County Council informs people that Worcestershire
Record Office will close first week in every month from
February
Worcestershire County Council is informing
residents that from February 2010 the County Hall branch of the
Record Office will be closing for the first full week of every
month in preparation for the move to the new Worcester Library and
History Centre in 2012.
The County Council undertook a public
consultation throughout September and October that informed which
week in the month residents chose for the County Hall branch to
close.
This regular closure period
will:
- Improve and widen public access to
some of the many archive collections that are currently unknown and
unavailable to Record Office users by providing staff with
dedicated time to prepare comprehensive lists, catalogues and
indexes.
- Arrangement of all the archives to
enable a smooth move.
- Increase online accessibility to
information and services, including the development of the current
finding aids indexes into a more user friendly electronic
format.
- Offer an enhanced service to those who
deposit records with the Record Office with faster listing of
deposited collections.
- Enable staff development and training
in the full range of professional skills required to provide a 21st
Century archive service.
- Preparation and development of tasks
essential to the move to the new building.
The new Library and History Centre will
contain some eight miles of documentary archives dating from the
12th century to the modern day including manuscript, maps,
photographs and audio-visual material. The public will be able to
access 23,000 records of all the archaeological sites and historic
buildings in the county.
During the closure periods the History Centre
in Trinity Street will remain open as usual.
Elaine Cooper, Worcestershire County
Council's Records and Information Manager said, "The new
Worcester Library and History Centre will be an exceptional
resource not just for people in the city, but for the whole of
Worcestershire and this regular closure period will help to ensure
we are ready to provide a top rate service for our visitors and
users."
For more information on the proposed regular
closure period for the Worcestershire Record Office please contact
Elaine Cooper, Records and Information Manager on 01905 766350.
