WEST GLAMORGAN ARCHIVE SERVICE NOTICE OF MEETING You are invited to attend a meeting of the WEST GLAMORGAN ARCHIVES COMMITTEE At: Committee Room 2, Civic Centre, Swansea On: Friday 17th June 2011. Time: 11.00 a.m. (Refreshments will be available from 10.30am) AGENDA 1. Apologies for absence. 2. To receive Disclosures of Personal Interests from Members in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Conduct adopted by each Authority. 3. To receive and sign the Minutes of the West Glamorgan Archives Committee held on 11th March 2011 as a correct record. 4. To consider the Report of the County Archivist: 1. 2011/12 Improvement Plan and Audited 2010/11 Improvement Plan. 2. 2011/12 Marketing Plan. 3. Service Improvement. 4. Service Performance. 5. Service Outreach. 6. Accessions to Archives. 7. Staff. 5. Dates of Future Meetings 2011/12 – (all 11am) 9th September (Neath), 9th December (Swansea), 9th March (Port Talbot) Roderic Jones Acting Head of Legal, Democratic Services & Procurement 10th June 2011 Contact: Gareth Borsden 01792 636824 Item No. 3 CITY AND COUNTY OF SWANSEA NEATH PORT TALBOT COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL MINUTES OF THE WEST GLAMORGAN ARCHIVES COMMITTEE HELD AT THE CIVIC CENTRE, PORT TALBOT ON FRIDAY 11TH MARCH 2011 AT 10.30 A.M. PRESENT: HM Lord Lieutenant D B Lewis (Chairman) presided Representatives of City and County of Swansea Councillor(s): J T Miles Representatives of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council Councillor(s): Councillor(s): Councillor(s): D W Davies D K Davies J Rogers Representatives of Associated Organisations Canon S J Ryan - Diocese of Llandaff Dr. L Miskell - University College, Swansea Mrs J L Watkins - Neath Antiquarian Society Officers: K Collis, I Davies, D Michael, W John, S Harries and G Borsden. 40. APOLOGIES Apologies for absence were received from Councillors M E Gibbs, K E Marsh, H Morris, R L Smith and W E Morgan and Archdeacon Williams. 41. CONDOLENCE The Chairman prior to the commencement of the meeting referred with great sadness to the death of Mrs Joyce Howard, a long standing member of the Committee. All present stood in silent tribute as mark of respect. Minutes of the West Glamorgan Archives Committee (11.03.11) Cont’d 42. DECLARATION OF INTEREST In accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by both Authorities, no interests were declared. 43. MINUTES The minutes of the meeting held on 10th December 2010 were agreed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record subject to the date in Minute No 39 being amended from 12th to 11th. 44. WELCOME The Chairman welcomed Mrs Janet Watkins of Neath Antiquarian Society to her first meeting. 45. REVENUE BUDGET 2011/2012 The County Archivist provided details of the Joint Archive Service revised budget for 2010/11, the original budget for 2011/12 and the reserves held by Archives. The main areas associated with the overall budget decrease of £44,200 were detailed as well as the proposals for the future funding and operation of Records Management Service in both Authorities. The associated staffing and service issues associated with the budget reductions were outlined and discussed. AGREED that the Revenue Budget for 2011/12 be noted. 46. REPORTS OF THE COUNTY ARCHIVIST Mr Kim Collis, County Archivist report on the following matters 47. MRS JOYCE HAVARD MBE The County Archivist paid tribute to Mrs Havard, a long standing, dedicated and enthusiastic member of the Committee who sadly passed away on 1st January 2011. He referred to her passion for both the Archive Service and local history in general and outlined her key role in developing the Neath Archives Access Point as a partnership between the service and the Neath Antiquarian Society. Minutes of the West Glamorgan Archives Committee (11.03.11) Cont’d The Chairman and Members wholeheartedly supported and endorsed the comments of the County Archivist. 48. 2011/12 ARCHIVE SERVICE BUDGET AND SERVICE REDUCTIONS The County Archivist reported on the budget reductions agreed for the service as discussed in the previous report. The amount agreed for reduction in the service’s budget was outlined and he detailed and explained the proposals for the achieving of the savings particularly relating to the Records Management Service, a reduction in opening hours and other relevant staffing issues. He also detailed the proposed fees and charges for 2011/12. AGREED that the revised fees and charges for 2011/12 be approved. 49. INSPECTION REPORTS AND NATIONAL ARCHIVES (TNA) SELF ASSESSMENT RESULTS The County Archivist reported on the results of the TNA self assessment exercise in 2010. He outlined that the service had now achieved a maximum four stars, an improvement on the previous assessment in 2008. The main areas of improvement were highlighted and explained. The Chairman and Members welcomed the results of the assessment. The County Archivist also reported on the TNA inspections of the Swansea and Neath repositories in the previous summer,.. Some of the recommendations of the reports will provide a challenge for the service and these will be fed into the updated Service business plan to be presented at the next meeting. 50. SERVICE IMPROVEMENT The County Archivist reported and outlined that the results on the two grant applications made by the service for CyMAL funding are expected in April. The applications were for a document scanner and a joint project with the Richard Burton Archives, Swansea University involving the cataloguing of the South Wales Miners Museum Collection. Minutes of the West Glamorgan Archives Committee (11.03.11) Cont’d 51. SERVICE PERFORMANCE The County Archivist reported that the total number of public using the service during the period 1st December 2010 to 28th February 2011 was 2403. 52. SERVICE OUTREACH The County Archivist reported on the successful launch of the publication ‘A Vision Fulfilled - The Story of the Celtic Studios and Swansea’s Architectural Glass Tradition’. The launch of ‘Neath - The Town and its People’ was cancelled because of the inclement weather but the author Tony Hopkins will be giving an evening lecture on 18th April to the Neath Antiquarian Society in April which will help promote the book. He reported that the Archive Service Exhibition on the 70th anniversary of the Swansea Blitz was opened by the Lord Mayor in the Civic Centre Foyer in Swansea on 7th February. The exhibition has been covered widely by the media and has been much visited. He indicated that the Service has also co-operated with the National Waterfront Museum in creating a temporary exhibition on the history of the census. He stated that 267 schoolchildren had either visited the Archive Service in groups or received a visit from Archives education officer during the quarter. 53. PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS AND PARTNERSHIP WORKING The County Archivist reported on the professional and local authority meetings attended by staff during the quarter. 54. ACCESSIONS OF ARCHIVES The County Archivist outlined the various documents that had been deposited with the service during the quarter. 55. RECORDS MANAGEMENT SERVICE The County Archivist reported on the agreement reached with Legal Services in Swansea for the destruction of certain series of files. He reported on the preparation work that has been undertaken in Neath Port Talbot regarding the transfer of responsibility for records management from the Archive Service to Legal staff. Minutes of the West Glamorgan Archives Committee (11.03.11) Cont’d The total number of records issued to both Authorities for the quarter was outlined. 56. STAFF The County Archivist reported on the staff changes over the quarter and paid tribute to the contribution of Rhian Phillips, former Senior Archivist, who resigned during the quarter to take up a position with Glamorgan Archives. The meeting ended at 11.30 a.m. CHAIRMAN S: West Glamorgan Archives Committee - 11 March 2011 (GB/HCR) 11th March 2011 Item No. 4 CITY AND COUNTY OF SWANSEA DINAS A SIR ABERTAWE AND NEATH PORT TALBOT COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL CYNGOR BWRDEISTREF SIROL CASTELL-NEDD PORT TALBOT Report of the County Archivist West Glamorgan Archives Committee 17 June 2011 The purpose of this report is to outline the work of the Archive Service during the period March to May 2011 1. 2011/12 improvement plan and audited 2010/11 improvement plan The Archive Service 2011/12 improvement plan is attached at Appendix 1. Also attached is an audited 2010/11 improvement plan showing which actions were completed and which others were in progress and not started by the end of March. Actions which have not been completed during 2010/11 have either been carried forward to the current year’s plan or else dropped through lack of funding or by being superseded, each action being marked appropriately. 2. 2011/12 Marketing Plan The 2011/12 marketing plan for the Archive Service is attached at Appendix 2. This year’s plan takes a broader approach to marketing, including in its scope quantitative and qualitative statistics on archive users and non-users, communication with stakeholders and developing the key messages we need to get across to different target groups. An officer from the Swansea Council Culture and Tourism Marketing team will attend the meeting to answer questions from members about the plan and about marketing of the Service more generally. 3. Service improvement CyMAL grant applications 2011/12 and purchase of book scanner The Service was successful in only one of the two grant applications for CyMAL funding which were reported on in the last meeting. The successful project, the cataloguing of the South Wales Miners Museum archive collection, will take place in July and August using a project archivist based at the Richard Burton Archives, Swansea University. This project will then be integrated into the larger Archives and Records Council Wales cataloguing project Powering the World: Looking at Welsh Industry through Archives, which highlights the value of Welsh business records and the contribution of Wales to the industrial revolution.