Shropshire Archives celebrates national Accreditation
Shropshire Archives this month celebrated the award of Archive Service Accreditation, the UK quality standard which recognises good performance in all areas of archive service delivery.
Over 50 people attended the event at Shropshire Archives, Castle Gates, Shrewsbury including customers, staff and volunteers, along with Chief Executive of The National Archives, Jeff James.
From left to right: Stuart West, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for leisure and culture, Mary McKenzie, Museum and Archives Manager at Shropshire Council and Jeff James, Chief Executive of the National Archives
Stuart West, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for leisure and culture, said:
“Shropshire Archives have always provided high quality services so I’m delighted that we are able to celebrate the award of Archive Accreditation. A lot of hard work goes into the service from staff and our wonderful volunteers who do a marvellous job, and are in my opinion, one of Shropshire’s best kept secrets.
“The value of the service has long been recognised within Shropshire, and it is great to see this acknowledged by the National Archives.”
In achieving Accreditation status, Shropshire Archives rank in the top 2.5% archive services in the country, illustrating the magnitude of the achievement.
Jeff James, Chief Executive, The National Archives said:
“Shropshire Archives has demonstrated that it is a resilient, forward-thinking and – most importantly – collaborative service. Its ties to the local community and its dedicated Friends, volunteers and staff were all recognized as key strengths. It is a pleasure to be able to award Archive Service Accreditation to such a dynamic and highly-regarded archive service.”
Those attending the event had the opportunity to see a fabulous display of Shropshire books and archives, including items relating to Shrewsbury born Charles Darwin, Clive of India and Thomas Telford.
The celebration included a behind the scenes tour of Shropshire Archives to see where the archives are kept in environmentally controlled stores.
Shropshire Archives provides archive services across the historic county of Shropshire, including Telford and Wrekin. The service looks after over 5 and a half miles (9 kilometers) of manuscripts, books, photographs and maps which tell the fascinating story of the history of Shropshire and its people.
If you’re interested in Shropshire Archives and all of the amazing products, information and services that they have to offer, visit the online shop.
Also launched at the accreditation event was Shropshire Archives new website which includes a whole range on new functions to make it easier for people to access information they are after, and we would be very grateful for your feedback.
For more information about Shropshire Archives, telephone 0345 678 9096 or email archives@shropshire.gov.uk
