Introduction

The Northamptonshire Record Office seeks to acquire, preserve and make accessible archives and records for use by present and future generations. The service is provided on behalf of Northamptonshire County Council.

Aims

The archive collections aim to represent comprehensively the history, lives and activities of the people, communities and organisations of the geographical county of Northamptonshire through the ages.

The aim of this policy is to define and publish the basis on which the Record Office acquires or disposes of archives and records.

Scope of the archive collections

Northamptonshire Record Office acquires collections of archives and records that relate entirely or principally to the geographical county of Northamptonshire. Within this remit, Northamptonshire Record Office acquires:

Northamptonshire Record Office acquires archives and records, which may include hand-written evidence, printed items, maps, plans, photographs and comparable items in non-traditional format, from all dates and in various formats and materials.

The acquisition of archives and records outside the current stated policy will only be made in exceptional circumstances and then only after proper consideration and consultation, having regard to the interests of other repositories.

The Northamptonshire Record Office will not acquire material that it is unable to preserve safely or to provide reasonable means of access. It will not acquire material which, in the opinion of the County Archivist or her designated representative, does not enhance our knowledge and understanding of the county, its development and its communities in some way.

Development of the collections

Northamptonshire Record Office seeks to acquire further archives and records to reflect all spheres of life in the area it serves, aiming to cover all parts of the area and as wide a range of institutions and subjects as possible.

An acquisition strategic plan should be produced to demonstrate how this policy will be delivered. This could identify the strengths and weaknesses of the collections and identify priorities for acquisition, particularly where there are archives that may be under-represented in the present holdings.

The development of the collections will be planned, as far as possible, to support the strategies and objectives of the County Council, the policies, strategies and interests of relevant national and regional agencies and local stakeholders, including users.

Acquisition process

Northamptonshire Record Office acquires documents by transfer, donation, purchase, and deposit on indefinite loan in accordance with current terms and conditions. In some cases loans may be made for specific purposes or periods but this will be exceptional. In the case of donations or deposits, a receipt or acknowledgement is sent to the donor or depositor within 20 days of receipt.

Documents held together in an original archival grouping are not normally divided, nor is any item selected or removed in detriment to that unity. Where, however, a large collection falls into clearly discrete parts, there may be a case for it being divided.

Northamptonshire Record Office is indebted to all those who have placed records in its care for use by the public. At the same time depositors of collections on indefinite loan receive substantial benefits. There is a formal agreement between the owner and the service through the signing of a formal receipt. The Service undertakes to store the archives appropriately, to carry out necessary cataloguing, conservation or reprographic works according to our resources and priorities and to make them available to the public.

It is proposed that a more specific agreement needs to be drawn up. In particular, to justify the expenditure in preserving, conserving and cataloguing deposited archives, it is suggested that this agreement would stipulate that collections should normally remain in the Record Office for at least 20 years or a charge may be made to cover the costs incurred. Owners can request the return of their collections by contacting the County Archivist at the Record Office.

Northamptonshire Record Office, in consultation with the owner, may transfer groups of documents to a more suitable repository (usually a record office meeting BS 5454 standards), if it is found that they belong more properly with records held elsewhere.

The Record Office will have regard to the collecting policies of the Local Studies collection within the Northamptonshire Libraries and Information Service. In particular, the Record Office will not seek to collect newspapers of the county.

Northamptonshire Record Office, in accordance with the wishes and requirements of donors and depositors, evaluates and selects for destruction or return to the owners, documents not deemed to be worthy of permanent preservation.

Disposal

Northamptonshire Record Office operates on the principle that there should be a strong presumption against the disposal of any documents once they have been selected for permanent preservation, unless the owner requests the return of deposited documents.

Copy material

Copies of archive material may be acquired where an owner does not wish to part with original documents.

Copies of archives relating to Northamptonshire and held in other repositories may be acquired to support and enrich the collections held and for the benefit of local research, depending on resources.

Where material is of particular importance, and as resources permit, copies of finding aids relating to the country as a whole may be purchased, such as the International Genealogical Index and local copies of the census enumerators' returns.

Liaison and consultation

Northamptonshire Record Office consults and liaises with other bodies regarding the acquisition of documents in which there may be a common interest. It will also consult whenever this policy is revised.

Public access

Archive collections will be catalogued as part of the Service's cataloguing programme in order to provide public access, subject to the requirements of confidentiality and/or the wishes of the owner.

Archive collections are accepted only on the basis that they will become accessible to the public in due course.

Legal framework

Northamptonshire Record Office acquires material in accordance with a statutory framework that includes the following:

• Local Government (Records) Act 1962: enables all local authorities to promote the use of their records and empowered county and county borough councils to acquire records by purchase, donation or deposit.
  
  
• Local Government Act 1972 (section 224): places an obligation on 'principal authorities' to make proper arrangements for documents that belong to them or are in their custody.
  
  
• Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967: Northamptonshire Record Office is recognised as a Place of Deposit under the Public Records Acts and acquires Public Records under the authority of the Acts.
  
  
• Manorial Document Rules 1959 and Tithe (Copies of Apportionment) Rules 1960: Northamptonshire Record Office is an designated place of deposit for manorial and tithe records and is a Historical Manuscripts Commission Approved Repository.
  
  
• Parochial Registers and Records Measure 1978 (amended 1993): Northamptonshire Record Office is designated by the Bishop as the official place of deposit for records of parishes located in the Diocese of Peterborough.

Northamptonshire Record Office will abide by future legislation relating to archives and records management.

Standards

Northamptonshire Record Office has adopted the policies set out by the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts in A Standard for Record Repositories (2000), the Public Record Office's Beyond the PRO (1994), and the Government's Guidance on Archive Services (Department of National Heritage, 1995).

Review of the policy

The policy will be reviewed in consultation with interested organisations and individuals every five years.

Further information or comment

To comment on this policy or for further information please contact us using the details on the right hand side of this page.

Approved by the Archives Technical and Advisory Board: October 2002