8. Further information and reading
To contact the Private Archives Team at The National Archives, please email
asd@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk
Networks and associations
The Archives and Records Association is the professional body for archivists in the UK and
Ireland
www.archives.org.uk
The Religious Archives Group is a society for all those interested in the creation, curation
and use of religious archives. It has an email list for members which is free to join
http://religiousarchives.group.org.uk
The UK-wide archives email list can be joined through Jiscmail
ARCHIVES-NRA@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
The British Records Association aims to encourage and assist with the preservation, care,
use and publication of historical records
www.britishrecordsassociation.org.uk/
Archive management and collection development
Guidance on looking after archives for those without professional archives training
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/archive-principles-andpractice-an-introduction-to-archives-for-non-archivists.pdf
The Campaign for Voluntary Sector Archives has an online guide here
www.voluntarysectorarchives.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Short-guidance-draftpublication-v.1.pdf
For established archives, the new Archives Service Accreditation standard is at
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/archives/archive-service-accreditation-standardjune-2013.pdf
Collections management advice
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/archives/collection-development-tools-andguidance.pdf
Writing and adopting a formal archive collections policy
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/developing-collections.htm
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/archive-collectionpolicy.pdf
Collection care, preservation and conservation
There is advice on a range of issues in British Library Preservation Advisory Centre leaflets
www.bl.uk/blpac/publicationsleaf.html
in particular, these on developing a preservation policy
www.bl.uk/blpac/pdf/basic.pdf
www.bl.uk/blpac/pdf/blocks.pdf
There is basic guidance on the care of records in this British Records Association leaflet
www.britishrecordsassociation.org.uk/pages/guide1.htm
Although a little dated, see the user-friendly ‘Conserve O Gram’ guides produced by the US
National Parks Service (though produced for a museums context)
www.nps.gov/history/museum/publications/conserveogram/19-15.pdf
www.nps.gov/history/museum/publications/conserveogram/19-16.pdf
www.nps.gov/history/museum/publications/conserveogram/19-17.pdf
Archival packaging
The following companies are the UK’s leading suppliers of archival quality materials and
preservation and conservation equipment:
www.conservationresources.com
www.conservation-by-design.co.uk
www.preservationequipment.com
www.secol.co.uk
www.pelawpack.co.uk
(Please note, we cannot endorse any particular company or its products)
Conservators
The Institute of Conservation provides a Conservation Register of professionally-qualified
conservator-restorers, and other advice
www.conservationregister.com/
Care of photographs
Information on the care of photographs is to be found here
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/informationmanagement/archivesconservation_photo.pdf
www.bl.uk/blpac/pdf/photographic.pdf
See also the US North East Document Conservation Center leaflet
www.nedcc.org/free-resources/preservation-leaflets/5.-photographs/5.3-care-ofphotographs
Care of film and sound archives
Best practice guidelines for non-specialists is here
www.archives.org.uk/images/Film_BPG.pdf
Care of digital records (in physical form)
The North East Document Conservation Center offers advice on preparing a digital
preservation policy at
www.nedcc.org/assets/media/documents/SoDAExerciseToolkit.pdf
General guidance on selecting storage media for long-term preservation is at
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/selecting-storagemedia.pdf
See also
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/removable-mediacare.pdf
The Digital Preservation Coalition has an online Preservation Handbook on caring for digital
records
www.dpconline.org/advice/preservationhandbook
CDs and DVDs
Information on physical care for CDs and DVDs
www.bl.uk/blpac/pdf/cd.pdf
Canadian Conservation Institute guidance is at
www.cci-icc.gc.ca/publications/notes/19-1-eng.aspx
Though a little dated, see the ‘Conserve O Gram’ guide produced by the US National
Parks Service (NPS)
www.cr.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/19-19.pdf
Magnetic tape
Though dated, see the ‘Conserve O Gram’ guide produced by the NPS
www.cr.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/19-20.pdf
Digital media
You’ve Got to Walk Before You Can Run: First Steps for Managing Born-Digital
Content Received on Physical Media
http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/publications/library/2012/2012-06.pdf
See the ‘Conserve O Gram’ guide produced by the NPS
www.cr.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/22-05.pdf
Storage and environment
Although the Archives Service Accreditation process supersedes The National Archives’
Standard for Records Repositories, it is still worth consulting
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/standard2005.pdf
The BSI standard for the storage and display of archive material to which it refers (BS 5454)
has been superseded by the recently published guidance PD 5454:2012.
See also the Preservation Advisory Centre leaflet
www.bl.uk/blpac/pdf/environment.pdf
Disaster planning
Advice on disaster planning can be found here
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/memo6.pdf
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/disaster-planning-riskmanagement.pdf
www.bl.uk/blpac/disaster.html
Theft prevention
Advice can be found here
http://ec.europa.eu/archival-policy/docs/eag/practical_guidance_en.pdf
Access
The National Council on Archives produced a Standard on Access to Archives
www.archives.org.uk/images/documents/access_standard_2008.pdf
Archival description
The International Council on Archives issues the International Standard for Archive
Description (General), the standard guidance for essential archival description. It explains
the elements needed to describe an archives collection
www.ica.org/10207/standards/isadg-general-international-standard-archival-descriptionsecond-edition.html
The Community Archives and Heritage Group offers useful advice on cataloguing
www.communityarchives.org.uk/documents/community_archives_cataloguing_guidelines_v
1.pdf
There is free and/or open source archives cataloguing software
ICA-AtoM, web-based archival description software from the International Council on
Archives.
https://www.ica-atom.org/
The Australian Heritage Document Management System based on Microsoft Access.
http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/HDMS/hdms.htm
The UK Archives Hub, an online network of archival descriptions allows registered
contributors to catalogue down to item level directly into its system.
http://archiveshub.ac.uk/eadeditor/
For advice on assessing cataloguing software, see
http://archivalsoftware.pbworks.com/w/page/13600254/FrontPage
Personal papers
Advice compiled for the Religious Archives Group
http://religiousarchivesgroup.org.uk/welcome/advice/rag/
Digital/electronic records
For guidance on managing digital records
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/digital-collections.htm
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/projects-and-work/guidance.htm
There is basic advice on organising electronic records
www.nas.gov.uk/recordKeeping/ERGuidance/SimpleWays.asp
The Society of Friends has produced a useful guide for electronic record-keeping for Quaker
meetings, which is of wider applicability
www.quaker.org.uk/sites/default/files/Guide%206%20Electronic%20Records%20201101_0.
pdf
Resources
General advice on preparing for grant applications is at
www.bl.uk/blpac/pdf/funding.pdf
There is advice to archive-holding institutions seeking funding for projects involving
archives:
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/finding-funding.htm
Information management
Copyright
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/copyright-relatedrights.pdf
http://www.archives.org.uk/publications/copyright-issues-for-archivists.html
There is a useful flow-chart, from 2004 here
www.bl.uk/reshelp/pdfs/copyrightflowchart.pdf
Data Protection Act
See the Information Commissioner’s Office
www.ico.gov.uk/