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The Cheshire and Chester Archives and Local Studies Service Charter provides
- a summary of the services we provide
- sets out the standards of service you can expect from us
- tells you what action you can take if these standards are not met
1. Our Aims and Objectives
The core purpose of the Service is to promote the preservation and use of, and interest in, the archives and local studies of Cheshire, as a safeguard of democratic accountability, a resource for lifelong learning for individuals and a means of reinforcing community identity.
To achieve this, we will
- select and preserve the official record of the County and City Councils' decisions and actions;
- locate, collect and preserve archives and records relating to all aspects of the development of the County and its communities;
- acquire a comprehensive range of printed and secondary materials relating to all aspects of the County;
- actively promote and encourage their use by providing equal and unbiased access to the sources and to information about them through all available means;
- work in partnership with our users and depositors, societies, individuals and individuals and organisations to stimulate interest in archives and local studies, improve access and help in the long-term preservation of the materials in our care.
2. National Standards
The Service
- is approved by the Lord Chancellor as a place of deposit for public records, by the Master of the Rolls for manorial and tithe records and by the Dioceses of Chester and Liverpool for parish and diocesan records;
- has adopted the Historical Manuscripts Commission's Standard for Record Repositories;
- provides facilities for the physical preservation and storage of documents in line with the British Standard BS 5454;
- conserves archives to the standards of BS 4971, and more recent accepted practice;
- arranges, catalogues and indexes records in accordance with current national and international professional standards, incorporated in in-house listing guidelines.
3. Acquisition and Preservation
3.1 We locate, select and collect archives, photographs and other material relating to the history of the County of Cheshire and to the life and work of the people of Cheshire.
- We select and preserve the official record of the County Council's and City Council's decisions and actions, to ensure democratic accountability.
- We appraise records offered for deposit according to our collection policy.
- We can advise you of a more appropriate repository if the material offered to the Service falls outside our collection policy.
How You Can Help
Please tell us if you know of any archives, photographs and other material relating to Cheshire which are of historical interest, particularly those which might be at risk (for example, when a business has closed).
Refer to our leaflet Depositing Archives.
3.2 We acquire printed and other secondary material relating to all aspects of the history of the County, and disseminate them through Cheshire libraries.
- We constantly seek new publications, both printed and electronic, relating to the history of Cheshire to ensure that we hold a comprehensive Local Studies collection.
- We also seek out-of-print material relating to the history of Cheshire.
3.3 We ensure long term preservation of unique archival material by
- storing records in secure strong rooms to provide favourable environmental conditions and protection against fire, flood and theft;
- monitoring storage conditions and conserving damaged documents;
- microfilming certain documents to increase and facilitate access to information whilst saving wear and tear on the originals;
- providing a public Searchroom where original material can be consulted under supervision to ensure the safety of the records;
- giving advice and training on handling techniques;
- having a Disaster Plan which provides guidelines of the procedures to be followed in the event of a flood or fire;
- providing guidelines for the exhibition of archives.
A Preservation Policy is being developed. Please speak to a member of staff if you have any queries.
3.4 We can advise private owners of archives on their conservation and storage.
Refer to our leaflet Caring for Your Records and Memorabilia
3.5 Service to owners.
- All depositors and potential depositors are given a copy of our Terms of Deposit.
- Owners and depositors of records can negotiate particular terms of deposit such as extended closure period to protect their interests.
- Records are accessioned and full receipts issued within 10 working days. We will tell you if there will be a longer delay.
- We will provide the owner with a catalogue of records received.
- Identity of donors or owners is not routinely revealed to users; questions of special access, permission to publish etc are handled through this office.
Refer to our leaflets
- Depositing Archives
- Terms of Deposit
How You Can Help
If you own records that are deposited with us, please keep us informed of any changes of address or ownership.
4. Access to Information
Access to information is available to all, free of charge, but please note that charges are levied for some services such as photocopying.
Refer to our Charges for further information.
4.1 We will help you understand the range of our holdings and assist you to identify whether we hold material relevant to your enquiry.
We
- receive and respond to enquiries within 10 working days, or let you know if there will be a delay;
- produce a range of free leaflets;
- provide guides, catalogues, indexes, publications and databases to help you identify relevant material;
- make available certain guides and indexes to our holdings in our Searchroom, on our website, and in Cheshire libraries.
4.2 We provide courteous trained staff who will explain our services and help you to plan your search.
- Our letters will have a contact name, address and telephone number.
- When speaking to you we will give you our names.
- All staff are identifiable by name badges which include their job title.
- All staff undergo induction training and regular ongoing job-related training.
Research into sources we hold can be done by
- visiting the Searchroom and carrying out research for yourself.
- employing our Research Consultant to search the records on your behalf for a fee.
Alternatively, we can supply a list of independent researchers.
4.3 We endeavour to make information about the Service available to all.
Please ask if you require any information in large print, on cassette or in Braille.
4.4 We are unable to
- do your research for you. We will provide advice, guidance and assistance, and our Research Consultant can carry out investigations on your behalf for a fee.
- guarantee that we can answer all your queries. The records you want may not have survived or may be subject to access restrictions. If we do not hold the relevant documents we will do our best to point you in the right direction.
How You Can Help
Tell us accurately and concisely the information relevant to your enquiry.
Refer to our website and the leaflets
Please treat all members of staff with courtesy.
5. Visiting Us
5.1 We provide a public Searchroom, which is open for a minimum of 37 hours per week. This includes some opening outside normal office hours. We close the searchroom for the first full week of December to work on necessary background tasks.
How You Can Help
Contact us in advance of any visit.
Refer to our website and the leaflets
- Welcome to Cheshire and Chester Archives and Local Studies
- Using the Searchroom
- CARN
5.2 We display our Searchroom rules prominently.
Please help by familiarising yourself with and abiding by the rules.
5.3 We endeavour to make our Searchroom accessible to all.
We provide
- a hearing loop;
- parking for disabled users by prior arrangement;
- access all on one level.
5.4 The Searchroom has suitable conditions and facilities for viewing original archival material and secondary sources.
We provide
- tables for viewing original documents;
- sockets for laptop computers;
- a range of microfiche and microfilm readers;
- public access computers.
5.5 Our Searchroom staff
- show you how to use the Searchroom;
- provide advice, guidance and training if required in how to use the guides, catalogues, indexes and equipment;
- provide assistance in identifying relevant sources;
- help you order your documents and give guidance on handling techniques;
- explain how to order photocopies and other copies.
Staff must supervise the public area at all times and this may restrict the amount of assistance available - we hope you will understand and bear with us.
5.6 We retrieve the original documents you request from our strong rooms and bring them to the Searchroom.
- We aim to produce 90% of documents stored in this building within 15 minutes of ordering. We will tell you if there will be a longer delay.
- Documents stored offsite will be produced within 10 working days.
- We will respond to requests for access to unlisted collections within 10 working days.
How You Can Help
Talk to us in advance to check the documents will be available.
Take care to complete the document request slip clearly with the correct reference number.
6. Access Restrictions
6.1 We will inform you of any access restrictions on records.
- We will note these in the catalogues where possible.
- A list of statutory closure periods is available in the Searchroom and on request.
Please talk to us if you require access to any restricted records.
7. Copies
7.1 We undertake to provide copies of documents, subject to any legal, physical or copyright restrictions.
- Copies will generally be provided within 10 working days. We will tell you if there will be a longer delay.
- If an item cannot be photocopied we will advise you of other possible methods of copying such as photography, microfilming, or the provision of a certified copy.
We are unable to allow you to do your own copying of original documents and library material.
How You Can Help
Please talk to us about your requirements.
Refer to our Reprographics Policy leaflet for full details
8. Outreach
8.1 We promote the Service and raise awareness of Cheshire's written heritage by
- giving talks to interested groups and to school teachers and students;
- providing workshops and training sessions;
- mounting exhibitions;
- attending local and family history fairs.
An Outreach Policy is being developed. Please speak to a member of staff if you have any queries.
9. Charges and Payments
- A leaflet with a list of all our charges is freely available in the searchroom, on our website and on request.
- Copying charges are also detailed on the photocopy order forms.
9.1 We offer a choice of payment method.
- Payment can be made by cash, sterling cheque or postal order, MasterCard, Visa or Visa Delta.
Refer to our Charges leaflet.
10. Information About our Service
10.1 We issue information about the Service through all available channels, to reach potential, as well as actual users.
- We produce a range of free leaflets about our services, policies and the sources we hold. These are distributed to family history societies, schools and colleges, Register Offices, and other public outlets.
- We maintain a comprehensive website.
- We issue regular information bulletins.
- We produce a twice-yearly Newsletter sent to all schools, local history societies, Cheshire libraries and interested individuals.
- We produce an Annual Report which is distributed to Cheshire libraries and other archive services.
All of these are available in the Record Office and on our website.
- Details of income and expenditure are published in the annual CIPFA Archive Service Statistics.
- The Council publishes information on overall budgets and spending figures.
11. Tell us how we are Doing
11.1 We monitor and publish our performance against standards set for the Service.
- Response times to written and email enquiries are monitored one week every quarter. Document production times are monitored once every six months.
11.2 We gather views of users by
- taking part in the National Survey of Visitors to British Archives organised by the Public Services Quality Group;
- carrying out surveys on specific areas of the Service;
- having a user group with representatives from specific groups of users, which meets at least twice annually to receive reports, to consider Service priorities and to comment and make suggestions.
11.3 We encourage you to comment on our standards of service verbally, by letter/email or by means of the Feedback Forms available at the Record Office, in Cheshire libraries and on our website.
You can contact the user group via the Service.
11.4 We publish responses to comments and results of surveys and performance monitoring.
- These are displayed in the public Searchroom and on our website and reported in the Annual Report and Newsletter.
12. Should Things go Wrong
12.1 If things go wrong we will acknowledge the problem, make sure we have understood and apologise if we are in the wrong.
If you are unhappy with our work or we have not met our standards, please
- talk to a member of staff when the problem arises. Staff will handle complaints and comments as quickly and effectively as possible;
- alternatively, use the Council's "Feedback" form (also available in the Searchroom and in other Council establishments) or write, telephone, fax or email.
- Cheshire residents can contact their Councillor at any time.
12.2 We will respond within 5 working days.
- We try to respond to comments or complaints on an informal basis whenever possible. If this proves impossible, anyone can use the County Council's official complaints procedure. Leaflets are available in the public searchroom and in all County Council establishments.
We may not be able to do what you want (for legal reasons, for preservation reasons, or because our resources will not allow it) but we will listen to you and explain the reasons for our actions.
13. How to Contact Us
There are a number of ways in which we can be contacted.
In person:
Cheshire Record Office
Duke Street
CHESTER
Cheshire
Write to:
Jonathan Pepler
County Archivist
Cheshire Record Office
Duke Street
CHESTER
Cheshire
CH1 1RL
Telephone: 01244 602574
Fax: 01244 603812
Email: recordoffice@cheshire.gov.uk
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