National Strategy for Business Archives in Scotland

Potential research areas

A National Strategy for Business Archives in Scotland

http://www.scottisharchives.org.uk/business/business_case_studies/1national-strategy-for-business-archives-in-scotland.pdf

The strategy - goals

I. To raise awareness amongst businesses of the value

of archives and provide guidance and support.

2. To increase the number of collections publicly

accessible.

3. To raise the profile of business archives with the

public.

4. To raise standards in their care.

Active partners

• Archives & Records Association• Archivists of Scottish Local Authorities Working Group• Business Archives Council• Business Archives Strategy Implementation Group (for England & Wales)• Centre for Archive and Information Studies• Centre of Business History in Scotland• Crisis Management Team• Forum for Archives and Records Management Education and Research• Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute• National Library of Scotland• National Register of Archives for Scotland• Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland• Section for Business Records (ARA)• Scottish Archive Network• Scottish Industrial Archaeology Panel• Scottish Records Association

Mackenzie code

• Companies should be encouraged to have their own archive services,

integrated with the management of their records.

• If a company wishes to dispose of any or all of its archive, it is recommended

that it place its records in a public archive.

• Records of legally distinct companies should always be kept together

regardless of changes in ownership.

• The maintenance of a register of business archives, is a vital step in

spreading information and promoting access, and this should be continued.

• Business archives have particular characteristics all archivists in both public

and private sectors are trained to understand and appraise them.

• Private business archive co-operation.

• Public archival institutional co-operation

• The educational potential of business archives should be actively promoted at

all levels of formal education and life-long learning.

Priority areas

1. Establishing effective networks and partnerships between businesses, archivists and other specialists responsible for the management and exploitation of business archives.

2. Increasing awareness of business archive collections and their continued commercial and evidential value and improving access to these collections where possible.

3. Improving the capability and status of business archivists and business collections through enhanced leadership, education and professional training.

Strategic benefits - business

Strategic benefits - society

Risks

• Non-implementation of the strategy threatens business and business-related archives in Scotland

• Business change and negative economic climates • Digital records require careful management and a

proactive approach• Repositories with business records face collection

management challenges

Implementation plan

1. Develop networks and partnerships

1. Increase awareness and access

1. Provide leadership, education and training

Action plan

• Reference & goal

• Action

• Implementers

• Status

• Priority

Year 4 Action plan - research

HATII research areas

• Piece of research on the effectiveness, impact of the strategy

• Analysis value of archives to corporate bodies

• Visualisation of mapping results Google fusion tables

• Corporate social responsibility indices

• Value of surveys and awareness raising

Reaction

Comments

Questions

Ideas

http://www.scottisharchives.org.uk/businessarchives