National Archives - Kew Tips?

Discussion in 'Research Material' started by von Poop, Oct 2, 2008.

  1. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    It's really not about the cost for me, although we did attempt it get it lowered or free for Archive volunteers who work on cataloguing projects, etc. and the lower paid Archives staff who don't have access to the staff car park.

    It's more of the principle of it. The site was designed and built with more than ample parking space for both visitors and staff. They chose to turn that into landscaping and duck ponds and deliberately make parking difficult. Especially when they know there are plenty of regular visitors that travel long distances from rural locations.

    If I continue with my research business in the New Year, I will have to put up prices to cover not only the parking charges but, what is more of a problem, the increasing difficulty in accessing enough documents in a day to make the work viable. I may have to stop copying parts of documents too as this is much more time consuming and for less income. At the moment I'm thinking of increasing charges to 10p a page but a bigger jump in the minimum charge per document, perhaps to 5 or 6 pounds minimum. Need to consider it carefully over the coming weeks.
     
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  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Lee do it

    you have 2 types

    People who cant get there for whatever reason distance/live abroad/illness/dont have the time
    People cant be bothered with all the faff or patience

    Regards
    Clive
     
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  3. papiermache

    papiermache Well-Known Member

    The following message from Kew Marketing of Events Department was sent to me at 1722 yesterday which I have just noticed, in case anyone can go to find out what the "Prisoner of War collection" is . Apologies, only about 80 minutes left to book:

    "Special event (last chance to book!)

    Catalogue Day

    Catalogue Day
    Fri 23 November | FREE
    10:30-13:00, Kew

    Want to learn more about our cataloguing initiatives? Come along to our annual event this Friday, where we will be discussing opening up our Prisoner of War collection, Discovery hacks and arresting messengers and strangers' bottoms! Intrigued? Find out more!

    Registration closes 12pm tomorrow." ( Tomorrow means Thursday 22nd November ).
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    :lol: Why have I just seen this :lol:
     
  5. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Dare I suggest, because you're a little too busy on Arse-about-Facebook and paying too little attention to a proper adult discussion forum ? :-P
     
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  6. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Facebook pays the bills ;)
     
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  7. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

  8. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    Is that not originally closed for 29 years and now open?

    Those that are genuinely closed usually cite a date when they will be reviewed or opened.
     
    Chris C likes this.
  9. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Ah! That could very well be.
     
  10. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    Originally WW2 war diaries were closed for 100 years but were downgraded and opened in the early 1970's. Initially there were certain restrictions about revealing personal information.
     
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  11. Gary Tankard

    Gary Tankard Well-Known Member

    Hi,

    I had this on a 3 Coldstream Guards WD that I knew had been accessible before. I had to challenge the categorisation via their process and it was made available subsequently. I had the good fortune to be able to point to threads here proving it had been copied before and was already in the public domain.

    I believe the file had gone to the MoD to allow them to investigate the identification of remains identified as a Coldstream found near Salerno. I think when it came back they automatically classed it as closed. Maybe something similar here?

    Regards,
    Gary.
     
    Chris C likes this.
  12. hutt

    hutt Member

    A few years ago I wanted to view the files on Operation Dodge but found that some had been returned to the MOD. I requested to view them and was notified when they duly came back to Kew.

    No explanation and nothing in the content that I would have considered of special interest after 70 years but who knows.
     
  13. idler

    idler GeneralList

    There was me thinking TNA were a bit strapped for cash, but they've gone and got themselves a new logo! I suppose we can only be grateful that they've waited a whole 16 years to rebrand their role which you'd think was exactly the same as it was before.

    To be fair, maybe they got caught out and were expecting to be rebranding around now as a 'Regional Archive'...

    The National Archives rebrands for the first time in 16 years - The National Archives
     
  14. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Seriously they need to get a life .Wonder how long it took them to work that out and the cost.blue /sky thinking/let me run this one by you.Just get the documents copied on line and available to all .
    In the meantime Andy and Lee trawl through the mire very kindly so they do indeedy for the likes of me who has the patience measured in milliseconds to try to look for things.

    The new identity draws upon a flexible grid system inspired by grids seen across the archival system from record slips and boxes of documents to the architecture on site at Kew – and three core typefaces which can be varied across media. The logo ‘mark’, a box with lettering within, is akin to the official ‘stamp’ marking items in The National Archives collection. The new identity can now be seen in the header and footer across most of our website, including our newly published strategy, Archives for Everyone 2019-23.
     
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  15. Gary Tankard

    Gary Tankard Well-Known Member

    This has to be spoof post.

    "We chose to work with HemingwayDesign because they demonstrated an understanding of and commitment to our ambition to open up access to the archives."

    "Wayne Hemingway, partner at HemingwayDesign, said: ‘Design is about improving things that matter in life and The National Archives definitely matters! It’s a national organisation of real social, historical and cultural importance; fascinating and complex. Our creative response to this was to create a new identity which is intentionally simple to allow for the content of the archives to speak for itself.’"

    "Wayne Hemingway will be speaking about the challenge of rebranding The National Archives at a forthcoming talk as part of London Festival of Architecture."

    I'm half-tempted to go to the talk and ask Wayne how they came up with such a 'creative response' to 'the challenge of rebranding'. I could have knocked that logo up in Paint in about ten minutes. I might even have used colour.
     
    CL1 likes this.
  16. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    And it's very nearly an off-the-shelf Helvetica font.

    They might as well have gone for Comic Sans and knocked it up in MS Paint.
     
  17. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Very nearly an off the shelf font, but a pound to a pinch of the proverbial says it's an expensive custom one.
     
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  18. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    £300,000 to straighten the front leg of the 'R'.

    *Kuh-CHING*
     
  19. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    A shame they don't rebrand back to Public Record Office - just as a reminder of their raison d'être.
     

    Attached Files:

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  20. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Not sure if this is widely known, but a change to pre-ordering and number of documents allowed on any one day is coming soon:

    Changes to document ordering from March 2020

    Dear reader,

    We will soon make some changes to same-day document ordering.

    From Monday 31 March 2020, readers will be able to order a maximum of 12 documents for the same day, plus up to 12 documents ordered in advance (a maximum of 24 documents per reader per day). There will be five document ordering slots available each day and you can order as many of your 12 same-day documents as you require in any of the slots.

    This means that if you have prepared your references you will be able to order 12 documents at the same time. Documents will be delivered at set times each day. You will not need to finish your advance orders before ordering documents for the same day.

    For further information and to see the new document ordering and delivery times, please refer to our news story.

    Best wishes,
    The National Archives
     
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