We are pleased to announce that both the Devon and Somerset Archives and Local Studies Services have been awarded accredited status by The National Archives for the second time. Both services were previously accredited in 2017.
We submitted a comprehensive report on the services’ governance, planning, administration and activities, including collections management and access, digitisation, conservation and the wide range of engagement work which both services undertake. Assessors from The National Archives spent three days visiting Devon Heritage Centre in Exeter, North Devon Record Office in Barnstaple and Somerset Heritage Centre in Taunton and produced detailed reports on their findings.
The assessment team praised the work of both services. The Somerset service was described as ‘a well-managed and confident archive service’ that provides ‘a wide range of excellent learning and outreach opportunities’. The way in which the service has developed was recognised, extending its provision in the management of born digital records and successfully managing the transfer to a new digital preservation system. It was also noted that the Somerset service is keen to develop its access offer, particularly through reaching new audiences, while already offering ‘an impressive range of learning opportunities’.
In Devon, the accreditation panel highlighted the work done by the Trust in recent years to maintain and enhance services at North Devon Record Office, and recognising how the wider service has been ‘moving away from a more traditional researcher-based access offer towards a more focused online delivery, public programming and partnership project approach, reflecting changing trends and organisational priorities’. The service’s success in obtaining external grant funding for projects such as cataloguing the archives of the Cary family of Torquay was also praised.
The important role played by the Trust in enabling both services to thrive was emphasised: ‘A clear and relevant shared vision and mission statement across the South West Heritage Trust…commits to the preservation of heritage in its custody and with a strong emphasis on access, learning and engagement enabled through the development of strong partnerships’.
The renewal of accreditation for both services reflects how we are successfully meeting the challenges and the opportunities of the changing landscape of archive provision in the twenty-first century. We look forward to continuing to do so!