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FOURTEENTH MEETING OF THE COUNCIL Lancashire Record Office, Monday 13 May at 2.00pm
Present: Clare Connor (Libraries North West)
John Hodgson, (SCONUL) Roy Hughes, (Historical Association) Bruce Jackson (Society of Archivists, NW Region), Secretary Lesley Owen-Edwards (BAC) Jonathan Pepler (NW County Archivists Group), Treasurer Colin Phillips (co-opted); Dawn Routledge (NCA Archive Development Officer);
Ian Taylor (NW Museums Service) Janice Taylor (NW Regional Archives Development Officer)
1 Apologies for absence
2 Minutes and Matters arising www.regions.dtlr.gov.uk) It will form the basis for discussion at the next RAC meeting. Resource are intending to publish a summary of the relevant sections. The proposed Single Regional Agencies (SRAs) are mentioned, and culture is seen as a probable area of responsibility for the new Regional Assemblies. 2.9.7 Bruce Jackson (BJ) outlined the discussions which have taken place regarding the North West Sound Archive. The intention is to bring a paper on possible options to the next meeting of the RAC. 6.2 Work is progressing on the LUCAS Snapshot project. Parallel exercises are taking place in the Library and Museums sectors. 9.2 Jonathan Pepler (JP) reported that there was strong support form archivists (on the basis of a straw poll he had conducted) for Civil Registration material being given Public Records status. 9.3 JP reported that a further page was still awaited from ACALG. 9.4 NWMS functioned as a consultee on relevant Heritage Lottery Fund bids. It was assumed that this role would be taken up by the new SRA rather than the sector specific bodies.
JT presented her 6 monthly report on activity (copy appended to the minutes) which was in effect an update on her previous 6 month plan. She provided a verbal update on a couple of matters, including that the 2nd round Regional A2A bid would be submitted within the next two weeks. The staffing structure of the new Regional Learning and Access Unit (RLASU) was now becoming clearer, and it is likely to comprise a Manager and Regional Access Officers, plus clerical support. Costs will be covered from within the core finding from Resource. Staff may be appointed by transfer from the NWMS, but this is still not totally clear.The following main projects will form the major part of the RADO in the coming months, and funding for these is now in place : Collection Mapping Projects: Analysis of collections in archives and libraries to identify the main synergies and provide information for future data collection. LOGJAM - Survey of uncatalogued collections in the main archive offices in the region. A2A - Support for the regional projects; match funding for individual projects; research and support for project applications. Archives Festival - Preparation for profile raising event for NW archives during National Archives Month 2003
4 Single Regional Agency for the North West
Ian Taylor (IT) reported that the target date was still April 2003. Before then the constitutional thinking, business planning and staffing structure will have to be finalised. These matters will be discussed at the next meeting of the cross-sectoral Steering Group (NWMLAG) on Friday 24 May. 4.2 FundingFunding for 2002/3 has now been agreed from Resource, with the full £1.044M being secured. This represents Core Funding, plus £355,000 top-up project funding, about £80,000 of which is ring-fenced to cross-sectoral projects. The formal funding agreements are still awaited. 4.3 Staffing The staffing proposals in the original Business Plan submission will need to be revisited and scaled down to meet the recent "Golden Rules" set by Resource. These Rules will also require that there are domain specific posts at either 2nd or 3rd tier within each region, and this should ensure the long term funding of the Regional Archive Development Officer post. 4.4 Business Plan This will have to be prepared and submitted to Resource by November 2002. There may now be more of a national template. 4.5 Transitional Constitutional Arrangements In constitutional terms, the process and timetable described to the last RAC meeting will still apply, with the existing NW Museums Service transforming into the SRA. It now appears that although Resource do not have a remit for the Isle of Man, that it might be possible for the Island to be in membership of the new SRA, although it would not be eligible for grants etc. Key regional decisions will be needed on the composition and selection of the Board, which can be done either through the Constitution or the byelaws, with the latter offering possibly the easier route. In the year ahead it will be possible to fund several of the tasks identified in the NW Regional Archive Strategy, and in addition there will be money available for cross-domain projects. A review of the current NWMS Grant Scheme will be undertaken, as it appears major changes will be needed when the SRA takes over this funding. A question was raised about the accessibility to the minutes and papers of the Working Group, and JT reported that she would look into this, to see if wider access was possible. It was also reported that the South East and East Midland SRAs had now come into existence, but they are still both in fairly unadvanced form. The NW Federation of Museums and Art Galleries was now looking to develop as a Museum domain specific body, and its relationship with the Museums Association would need be clarified.
5 A2A Progress Report
6 Other Regional Issues
7.1 Dawn Routledge (DR) reported that she was now employed directly by Resource, but without too great a change in her role and responsibilities. Resource was now also part funding (with the Society of Archivists and the PRO) the Archives Lottery Officer. Revenue funding from Resource to the RACs (via NCA) will continue for 2002/3 and 2003/4 at the same rate as in the previous year, but there will be no facility to carry this funding over at the year-end. 7.2 The seminar on "Archives in the Regions" hosted jointly by the PRO and Resource had been a great success, with an enthusiastic response from DCMS, HLF etc. The Parliamentary event on 22 April had also gone very positively, and there would be follow-up briefings for MPs and peers. 7.3 Resource had now submitted a proposal to DCMS for the proposed Archive Task Force, and it was hoped that DCMS would fund Resource to carry out the project. If so it would be led by Mathew Evans with Vic Gray as Vice Chair. It would follow the same methodology as the Renaissance in the Regions Museums Task Force, with various working groups. It is hoped that it will be launched by the end of May. JP reported (Copy report appended to the minutes) verbally that there was a balance of about £2742, before receipt of this year’s budget allocation. In view of the advice form Resource that funds could not be carried over at year-end in future, it was agreed that discussion would need to take place as to how to utilise the funding. There was no other business
BJ/14/05/02 |