Archive Service Accreditation: Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is archive service accreditation?
Archive service accreditation is a UK-wide standards scheme which supports improvement
and development for archive services. Accredited archive services will provide a high level
of service to their users, preserve their collections in line with national standards and be
robust, sustainable services which plan and deliver ongoing improvement.
2. Who are the partners?
Archive service accreditation is supported by a partnership of Archives and Records
Association (UK & Ireland), Archives and Records Council Wales, Arts Council England,
National Records of Scotland, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Scottish Council on
Archives, The National Archives, and the Welsh Government through its CyMAL: Museums,
Archives and Libraries Wales division.
3. Who is it aimed at?
Archive service accreditation is aimed at organisations which hold archive collections,
whatever their constitution, and covers both private and public sector archives. The
definition of ‘archive service’ for accreditation is an inclusive one, encompassing all services
which hold significant archive collections.
Eligible institutions vary from dedicated archive services, through mixed heritage services,
to institutional archive and records management services which may primarily serve internal
customers. Integrated museum or library services, or other joint service management
arrangements, where there is a positive benefit in considering the specific needs of archive
collections within the wider operation are eligible. See the Eligibility Guidance document for
full information about eligibility criteria.
4. What are the benefits?
Archive Service Accreditation provides an archive service with a mark of recognition and an
endorsement of their service. Going through the process of becoming accredited allows
services to review their policies, plans and procedures to ensure best use of their resources
and sustainable good practice in all areas of archive management. Applicants for accredited
status are encouraged to understand the needs of the community they serve (see Q5 for
more detail) when planning improvement, which will have benefits for all those who use the
service including their parent body.
Funding bodies are working with the development of accreditation for archive services. For
eligible archive services, it is likely that once the scheme has been rolled out accreditation
will become part of the application criteria for some schemes.
5. How can a single standard apply to archives of many different types?
The standard is underpinned by the concept of scalability, which is described in detail in the
Scalability Guidance document. The Guidance on completing applications for accreditation
offers scaled guidance on expectations for different sizes and types of archive service.
Two connected concepts support making the archive service accreditation standard fully
flexible: the archive service’s mission statement and its identified community. A mission
statement identifies the role and purpose of the service, and refers to its community.
Archive service accreditation works with the following definition of community:
“The concept of a community which the archive service is constituted to serve. In this specific sense
the word ‘community’ does not necessarily refer simply to the population of a political unit or
physical area (e.g. a local authority or town). For many archive services the community will extend
beyond the formal boundaries of its responsible body (government, educational institution, private
or voluntary organisation). The archive will probably serve multiple communities: local, national and
international; different communities of researchers and of other types of direct and indirect users
and of non-users. Different elements of the community may attract different priorities, types and
levels of service. The ‘community’ to be served is defined through the stated purpose of the archive
service.”
6. How has archive service accreditation been developed?
The archives sector has been through a process of co-creation, in which the potential
content of the standard has been discussed through a series of public debates online and at
workshops. The standard, application process and guidance was tested during 2012 with a
range of services reflecting the diversity of the sector in the UK. The scheme is now being
revised according to the pilot’s findings and any further feedback.
7. When will the scheme launch and how will it operate?
The scheme is scheduled to launch in 2013-14 and be rolled out over a 4 year period in
England.
Assessment will be undertaken by lead bodies or their representatives in the home nations,
led by the Welsh Government, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, National Records
Scotland and Scottish Council on Archives, with The National Archives acting as lead
assessor body for England. A proportion of assessments will be validated by site visits,
some of which will incorporate peer review.
Accredited archives will be asked to review their status after two years by completing a
revision of their original application.
Award of accredited status will be made by a UK Archive Service Accreditation Panel,
drawn from the scheme’s governing Committee. The Committee will be composed of
partners’ nominees and externally recruited members.
8. What are the possible outcomes from an application?
Applicants may be accredited if they meet the standard in full, or provisionally accredited if
their application falls down in a limited number of areas.
Archive services which are not accredited after their application will be welcome to reapply
once they have been able to address the reasons for not being accredited.
9. Can I submit evidence in the format I already have it, or will new documents have
to be written?
As a general rule, archive services can submit documentation in existing formats, and the
scheme recognises that formats will differ according to the priorities and context of the
service.
Depending on what is appropriate to the service, for example, a policy requested by the
standard may be a full suite of documentation, or a short paragraph within a broader
document, as long as it effectively reflects the service’s policy and scope.
Where no relevant documentation or procedures exist, services should undertake
preparation to get to the point of applying for accreditation. This is an opportunity to plan
positively for service development and improvement.
10. How does accreditation relate to Place of Deposit status?
Places of Deposit will be expected to apply for accredited status, which will provide the
ongoing assurance that the relevant standards are being met. For more information, please
see the separate guidance note: The Accreditation Standard and Places of Deposit.
11. How does accreditation for archive services relate to museum accreditation?
Arts Council England, who maintain the museums accreditation programme, are part of the
partnership developing archive service accreditation, and the schemes are broadly aligned
at module level reflecting the common headline needs of cultural collections. Joint services
are welcome to participate in both schemes. There are real benefits for mixed collections in
ensuring different types of collection receive appropriate care and access through seeking
accreditation under both schemes. Integrated heritage service documentation that covers
relevant areas can be submitted to both schemes. In some areas the requirements are
identical to minimise duplication of effort.
12. How does accreditation for archive services relate to The National Archives
Standard for Record Repositories and the self-assessment programme for local
authorities?
Accreditation for archive services will replace the Standard for Record Repositories. It also
replaces self-assessment, which last ran in 2010