The P Arliamentary Archiv Es
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The Parliamentary Archives HOUSE of LORDS RECORD OFFICE Archives The Parliamentary The Parliamentary Annual Review 2000 – 2001 Contacting By post: House of Lords Record Office the London SW1A OPW Archives Parliamentary By telephone: 020 7219 3074 Archives The Parliamentary The Parliamentary By fax: 020 7219 2570 ANNUAL REVIEW 1999–2000 By e-mail: [email protected] By the internet: www.parliament.uk Visitors to the Record Office are advised to use public transport because parking spaces are not available on site and are limited in the area. The nearest underground station is Westminster (Circle, District and Jubilee lines) and buses stop near Parliament Square in Victoria Street and in Whitehall. Cover illustration: Commission for Royal Assent to the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, 9 July 1900 PHOTOGRAPH: GEREMY BUTLER HOUSE of LORDS RECORD OFFICE Archives Annual The Parliamentary Review 2000 – 2001 London: The Stationery Office ANNUAL REVIEW 2000–2001 3 Overview of the year Archives The Parliamentary The Parliamentary This annual review of the work of the House of Software selected for the system after Lords Record Office (The Parliamentary Archives) competitive tender has been installed and covers 1st April 2000 to 31st March 2001. populated with test records. Plans for a robust retrospective conversion methodology for It has been a busy year in which significant finding aids are well advanced. This year marks progress has been made, in spite of staff shortages, the 30th anniversary of the publication of the with key initiatives that were launched last year. Guide to the Records of Parliament. It remains An increasingly discernible component of our an indispensable tool providing essential data activities has been increased co-operation and for the online catalogue, which in turn provides collaboration within the Palace of Westminster the opportunity to remedy deficiencies in the and with external bodies in our sector. description of the archives since the Guide’s publication. Records Management A three-year strategy for a best practice approach Outreach to the management of Parliamentary records in A review of the office’s outreach activities was all media that will be crucial to ensuring undertaken in the context of the core values of compliance with information access legislation, the archives sector and in particular access for all was launched. A key feature is a corporate file to archive services. Scope to implement the classification, adaptable to the requirements of recommendations in full is limited by resources individual offices, which has been developed and but the office will seek to use internet technology is out to consultation. to grasp the unparalleled opportunity that it A corporate approach to electronic records provides to promote the wider use of archives. management and associated issues was endorsed by the report of a working group of both Houses Staff led by the Record Office. Specialist advice and support is provided There has been continued participation in a increasingly to parliamentary offices, which working group considering the implications for necessitated the addition to the complement of a the House of Lords of Freedom of Information new post of assistant archivist/records manager. and Data Protection legislation. The staff have continued to embrace new initiatives and to adapt their working practices Archives accordingly. Three staff, as noted elsewhere, are to be congratulated on achieving registered A business case for bringing the environmental membership of the Society of Archivists. conditions and fire safety systems of the Victoria Tower repository up to standard was approved. Looking ahead - priorities for next year Many records have been moved to suitable off- site storage for the duration of the project. • Roll-out of a corporate file classification for Parliamentary records will be the main feature Access of the continued implementation of the records management strategy. Funding was approved for an online archival catalogue conforming to international standards • A four-year programme for the retrospective of archive description that will enable conversion of paper finding aids will be launched participation in the national archive network. in connection with the online catalogue. 4 ANNUAL REVIEW 2000–2001 • A four-year programme for the installation • Assimilation of a new post of Freedom of of new air conditioning, electrical wiring and Information Officer to manage House of Lords’ a fire protection system for the Victoria Tower compliance with the Freedom of Information Act repository will commence in summer 2001. 2000 and the Data Protection Act 1998. Stephen Ellison Clerk of the Records ANNUAL REVIEW 2000–2001 5 Safeguarding and providing access Archives to Parliament’s memory The Parliamentary The Parliamentary OUR AIM is to achieve this by providing an • Preservation effective and efficient records management - To provide sufficient suitable service and archive service for each House of accommodation to preserve the archives Parliament and to make the archives accessible to in accordance with recognised the public professional standards OUR OBJECTIVES support the principal functions - To ensure that the archives receive the of the Parliamentary Archives conservation they need • Records Management • Access - To ensure that the current, semi-current - To create an online catalogue of the and non-current records of each House archives of Parliament are managed in accordance - To provide an effective public service for with best practice, in order to promote the inspection and copying of records, efficiency and accountability and the answering of enquiries • Acquisition - To promote awareness of the archives and history of Parliament - To ensure that departmental records of each House of Parliament worthy of Resource Management permanent preservation are selected • and archived - To administer the office efficiently and economically to make the best use of its - To acquire other records that contribute resources including staff significantly to the understanding of the history and workings of Parliament 6 ANNUAL REVIEW 2000–2001 Records Management Archives The Parliamentary The Parliamentary Records Management Strategy classifying, titling and indexing most types of records and covers terminology common to Building on the preparatory work of last year, business functions and activities in most the records management team has made good organisations. Additional terms and structure progress in beginning to implement the three- reflecting the specialist work of Parliament were year parliamentary records management strategy created and added to the basic structure. These in spite of the difficulty of operating without a terms will in future be used on all files created records manager for four months. The key by Parliament, and will be linked to a new components were as follows: Parliamentary Records Disposal Authority, which will identify how and when files bearing Policy guidelines those terms should be stored and destroyed. Seven hundred copies of the Parliamentary The draft file classification scheme was issued for Records Management Policy Guidelines were consultation in the autumn, a process that will distributed in each House during the summer of continue until Easter 2001. A series of surgeries 2000. Containing a joint foreword of endorsement for individual staff and meetings for larger offices by the Clerks of each House, the Guidelines were provided to explain the scheme, to answer introduced a corporate, best practice approach to queries and redraft contentious sections. records management across Parliament. Its aim was to raise awareness of records management Record Officers issues among staff by introducing the strategy to a wide audience. Each department, office or committee in the Parliament now has a member of staff responsible Corporate file classification for record keeping in their area. In each House record officers meet quarterly to discuss record The Records Management Survey report of 1999 keeping issues providing an important forum concluded that a corporate file classification for for consultation on the strategy, for obtaining parliamentary records was vital for the proper feedback and for giving continued emphasis to management of records in the future. Such a improving the culture of records management. scheme is required in order that parliamentary The main work of the groups during the year was records are described and identified consistently, the design and approval of corporate file covers which in turn allows for the application of and consultation on the draft classification disposal schedules complying with data scheme. protection, freedom of information, and other legislation. It is also necessary for the robust Online Information management of electronic records in a networked environment. Records management now has its own dedicated area on the Parliamentary Intranet. The pages In response to this, the records management team display key documents relating to the strategy created a draft Classification Scheme for and contact details of the records management Parliamentary Records based on Keyword AAA, team and record officers in each House. The a functional thesaurus and classification scheme classification scheme and disposal authority will specifically developed for records management, be made available online for ease of use with by the Government of New South Wales. It is a other online resources. hierarchical scheme of