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Leading the nation's archives

Archives matter to everyone – they are our collective memory. They promote accountability, make access to history possible and support good governance.

We want to build an effective network of archives that benefit and inspire more people of all ages and backgrounds. The National Archives is the sector leader for archives in England. We will inform policy development and support services to strengthen, develop and adapt.

See our approach: Together, better

The National Archives formally took on the role of sector leader in October 2011. Our approach to leading archives summarises the responsibilities we have agreed with government, the tools we have at our disposal to support the sector and our goals for our work. Over the next six months we will continue engaging with archives as we start to implement our new role and develop our website to meet the needs of the sector and reflect new ways of working.

To join in the discussion, contact us at asd@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk

Case studies

• New models of delivery

  

  Explore the Hull History Centre which brings together the material held by the City Archives and Local studies Library with those held by the University of Hull.

• Community engagement

  

  Find out about the Manchester Chinese Archive, which won the National Archive Volunteering Project Award for 2011.

• Learning

  

  Read about how Berwick-Upon-Tweed Record Office worked with Early Years Providers in the Berwick area to develop topics and resources, based on archives.

• 2012

  

  Discover the ‘Paralympic Region’ project and how Stoke Mandeville's historic archives are involved.

Case studies are a valuable resource. To help us keep these up to date with the best practice, please send us your stories so we can celebrate your work and enable others to benefit from your learning. Further case studies can be found at: MLA research website; Archive Pace Setters; Archive Sector Update

• Quick links

  • Collection Care
  • Collection strategies
  • Commercial licensing
  • Digital preservation
  • Funding advice
  • Intellectual property
  • Legislation
  • Local government improvement
  • Places of deposit
  • Research and evidence
  • Standards framework

• Programme highlights

  We develop and partner in strategic programmes to drive sector improvement through supported innovative practice and shared learning.

  • 

    Business Archives Strategy

    A strategy to promote the value of corporate memory in sustaining efficient and effective organisations in partnership.

  • 

    Web archiving

    Drawing on our expertise in archiving government websites, we are working with seven organisations across the country, piloting web archiving at a local authority level.

  • 

    Major Archive Projects Learning Exchange

    Supporting archives undertaking large capital developments, this network facilitates the exchange of practical experience in high quality, value for money project delivery.

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    Accreditation

    This autumn we begin working with the archives sector and national partners to create a UK-wide standard to drive improvement and identify excellence in archive services.

• Statistics

  • 2,174
    archives exist in England and Wales (ARCHON)
  • 94.9%
    of archive users rate the service good or very good (2009 PSQG)
  • The impact of archive services ranges from the corporate to the personal: 'Thank you so much for … firing up so many of us to return and engage on our personal journeys of exploration and discovery through the material you hold.'

• Find your local archives

  The National Register of Archives contains information about the location and nature of historical records that have been created by some 52,000 individuals, 9,000 families, 32,000 businesses and 108,000 organisations.

  ARCHON lists the contact details for the repositories in which they are held.