Accredited Archive Again!
- 3rd April 2020
We are thrilled to announce that our service has retained its status as an Accredited Archive, after our recent application renewal and inspection visit by The National Archives.
Accredited Archive Status was introduced by The National Archives in 2013. It is designed to check that an archive service is maintaining professional standards but also, most importantly, that it is developing and enhancing its service. This involves keeping up with challenges such as the archiving of born digital data and changing customer expectations.
The Hive, Worcester, home of Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service
In 2014 we were one of the first six archive services in the country to apply to join the scheme. Accreditation needs to be reapplied for every three years so this is the second time we’ve gone through the process.
Presentation of our first Accreditation at the Houses of Parliament
The National Archives said:
“We would like particularly to congratulate the following archive services on completing a full cycle of Accreditation returns and retaining their status as Accredited Archive Services in a full assessment after 6 years. These are the first services to do this, pioneering from the first days of Accreditation to the present, and we thank them very much for continued commitment to the programme’s delivery over time:
- Cumbria Archive Service
- Exeter Cathedral Library and Archives
- Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service”
We are especially happy to have retained our status as, like all of local government, we have had to find innovative ways to continue to offer a great service with tightened budgets. Our efforts in this were recognised when we were voted Archive Service of the Year by the public a couple of years ago.
Adrian Gregson, Archives Manager, said “It is really good news to have our service recognised by The National Archives once again. We’d like to thank our amazing staff who offer such an excellent service and who have worked so hard to ensure we were successful. We’d also like to thank our customers who have encouraged and supported us over the years. This is a great morale boost at a difficult time when The Hive is closed and the physical archives inaccessible.”
Although the strong rooms are currently closed staff are continuing to work on projects from home where ever possible and are still answering online enquiries. If you want to start research into your place or people start by downloading our free seventy page Research Guide https://www.explorethepast.co.uk/discover-your-past/ which gives you access to our on-line resources and advice on how to use them.
We look forward to welcoming you back to The Hive later this year
Very well deserved.
Congratulations to the officers and staff at WAAS.