LAUNCH OF 'AN ARCHIVAL ACCOUNT OF SCOTLAND'
BY THE SCOTTISH REGION OF THE SOCIETY OF ARCHIVISTS
date
Wednesday, 28 June 2000
venue
Committee Room 4, Scottish Parliament Buildings, Edinburgh
time
1.45 – 2.30 pm
____________________________________________________________________
The first ever survey of archival provision across Scotland will be launched at the
Scottish Parliament on 28th June 2000. Commissioned by the Scottish Region of the
Society of Archivists, the report was compiled by a Mapping Project Board
comprising representatives from:



The Society of Archivists
The Association of Scottish Local Authority Archivists Working Group
The Scottish Universities Special Collections & Archives Group
Members of the Scottish Parliament have been invited to attend this event, at which
speakers representing the archival community will address the issues raised by the
report. Enclosed with this mailing is a copy of the press release and an executive
summary of the report's main conclusions.
A full copy of the report can be viewed at:
http://www.archives.gla.ac.uk/arcbrc/reports/archacc.pdf
____________________________________________________________________
Information in advance of the launch can be obtained by contacting:
Siobhan Convery
tel 01224 522513 / 481775
fax 01224 638556
e-mail sconvery@legal.aberdeen.net.uk
Frank Rankin
tel 01355 239193
fax 01355 242365
'AN ARCHIVAL ACCOUNT OF SCOTLAND'
A REPORT ON ARCHIVE SERVICES IN SCOTLAND
________________________
‘A civilised society, concerned to uphold the rights of the citizen, to encourage
efficient administration and to ensure that its history is accessible to all,
should make provision for its archives to be preserved and made available for
consultation’.1
Scotland's first ever survey of archives provision presents a bleak picture for the future of
the nation's documentary heritage as we enter a new millennium. This unique mapping
project surveyed national institutions, local authority, health board, and university
archives, as well as private collections. It shows Scotland's archives to be chronically
underfunded in terms of accommodation, staffing, conservation and information
technology.
Public awareness of the unique cultural and administrative role that archives have to play
in modern society is poor. And yet archivists and records managers are in an excellent
position to contribute to many of the Government's central policy objectives such as
social inclusion, life-long learning and open government. To meet these objectives,
additional resources must be found. The report calls for:

Urgent action to be taken to address the appalling state of accommodation across
all archive sectors in order that the long-term future of Scotland's written record
can be secured.

Significant investment in professional archives and conservation staff. Without
this, public access to information will be further compromised by the backlog of
uncatalogued records and documents requiring conservation. Moreover, public
bodies may not be in a position to implement fully the proposed Freedom of
Information Act.

Dedicated ICT funding to be found to allow archivists to share information with
each other and to play their role in initiatives such as the National Grid for
Learning and People's Library Network.

Greater awareness of the particular challenges of preserving today's electronic
records for tomorrow's historians.
Scotland's archives are unique and irreplaceable, but significant investment is required to
ensure our nation's heritage is preserved and accessible for future generations.
1
Scottish National Archives Policy Working Group, A Scottish National Archives Policy, 1998, p. 6