This statement is posted on behalf of Louise Craven.
It has been circulated to some interested parties already (apologies for any
inconvenience if you have already received a copy); is available on the A2A
information pages at www.pro.gov.uk/archives/a2a/; and should also be sent
out in hard copy to members of the Society of Archivists with the
forthcoming issue of ARC Recruitment Plus.
Best wishes
Sarah

~~~~~~

Position Statement and Call for Expressions of Interest
A2A after March 2004

Background

The second phase of A2A (Access to Archives) comes to an end in less than a
year's time in March 2004.  A2A has already provided a significant
contribution to the UK on-line National Archives Network, as its English
strand:

* the equivalent of more than 500,000 catalogue pages are now available in
the A2A database at www.a2a.pro.gov.uk
* nearly 60,000 archive groups / collections are described in A2A
* well over 1.5 million searches have been carried out on the A2A database,
resulting in over 3.6 million catalogue viewings
* more than 300 repositories across England have contributed A2A content,
through almost 50 projects
* archivists, librarians, curators and archives users have all been involved
with A2A

By the end of Phase 2 the equivalent of more than 700,000 paper catalogue
pages will be available in the A2A database via retroconversion and new
cataloguing, with linked interpretative web pages and a growing number of
digital images.  The National Archives and other A2A stakeholders are keen
to build on this success and to widen the National Archives Network after
March 2004.

Work after March 2004 will have two chief facets: the development of
interoperability and linking between A2A and the various other strands of
the UK archives network, through two projects entitled Community Access to
Archives and Linking Arms; and a further opportunity to contribute A2A
content projects, under a 15-month extension of the Phase 2 timetable to
July 2005, which will form A2A Phase 3.


A2A after March 2004

Community Access to Archives

This one-year project is a partnership between the A2A Central Team at the
National Archives (the lead partner), Hackney Archives Department, the
National Archives of Scotland, the National Council on Archives, the
National Library of Wales, the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and
West Yorkshire Archives Service.  Community Access to Archives is seeking
£95,000 from HM Treasury's Invest to Save Budget to work with new
communities of archives users across the UK.  These may be ethnically and
culturally diverse groups, or children and lifelong learners, perhaps
affected by social exclusion; or groups in the wider UK community with their
own informal local community archives websites.  An outcome of the project
will be a Best Practice Model for community involvement in the UK National
Archives Network, which may be adopted by other local or national archive
organizations, or by organizations from other heritage sectors.
Linking Arms

This significant partnership project, to be led by the National Archives, is
seeking substantial external funding for the development of on-line National
Archives Network interoperability.  Currently, the National Council on
Archives is working with colleagues from all the major strands of the
National Archives Network on a protocol/concordance to facilitate technical
interoperability between archival resources.

Linking Arms will aim to establish an archives internet portal giving
cross-searching access to A2A, SCAN, the Archives Hub, AIM25, and other
joint or single network strands; after a formal technical options study,
with associated assessment of user need - including use of the Best Practice
Model from Community Access to Archives - and analysis of the impact of the
network in its current state.  Content projects for the National Archives
Network are also envisaged as an element of the Linking Arms initiative.

As part of the funding package for Linking Arms, a major bid to the Heritage
Lottery Fund (HLF) is being prepared for submission in December 2003.  It
will be submitted under HLF's major grants programme, which has a two-stage
assessment process, with a final decision anticipated in 2005.


A2A Phase 3

A2A Phase 3 will run in tandem with the other developments, in order to
continue to increase A2A content for new and existing users of archives.  It
will begin in April 2004 and run until July 2005.  The total number of
catalogue page equivalents to be covered is not yet set, but it will
probably be in the region of 120,000, reflecting the requirements of the
timescale.  The National Archives will support the A2A central
infrastructure and staff costs, as it has done in Phase 2.  About 10-14
content projects are sought, whether regional, sub-regional,
single-repository, subject-based or user-led; these may involve
retroconversion of existing paper and electronic catalogues, targeted
cataloguing of significant archives, interpretation, or digitisation of
original documents; or more than one of these elements.  As previously,
content projects may be self-funding or seek external support.  To date the
HLF has been the funder of choice, though alternative sources of funding are
also welcomed.  Although the A2A Central Team is unable to offer cash
partnership funding for these projects, their contribution in kind to each
project can once again be measured as partnership support for funding
applications; more details will be confirmed as soon as possible.

To enable planning and co-ordination to continue, and especially to ensure
that any funding applications are prepared and submitted in good time for
project startup in April 2004, archivists, librarians, curators and archives
users wishing to submit content to A2A in Phase 3 are warmly invited to
contact the A2A Central Team at the National Archives as soon as possible.


Louise Craven
A2A Programme Manager
National Archives (PRO)
020 8392 5232
[log in to unmask]
[log in to unmask]
www.a2a.pro.gov.uk
May 2003

* * * * * *
Sarah J A Stark
Regional Liaison Co-Ordinator, A2A
The National Archives
Kew
Richmond
Surrey TW9 4DU

Tel (direct line): 020 8392 5328
Fax: 020 8392 5319
Email: [log in to unmask]
www: http://www.a2a.pro.gov.uk

* * * * * *




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