
as ‘First Review’) to see if they have any continuing administrative value to BT or might be of
historic value in the future. Files that survived First Review were reviewed again (a process known
as ‘Second Review’) 25 years after they were created to see if they should be selected for
permanent preservation.
BT Archives appraises all new acquisitions as part of the accessioning and cataloguing process.
Material not considered worthy of permanent preservation at any stage of processing by BT
Archives will be either returned to the depositor, or disposed of as confidential waste (with the
written consent of the depositor).
Such material may include items rejected for preservation in the course of controlled appraisal and
sampling of large classes of records.
Reproduction or duplicate documents, where the originals are already housed in another
recognised archive repository, may be destroyed.
Legacy accessions previously accepted, but which do not fall within the present of future
acquisition criteria of BT Archives, may be considered for re-appraisal and de-accessioning. Deaccessioning will only take place after obtaining, where necessary, the written permission of the
depositor.
All confidential destruction is carried out on site by BT Archives staff.
1.2 Collections Information Policy
1.2.1
Guiding principles
BT Archives recognises that good documentation of its collections is fundamental to collection
management and to good access.
BT Archives will gather, preserve and share information about its collections through accessioning
and cataloguing.
BT Archives works towards meeting common international cataloguing standards for each format.
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Archival material will be catalogued with due regard for archive professional standards,
namely International Council on Archives General International Standard of Archival
Description, ISAD(G), second edition 1999; National Council on Archives Rules for the
Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997; International Council on
Archives International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons
and Families, ISAAR(CPF), second edition, 2004
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Artefacts will be catalogued with due regard for SPECTRUM 4.0, The UK Museum
Collections Management Standard, 2011
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Library items will be catalogued with due regard for Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules,
second edition (AACR2), 2002 (2005 update)
For born digital archives, BT Archives recognises the need for, and will seek to acquire, additional
technical metadata required for the purpose of long term preservation and access. Developing
procedures for born digital records is a priority which we will tackle in our Collections Information
Plan.
An internal staff working group reviews all operational work with regard to maintaining collections
information. A procedural manual for CALM guides all staff and volunteers in their collections
information work (see Collections Management Guide).
1.2.2 Collections Information Overview
BT Archives accessions and lists all new acquisitions in its CALM collections management
database.
BT Archives was established in 1986, so we are dealing with the legacies of past collecting and
cataloguing practice which no longer meet modern standards.
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As a consequence of the British Telecommunications Act 1981, which transferred the
responsibility for telecommunications services from the Post Office to BT, some core
collections were transferred from the Post Office Archives (now the BPMA) when BT
Archives was approved as a Place of Deposit in 1991. Collections information was
transferred to BT Archives in the form of hard copy catalogues, transfer agreements and
correspondence.
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Many early transfers from within BT were roughly box listed by depositors. Some were not
listed at all, and/or provenance was lost.
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Prior to the introduction of CALM, BT Archives catalogued collections as flat series in a
DBText database.
We have a rolling programme to retrospectively convert legacy catalogues and box lists to CALM.
In 2015, BT Archives acquired the Preservica digital preservation system. This will be our digital
repository where we will preserve technical and descriptive information about our born digital and
copy digital records.
1.2.3 Accessioning
Donors and/or record creators are encouraged to supply as much information as they can about
the content and context of the material.
All new acquisitions are recorded in the CALM accession database (full guidance is provided in the
Collections Management Guide). This accession record will give a preliminary indication of the
scope, content and creation dates of the records, record their legal status and any restrictions on
access, date of accession and shelf location.
Information relating to the source of the material is retained in the Depositors database in CALM.
The unique number assigned to each accession will subsequently be linked to the catalogue
record in CALM. The full detail of the accession, including the donor’s contact details, will not be
made available to the public in the catalogue.
We aim to create a series level catalogue record(s) for each new accession at the time of
accession, to facilitate immediate access of material for internal use.
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All gifts or permanent transfers are acknowledged in writing (email or letter) and include full details
of the material and terms of Deposit. A formal receipt is issued for all external deposits, requiring
the countersignature of the donor. Paperwork is filed within the office filing system.
Legacy accessions and depositor information is held in paper format within the office filing system.
Retrospective conversion of this information into CALM is not a priority under the More Product
Less Process model.
Pro-active collecting of ephemera e.g. customer literature generates little or no paperwork. It is
collected in batches and accessioned on mass periodically.
We do not attempt to keep detailed information on accessioning or disposal of duplicates, material
produced by other institutions, or published books. This enables us to tackle our cataloguing
backlog more quickly.
Semi-current transfers made under a Safe Custody agreement are recorded in a dedicated, secure
database. A unique identifier is assigned and sent to the records owner. Records subsequently
selected for permanent preservation are accessioned and catalogued in CALM.
1.2.4 Disposal and Deaccessioning
Initial appraisal is undertaken at the point of accession. More detailed appraisal may occur during
the cataloguing process.
Guidance on appraisal criteria is given in team Local Working Instructions.
The Appraisal field in the CALM accessions database is used to record actions relating to the initial
evaluation of the accession for permanent preservation.
The Notes field in the CALM catalogue is used to record destruction of duplicates during the
cataloguing process.
A record is kept of all confidential destruction, including the justification for destruction and, where
appropriate, the authority obtained.
1.2.5 Cataloguing
All new cataloguing is entered directlyinto CALM (full guidance is provided in the Collections
Management Guide).
BT Archives seeks to make the maximum number of records available in the minimum amount of
time.
All new cataloguing conforms to the principles of ISAD(G) i.e.
• Description from the general to the specific
• Information relevant to the level of description
• Linking of descriptions
All new catalogue records contain the six mandatory elements:
• Reference number(s)
• Title
• Creator (i.e person/organisation responsible for creating the records)
• Covering date(s)
• Extent (normally given in cubic metres or description of physical unit)
• Level of description
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Additional fields are added as appropriate. More detailed descriptions will be added across the
catalogue once the cataloguing backlog has been addressed.
Legacy catalogues from the Post Office have been imported or input into CALM and upgraded to
ISAD(G) standard.
Legacy box lists are being reviewed, upgraded and input into Calm to ISAD(G) standard.
BT Archives’ Collections Management Guide covers authority indexing, but this has been used
only sporadically, mostly for name indexing. We aim to implement more consistent use of indexing
(details in our Collections Information Plan)
Currently, descriptive metadata for digital surrogate and born digital material is created and
preserved in Calm. We aim to link this to digital assets in Preservica (details in our Collections
Information Plan).
We recognise that our users often have considerable knowledge about our collections. We
encourage them to share this knowledge wherever possible, either by contacting team members
directly or using our social media channels. Users can be helpful in highlighting interesting content
within file level records or the identification of an object, for example. However, we recognise that
there may be differences of interpretation, so we do not add user information to our catalogue
unless we can verify it. At present our online cataloguing platform does not offer Web 2.0
capability. We aim to explore the possibility of adding this.
1.2.6 Uncatalogued material
Like most archive services, BT Archives has an accumulation of material which is not fully
catalogued.
An annual audit is completed to establish the cataloguing state using the following categories:
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Fully catalogued in accordance with at least the mandatory elements of ISAD(G)
Fully catalogued but to a lower standard than ISAD(G)
Box-listed or roughly listed material
Completely unlisted material
Full catalogue available online
Figures for each category will be given in our annual Cataloguing Action Plan.
To decide cataloguing priorities we consider:
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Legal status. Public records are made available on our public catalogue as quickly as
possible
User demand (as logged in our enquiries register)
Advice from our academic partners
Historical importance and likely future research interest
Forthcoming company anniversaries and events
Space saving. Series in need of substantial appraisal are given high priority
To address the backlog we have:
1) Adopted the More Product Less Process model
2) Proactively engaged volunteers, BT Transition Centre staff, and students on cataloguing
placements from the archive training courses. Professional staff sort, arrange and
catalogue to series level. Volunteers assist with sorting and cataloguing at file level (details
in our Cataloguing Action Plan).
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1.2.7 Intellectual Property Rights
Information relating to intellectual property rights is recorded within CALM accession and catalogue
records.
The vast majority of material in the collections was produced by BT and its predecessors, but the
collections do include some material with ownership issues:
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Personal Papers. Intellectual property rights are transferred to BT Archives as part of the
deposit agreement. Any closure periods are agreed with the depositor.
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Oral History Recordings. Interviewees sign a Clearance Note and deposit agreement. Any
closure periods are agreed with the interviewee.
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Advertising material. Some rights remain with advertising agencies or featured actors.
Permission must be sought from those parties before material is used outside BT.
1.2.8 Restrictions and Closure Periods
All closure periods and access conditions relating to pre-1984 public records are logged in CALM
and made available in our public catalogue.
Catalogue entries for records that are closed to the public for business confidentiality are made
available internally to BT staff only.
BT Archives’ collections include a small number of records with Government Security
classifications. These files are only available to BT people with appropriate security clearance.
Classified files are recorded in the Government Information Asset register, which is stored in a
secure safe. They are reviewed annually, and declassification authorisations are kept in hard copy
in the secure filing system.
1.2.9 Location and Movement Control
BT Archives maintains physical control of its collections via its CALM locations database and clear
labelling of packaging and/or material.
Movement to and from the search room is managed by paper document requisition slips and
document users are recorded in an enquiries database.
Loans for conservation treatment or exhibition are managed by paper forms (attached as
supporting documentation).
1.2.10 Making Collections Information Available
BT Archives is committed to making as much information as possible about collections freely
available online. Details are given in our Access Policy.
1.3 Collections Care & Conservation Policy
1.3.1 Guiding principles
BT Archives takes a strategic, risk management approach to collections care.
BT Archives aims to care for its physical collections in according with professional standards, PD
5454:2012.for the storage and exhibition of archival materials and Benchmarks in Collections Care
for Museums.
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BT is moving towards electronic record keeping systems. BT Archives does not yet have significant
‘born-digital’ holdings, hence digital preservation is a recent focus. The developing need for digital
preservation measures will be kept under close review. Policies and practices will be developed
through preservation of digital surrogates.
BT Archives aspires to store digital records in accordance with ISO 14721:2012. We have acquired
the Preservica system as our digital preservation platform.
Collections care is the responsibility of all staff and users.
1.3.2 Building and Environment Control
BT Archives provides secure and environmentally-controlled areas for the storage of archives in
accordance with PD 5454:2012.
The temperature of the storage areas is maintained at a fixed point between 13oC and 19oC + 1oC
and the humidity at a fixed point between 45% and 60% + 5%.
Light levels in the storage areas are a maximum of 200 lux for access purposes; at other times the
area is in darkness.
BT Archives provides freezer storage for unstable film formats.
BT Archives monitors and evaluates the storage environment on a weekly basis and arranges
regular maintenance of the environmental controls and storage area to ensure that the above
tolerances are maintained.
Regular cleaning of the storage areas (both floors and shelves) is carried out.
A secure and constantly supervised search room for the consultation of archives is provided.
1.3.3 Storage and Packaging
BT Archives strives to store all archival material within acid-free or inert packaging in accordance
with best professional practice to ensure its preservation. Packaging requirements may need to be
prioritised contingent on shelf-space.
Large items including maps and posters are appropriately stored in plan chests.
Records may be migrated from one medium to another (e.g. analogue film to MP4, mini-disk to
CD) to maximise their long-term preservation.
1.3.4 Creation, Care and Use of Surrogates
BT Archives undertakes a rolling programme to digitise its most heavily used records as a) a
preservation strategy and b) as part of its access strategy.
Digital surrogates will be stored in our Preservica digital repository.
1.3.5 Handling Care
All BT Archives people and volunteers are trained in preservation and handling issues as part of
their induction programme.
Search room users are provided with handling guidelines and relevant equipment (gloves,
bookrests, weights) to minimize risk of damage to archival material during use. Users are only
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allowed to make copies of documents with the proviso that the document must not be physically
damaged by the process used.
Where available, surrogates, either digital or physical handling copies are produced in the search
room in place of original documents. Digital surrogates are also made available remotely, via our
online catalogue, ‘BT Digital Archives’.
Material will be withdrawn from use if deemed at serious risk (in which case, resources will be
sought to address these conservation needs as a priority).
1.3.6 Loans
BT Archives will only loan original material on condition that the loan party will comply with PD
5454:2012 standards for storage and exhibition.
1.3.7 Conservation
BT Archives undertakes a rolling conservation programme to identify material that is in need of
conservation work and to prioritise requirements within the framework of resources available.
External funding will be sought for high priority treatment that is beyond existing resources.
BT Archives commissions qualified and/or accredited conservators to carry out assessments and
treatments, where possible those listed on the Institute of Conservation (Icon) Conservation
Register.
All conservation treatments carried out are documented in the collection management software,
CALM.
1.3.8 Emergency Planning
BT Archives maintains an up-to-date Disaster Plan and makes it available to all relevant BT
people.
All BT Archives people are trained in disaster response.
1.3.9 Auditing and Benchmarking
BT Archives completes an annual self-assessment against Benchmarks In Collections Care, which
will inform our Collections Conservation and Care Plan.
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STANDARDS
Collections Management
• The Collections Trust, Benchmarks in Collections Care for Museums, Archives and Libraries, a
self-assessment checklist, version 2.0, 2014
Collections Development
• Guiding Principles for Terms of Deposit, (approved by ARA, National Council on Archives and
Business Archive Council), 2007
Collections Information
• International Council on Archives, General International Standard of Archival Description,
ISAD(G), second edition, 1999
• National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate
Names, 1997
• International Council on Archives, International Standard Archival Authority Record for
Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families, ISAAR(CPF), second edition, 2004
• The Collections Trust, SPECTRUM 4.0, The UK Museum Collections Management Standard,
2011
• American Library Association (ALA), the Canadian Library Association (CLA), and the
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), Anglo-American
Cataloguing Rules, second edition (AACR2), 2002 (2005 update)
Preservation
• British Standards Institute, PD 5454:2012: Guide for the storage and exhibition of archival
materials, 2012
• The National Archives, Standard for Record Repositories, 2004
• International Organization for Standardization, ISO 14721:2012: Space data and information
transfer systems -- Open archival information system (OAIS) -- Reference model
• British Standards Institute BS 4783: Storage, transportation and maintenance of media for use
in digital processing and information storage, 1988
Access
• National Council on Archives, Public Services Quality Group, Standard for Access to Archive
(2008)
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The National Archives, Standard for Record Repositories (2004)
BT Archives Collections Management Policy was written with reference to the British Standards
Institute PAS 197:2009 Code of practice for cultural collections management, 2009 and The
National Archives Archive Collection Policy Statements: Checklist of Suggested Contents, 2004.
The Collections Management Policy is reviewed every two years.
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