The National Archives

Strategic Plan
2007 to 2008

Strategic Plan 2007 to 2008

Contents

Click page
numberIntroduction by the Chief Executive

3

An overview of The National Archives

4

The National Archives Five-Year Visions for2007 – 2012

5

Our Values

6

The National Archives Resources Statement

7

Vision strand 1

8

Vision strand 2

10

Vision strand 3

12

Vision strand 4

142Strategic Plan 2007 to 2008

Introduction by the Chief Executive
Our 2007/8 plan is the second that I have presented as Chief Executive of The National Archives. In
the past year we have launched a new five-year Vision for The National Archives, and this 2007/8
business plan sets out the first steps for realising this. The Vision is our response to a rapidlychanging information world and constant technological innovation. It seeks to reposition The
National Archives so that we can meet the challenges of the twenty first century and maintain our
position as both a leading information policy maker and a key provider of archival information, bothnationally and internationally. The key theme for our plans is recognition of the importance of
information – information for use, for business accountability, and for the nation’s memory. Successin this arena is essential for both us and the United Kingdom as a whole – and only by achieving
this can we safeguard the national archival record for the future.
A major enabler of this vision was our merger in October 2006 with the Office of Public Sector
Information, under the joint name of The National Archives. This brought together government
policy leadership across the whole information management spectrum into one body. The merger
created one unified organisation with a strong information management and regulation role acrossgovernment and the wider public sector, in addition to our role supporting the wider archival sector.
This enables us to have a direct influence on the principles and processes of information
management, from the first stages of information creation to preservation to reuse, and enabling
the widest possible access to government and public sector information of all kinds.
Our Business Plan for 2007/8 sets out how we have defined our priorities for the future. Readers of
our previous plans will recognise the objectives relating to our access and advisory roles, but will
also see a stronger focus on policy leadership. A key goal for the next year is to strengthen our role
within government so that departments and policy makers recognise the benefits of good
information management, and are supported with the right tools and systems to improve their own
approaches. We also need to continue and intensify our work in managing digital information, boththrough preservation and online delivery so that we meet the needs of our customers wherever they
are, both now and in the future. For this reason, digitisation of records, improved search mechanisms
and redesign of our services so that we become a predominantly online organisation continue tofigure strongly in our objectives.
We face huge, new challenges and, like all organisations, have to learn to prioritise even more
efficiently and to find creative and cost effective ways of delivering our agenda. We are working very
closely with our staff and key stakeholders to ensure this ambitious programme is fulfilled. However,given The National Archives’ strong track record of achievement, we are confident that we cancontinue successfully to meet the information management challenges of the 21st century.

Natalie Ceeney
Chief Executive
The National Archives

3Strategic Plan 2007 to 2008

An overview of The National Archives
The National Archives was created in 2003 as the result of the merger of the Public Record Office(PRO) and the Historical Manuscripts Commission (HMC). The further merger between The National
Archives and the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI), (incorporating Her Majesty’s Stationery
Office (HMSO)) took place in October 2006, creating an even stronger organisation with an
integrated policy, delivery and advocacy remit.
Our constituent parts have distinguished histories dating back three centuries. However, thetradition of preserving and making accessible public records is an even longer one. Domesday Book
has been carefully safeguarded for nine centuries, and is one of Britain’s most prized nationaltreasures; and the systematic creation and preservation of records by the Exchequer and Chancery
goes back some eight hundred years.
Public Record Office

Historical Manuscripts
Commission

Office of Public Sector
Information

1838 Established bycampaigners to bring ‘orderfrom chaos’
1850s calendar of State
Papers – critical finding aids
1958/1967 acts: 50 and 30
year rules for access; placeof deposit allows publicrecords to be held outsidePRO
1977-1996 Move to Kew
1990s innovative digitalaccess1869 Established by royal
warrant for non publicrecords
1869 onwards reports andcalendars previously
unknown records
1945 National Register ofArchives
1959 New warrant supports
advisory functions
1970s-1990s Leadingarchival advocacy andstandards (BS 5454)

1786 HMSO established1882 Official publisher forboth Houses of Parliament
1889 Management ofCrown copyright1996 Trading functionsprivatised
2001 Role as regulator for
standards of best practice in
Crown copyright licensing
2005 OPSI created to leadon information re-use

The history of leading and supporting the identification and preservation of, and access to,important records in the constituent parts of the National Archives is as relevant today as whenthese bodies were created. Our history demonstrates constant change in response to the external
environment, alongside proactive support and advice to the creators, holders and users of bothcurrent and archival information from the mid nineteenth century onwards. Of course, theenvironment has changed significantly since our founders created our constituent bodies, and willcontinue to change, perhaps even more rapidly in the future. But in this context, our new Vision can
be clearly seen as a continuum from centuries of proud traditions of information management.
The Chief Executive is both Keeper of Public Records and sole Historical Manuscripts Commissioner.
The National Archives’ Director of OPSI is also Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, and theQueen’s Printer. The National Archives is a government department and Executive Agency under the
Secretary of State for Justice.

4Strategic Plan 2007 to 2008

The National Archives’ Five-Year Vision for
2007-2012
Changes in the information world have presented us with some of the most complex andchallenging set of tasks we have ever faced. It is not too much to say that the future nature andexistence of United Kingdom information management and archives depend on our being successful
in our objectives. Of these challenges, there are three in particular that are of immense significanceand determine our priorities for our future development.
Challenge 1: Government and the wider information sector need better information
management to strengthen accountability and release the potential of
their assets.
Our Vision:

Lead and transform information management

By 2012 we aim to:
Shape future government information policy, from information creation to re-use
Show leadership in helping the public sector understand the importance of good
information management
Create a common infrastructure of services and guidance to support these aims•••

Challenge 2: In addition to preserving the nation’s existing paper records, we need to rise to
the new challenge of ensuring the survival of digital information for future
generations.
Our Vision:

Guarantee the survival of today’s information for tomorrow

By 2012 we aim to:
Preserve records of all kinds; physically at The National Archives, and through our influenceelsewhere
Work with others in the United Kingdom to ensure that between us, the right information
is preserved for today’s business and tomorrow’s history
Collaborate across the world to share expertise and innovation

•
•
•

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Strategic Plan 2007 to 2008

Challenge 3: Increasingly people expect to find, use and learn from information online. They
expect it to be personalised and connected to their wider life. They expect tohave it immediately.
Our Vision:

Bring history to life for everyone

By 2012 we aim to:
Make a positive difference to people’s future by connecting them to the past
Provide researchers and customers wherever they are with easy access to records andexpertise, almost all delivered online, connected to trusted partners
Increasingly focus our reading rooms on being a centre for expert help and specialist
research•••

In addition, we will support realisation of this Vision by developing a capable, flexible
organisation, able to deliver our new services with staff equipped with the right skills for the
future.

Our Values
Our new Vision sets out what we want The National Archives to achieve. However, we also need tohave a clear idea of how we work to achieve this, which is determined by our Values. These are:Putting customers first
Responsible guardians
Setting open information free
Trusted to deliver
Working together

6Strategic Plan 2007 to 2008

Resources Statement following theComprehensive Spending Review– including the merged OPSI
2007/8£m

2008/9£m

2009/10£m

2010/11£m

Income

(4.4)

(4.8)

(5.2)

(5.7)

Salaries and other running Costs

39.9

40.6

41.0

41.5

Total Net Cash

35.5

35.8

35.8

35.8

Non-Cash Costs

9.5

10.8

11.8

12.5

Total Income and Expenditure

45.0

46.6

47.6

48.3

Capital Projects (long Term)

3.5

2.5

2.1

2.1

The above table sets out our financial settlement for the next four years. Our financial assessment
includes provision for developments which are essential for the realisation of our new Vision, forexample integration of services at Kew in 2008 and continued digital services development.

7Strategic Plan 2007 to 2008

Vision strand 1: Lead and Transform
Information Management
Central to our Vision is the recognition that information underpins the effectiveness of government
and the wider public sector. Information is essential for the delivery of effective and integrated
services (whether provided by government or third parties), which are responsive, trusted and meet
public demand. Organisations need to create and preserve their information to ensure that theiractivities and processes are documented, and that information demanded by law is kept for longterm accountability. And, for future generations, papers written, databases created and decisions
made electronically today will become tomorrow’s archives, informing future decision makers,
researchers and consumers alike. Information has never been created solely for the benefit ofhistory. Historical records are an end product of effective information management, and need to be
seen in this context. Our plans for 2007-8 onwards recognise that effective information
management, including strong record-keeping, is critical to the effectiveness of government today as
well as to potential users of this information today and for generations to come.
Achieving effective information management is not only urgent and important, but extremely
challenging. Information itself comes in varied and constantly evolving digital formats, moving
between different systems in multiple versions and variants. Technology is changing rapidly, andmost commentators recognise that we are at the birth of an online transformation that is far from‘mature’. And, at the same time, the patterns of creation and use of information are changing
radically, requiring very different approaches. In this context, joined-up leadership is essential. The
merger of The National Archives and the Office of Public Sector Information has created anorganisation that is uniquely well positioned as a policy leader and facilitator in this field, with awider remit to support good information management. Building on our existing policy and advisoryrole, we aim to join up approaches across different strands of information management as well as
lead new thinking in the field to provide thought leadership, tools, guidance and, ultimately,
regulation, to support government and the wider public sector.
This is an ambitious agenda for The National Archives, with a significant policy and leadership role.
We are therefore supporting the establishment and running of a Knowledge Council for
Government, which will provide a strategic focus for all aspects of information management. We will
also be working with government and the wider public sector on a wide range of policy fronts, fromthe challenging issue of ‘digital preservation’, through to practical work to encourage wider re-use of
public sector information through the Information Fair Trader Scheme and research work on somekey aspects of reuse and ‘mashing’ of information. Our focus will be to provide practical support;
through tools such as Click-Use Licensing to make licensing information easy; and through guidanceon key aspects of information management, as well as through advice and mediation services. We
will also play an assessment and regulation role, both through new Information Management
Assessments (which will assess departmental performance) and through regulation as required
under the government’s reuse regulations.
Of course, we do not work in isolation in this field. Many of the challenges faced by us are common
to other governments, as well as to the publishing industry, the wider information industry and toorganisations of all kinds trying to manage their own information. Our approach will continue to be
to address these issues by harnessing the best thinking internationally through collaborative

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Strategic Plan 2007 to 2008

partnerships and joint working with stakeholders with common interests. We are also passionate
about sharing our work to ensure that we all learn from others’ experiences, to ensure that we get
the best results for the UK and the sector as a whole.

Our 2007-8 Objectives• Improve government effectiveness by establishing a Knowledge Council withingovernment that will produce a clear strategy for knowledge, information and records
management across government• Provide robust and well respected regulation and mediation services across theinformation management and policy agenda, setting standards and ensuring compliance• Reinforce and further raise awareness of the potential for re-use of public sector
information, facilitating growth in the economic value of re-use through support, guidance
and innovative tools to unlock the benefits• Lead key players across government and the public sector to simplify and streamline
strong information management and exemplify in our own work

• Implement a programme of information management assessments for central
government to support sound information management and the recognition of its corefunction in underpinning effective government• To develop our range of shared services and other solutions to shape information
management across government, providing cost-effective support and efficiencies forgovernment and the wider public sector• Deliver web services and content for those we support professionally with advice, tools,
guidance and access to information contained within our holdings

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Vision Strand 2: Guarantee the survival of
today’s information for tomorrow
The information world of today is full of energy and innovation. Electronic communication has
transformed communication and knowledge sharing in government, universities, commerce andindustry and, increasingly, how individuals interact with the state, with service providers and incommunities. As individuals we take photos on digital cameras, and store them on hard drives. As
managers we send e-mails confirming decisions rather than annotating paper files. Paper is nolonger the dominant medium – the future is firmly electronic. However, this means that the future
is increasingly ephemeral, unless we take active steps to preserve it.
The record as we traditionally know it can now be found in a bewildering array of different formats,delivery systems and technologies with short life spans before obsolescence. Web pages have an
average life of just a few weeks – and fast - moving websites (with updates on key topical issues)
just minutes or hours. Floppy discs created just three years ago can often no longer be read;databases operate on old and obsolete platforms which can stop functioning; and constantmigration of platforms jeopardises key content on a daily basis. Electronic documents are inherently
ephemeral and vulnerable, unlike paper and parchment records which can have lifespans ofcenturies. There are already very real and costly examples internationally of key data being lost, fromsome records of the NASA moon landings to records of parking ticket fines along with the resulting
revenue. For information managers and for the wider archive community this means that capturing
and preserving digital information for the medium (five years) as well as the long-term (onehundred years) is now an immediate and highly complex requirement.
For government and public sector organisations this ephemeral nature of digital information brings
with it huge challenges and risks. As well as needing to be able to access their corporate knowledge
and business records for today’s policy and operations, trust in government can be undermined if
appropriate records are not kept. Furthermore, without provision for long-term reliable preservationof records data, the future historical record will simply not exist.
Our Vision recognises that it is essential that we take steps now to preserve the national record fortoday as well as tomorrow. Our policy role means that we need to ensure that government has theright infrastructure to preserve the digital information it needs for its own purposes. And our delivery
role gives us the challenge of storing and making available thirty years’ worth of paper records from
central government, whilst simultaneously grappling with the challenge of safeguarding
government’s electronic records. There is no alternative to our undertaking this task if we do notwant break our thousand-year coverage of British and international history at national and local
level.
Over the next five years we aim to underpin the preservation of central government ‘current
business’ electronic records by supporting the development of an (ideally shared) government digitalpreservation service. For electronic records held by The National Archives ourselves, we aim tocomplete stage one of our own digital preservation infrastructure within 2007/8, to ensure that wecan preserve these records for future generations. We also plan to develop a plan for managing the‘paper legacy’ of government records – the thirty years of records still to be archived bygovernment, which may or may not be required for long term preservation. Partnerships are already

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well established internationally to share expertise, to tackle these problems together, and to ensurethat their importance is as widely recognised as is required.
And, finally, a more fluid information environment means that there are now many more choices
about what material to collect and preserve. We have choices about what type of information forms‘the record’ as key information may be held on a website, or a ‘wiki’ rather than a formal ‘file’. In
addition, increasingly, the researcher does not mind who holds the content, so long as it isaccessible. For this reason we need to reassess our collections policy so that we ensure that are
keeping the right information for the future, not only for The National Archives, but to inform andenrich the nation’s archival collections wherever they are held.

Our 2007-8 Objectives• Strengthen our role as the centre of excellence for government and the wider archive
sector on all aspects of preservation and conservation, from paper and parchment to digital
and web content• Work with government departments on the ‘paper and digital legacy’ to manage mosteffectively the selection, preservation and description of government’s last 30 years ofrecords, ensuring that key records survive for the long-term benefit of the nation• Ensure that The National Archives’ own parchment, paper and existing digital collection
is preserved for the long term, working with key partners across the world to ensure weshare and disseminate best practice in doing so• Complete our in-house digital preservation system, providing a solution for the transfer
and preservation of government records by The National Archives• Support government in the development of an appropriate digital preservation
infrastructure for government so that government electronic records are preserved whilst
they are needed for government use• Begin to develop a clear, comprehensive collections strategy for The National Archives,in the context of the Nation’s records, taking full account of the changing digital
environment

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Vision Strand 3: Bring history to life
for everyone
The digital revolution has caused fundamental changes to society and the way people use
information in their everyday lives. Today’s researchers, with raised expectations through their own
daily use of technology, are accustomed by use of Google to expect seamless searching forelectronic content, available in their own homes or offices, often without regard for the information
source, so long as they get what they need. The overall message is clear: people expect us to deliver,present and interpret our information ever more quickly and intelligently.
The National Archives has built up a strong reputation for delivering services which are highly
responsive to customer needs. Over the last ten years we have seen steadily rising demand forelectronic services, from our fledgling e-mail enquiry service in the mid 1990s, to 2006 when we
have seen over 20 million visitors to our website and can offer fully electronic delivery services forfinding, ordering and receiving a copy of a document in digital format. It is also clear that customers
want to search across as many resources as possible – not only our catalogues and content but also
all online information about archival content and location, both nationally and internationally. The
archive sector has also proved very innovative at delivering online services, offering interactive
learning, creation of community histories based on contributions of personal testimonies, both oral
and written, and collection of photographic images. Online delivery is offering opportunities forbringing history to life in new and exciting ways – in delivery and rapidity, provision of global
content, creative partnerships across and involving communities of all types and in capturingcontemporary social history and local and national identity in ways not possible before.
Based on the explosion of interest in family research, initially driven by releases of military service
records from the mid -1990’s and now by growing media interest, we now have over 100 online
downloads of records for every onsite delivery. While visits to our sites at Kew and central London
remain as popular as ever, demand for online access is continuing to rise dramatically year on year.
Our strategy for the future is therefore to provide as wide as possible access to our content online,
so that researchers can find the information they need wherever they are based, whilst focusing ourreading rooms on those who need to consult original records, or would benefit from specificexpertise. Over time we expect to become a predominantly online service delivery organisation.
In line with this strategy, and in view of the digitisation of the censuses from 1841 to 1901, we willtransfer our current services based at the Family Records Centre to Kew in 2008, creating a new
integrated service for our onsite visitors, offering both access to online content and original records
as well as face to face expert advice and guidance. Delivery of our strategy is dependent on utilisingexpertise – not only of our staff but also of our users. We aim to support capture of researchknowledge and information exchange by development of a wiki site called ‘Your Archives’, which will
create a growing repository of information about the content and interpretation of our records
reflecting current online trends in how online researchers shape and use information.
Bringing history to life has significance not only for our own holdings but also for the archival sector
as a whole. The rise in awareness of the wealth offered by archives is generating huge new interestand demand across the UK. Archives have demonstrated their potential in illustrating and bringing
alive not only local and family history, but also challenging issues such as migration, immigration

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Strategic Plan 2007 to 2008

and slavery, helping to tackle social exclusion through innovative projects. The burgeoning interest inarchives has also created its own problems, with increasing numbers of private archives being lost to
the nation through overseas sales. The National Archives has a role in supporting the ‘archival healthof the nation’, which we take to mean advocating for the sector, as well as supporting the wider
archive sector to learn from each other and develop the best possible services for the country as awhole. We also have a role in supporting the development of common access infrastructures where
possible. In this sense we aim to bring history to life at a truly national level.

Our 2007-8 Objectives• Develop outstanding new online services for those using resources held by us and others,
and transform our own catalogue, to allow even easier searching, identification and deliveryof content to customers wherever they are, and enable most research to be done at home

• Grow our digitised resources, both pre-digitised and through digitisation on-demand, sothat over 90% of what customers request can be located and delivered remotely• Use our specialist expertise to make it easier to interpret and use our collections,increasingly through online knowledge bases and reference guides• Harness the expertise of those using our records, through online subject forums andinnovative approaches such as user-generated content• Create a world-class integrated reader experience, including a strong family history
service and help for specialist researchers, joining records and expertise from across ourcollections and helping customers to make the most of our online services• Work proactively with media, the wider archive sector and academic partners to bringhistory to life through archival content and expertise• Create and manage online relationships with customers that will offer them benefits,
improve trust and communication and encourage participation• Support the wider archive sector through advocacy, guidance and sharing of best practice,ensuring that the sector reaches its potential, and that that potential is recognised by policy
makers and funders across the UK

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Strategic Plan 2007 to 2008

Vision Strand 4: Supporting this Vision througha capable, flexible organisation
The National Archives is aiming to deliver a highly ambitious strategy at a time of tight financial
constraints. This is combined with our increased workload in dealing with both digital and paper
information management and extending our remit within government in terms of advocacy, policy
advice, and guidance in the information field. There are significant pressures on us as an organisation
to find ways to work more efficiently and to innovate to achieve this challenging agenda. Most
significantly, this means equipping our staff with new knowledge and skills during a period of rapid
and profound change, ensuring that we build on the existing high levels of motivation andengagement. Having identified the key skills and behaviours needed to deliver the Vision, we are
now investing in staff development programmes at all levels of the organisation.
Our strategy for the next five years for internal development aims to maximise savings and reengineer our processes so that resources can be focused on its achievement. We must keep
identifying ways that we can deliver more for less, we need to raise more income through our
trading services, and we also need to develop our strategy for development funding via increased
contribution from grants and partnerships.
The National Archives’ Vision also raises physical and organisational challenges within theorganisation for its achievement. Not the least of these is a major programme for redesign of thereader areas at Kew by 2008 and the consolidation of staff and services from three of ourconstituent sites to support joined up working and services.
The new Vision highlights the growing importance of specialist expertise, web skills, policy andadvocacy. Our new human resources and learning and development strategies will support our staff
in developing new skills in these areas. We must also ensure that we understand and contribute to
emerging technologies and innovation in information provision as well as ensuring we remain strong
in professional archival developments and knowledge of our holdings. Our new research strategy will
ensure that we will fulfil this aim and also consolidate our role as a leading innovator in information
and archival science. In addition, our work with varied partners and a strong marketing function will
ensure that we remain recognised and visible as an information player and innovator and a centre
for research for all those who want to use us.

14Strategic Plan 2007 to 2008

Our 2007-8 Objectives• Create a joined-up organisation in The National Archives to form an effective
organisation which is more than the sum of its parts• Ensure that all within The National Archives understand the Vision, and the key role thatthey individually play in delivering it• Build and maintain strong partnerships with key third parties in the public and private
sectors to deliver this vision• Develop a National Archives research strategy, covering both business/technical andcontent, to ensure we focus energy on critical areas• Produce marketing and communications strategies to ensure we successfullycommunicate with government, our key stakeholders, customers and our own staff• Ensure that our services and communications are accessible to, and welcoming of, people
from all backgrounds, and that we increase the diversity of our workforce• Develop and support our staff through change; we will recognise, value and retain theexisting expertise of our people and develop expertise in new areas, through a period ofstrategic change and site rationalisation• Support this vision through effective and efficient IT, Finance and HR services, whichmeet recognised benchmark standards for performance and cost-effectiveness

April 200715