07/04/2014 - Permalink

New opening hours for Shropshire Archives

Related topics: Community

Shropshire Archives will have new opening hours from Wednesday 16 April 2014, to ensure the service can be maintained amid funding pressures and reduced staffing numbers.

The way in which people use the archive service is also changing, with fewer numbers of people visiting the building in Castle Gates, Shrewsbury, at particular times of the week.

Shropshire Council has been asking people for their views about proposed new opening hours, and the following sequence of opening times – option A in the consultation documents – was decided to be the best option.

  • Sundays to Tuesdays: closed
  • Wednesdays: 10am to 4pm
  • Thursday: 10am to 4pm
  • Fridays: 10am to 4pm
  • Saturdays (first in two): 10am to 2pm
  • Saturdays (second in two): closed

This will mean the opening hours will reduce to an average of 20 hours a week from the current total of 30 hours.

The changes will ensure that the service can continue alongside other essential behind-the-scenes cataloguing and conservation work, which supports public access to archives.

An enquiry service will continue to be maintained from Tuesdays to Fridays.

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for business growth, approved the changes at a decision-making session on Monday 7 April 2014.

He said:

“Although reducing opening hours is not ideal, these changes will help secure the public archives service, so I hope people understand why we have made this decision.

“The public consultation period was useful, and we would like to thank everyone who gave us their opinion.  The vast majority of people agreed with option A, which ensures the archives will still be open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, as well as every other Saturday.

“More people are now accessing information online and we are working hard to digitise more material in future, so people can access documents at any time regardless of the Shropshire Archives office opening hours.”

The full report which was considered by Steve Charmley is available to view on Shropshire Council’s website here.

Further information

Shropshire Archives’ current opening hours are:

  • Sundays to Tuesdays: closed
  • Wednesdays: 10am to 5pm
  • Thursdays: 10am to 8pm
  • Fridays: 10am to 5pm
  • Saturdays: 10am to 4pm.