With apologies for cross-posting. Please note especially the information
about A2A's migration to the new url www.a2a.org.uk.
sjas

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A2A Update, January/February 2004

The January A2A database update has taken place at www.a2a.org.uk. The
database now contains more than 6 million catalogue entries describing
archives held in 340 record offices, libraries and other repositories
throughout England.
Among the 1411 new catalogues are finding aids describing the following:
* oral history recordings, photographs and other unofficial archives
relating to the miners' strike in the 1980s, held at Sheffield Archives and
submitted by the Shafts of Light project;
* catalogues of archives held at 5 museums - whose holdings are thus
described on A2A for the first time - namely: the Watts Gallery in Surrey
(catalogues contributed through the South East regional project Private
Faces in Public Places), the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry and
the Maritime Archive of National Museums Liverpool (through the Mills,
Mansions and Corner Shops project in the North West), and Brixham Heritage
Museum and Cookworthy Museum (through South West Family Fortunes);
* estate archives of the Chichester-Constable family dating back to the 12th
century, held at East Riding of Yorkshire Archives and Records Service and
submitted by the regional project Broad Acres, Big Houses, Yorkshire People;
* a wide variety of archives, including personal papers, deeds, manorial
archives and records of local organisations, held by the archives services
of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, West Sussex and the Isle of
Wight, contributed through the Aladdin's Cave project in South East England;
* and various public records held locally, including coroner's records held
at Berkshire Record Office and Lincolnshire Archives, and records of local
pre-1974 urban and rural district councils held by Wigan Archives Service.
Following user evaluation held in 2003, a number of enhancements have also
been made to the A2A site in conjuction with the database update. These
enhancements include:
* redesigning and renaming the Special Interest (index) search as People,
Places and Subjects;
* simplifying the operation of the People, Places and Subjects search,
including clearer online help and removing the necessity to use an * in the
search;
* adding to the Standard Search and Extended Search the ability to search by
the date that catalogues were actually uploaded to the database;
* and adding to the Extended Search the ability to search for creator(s) of
archives by keyword.
Technical enhancements have also been made, comprising a new server, a new
operating system and upgraded database management software.
The new content and enhancements are only available at the new A2A url
http://www.a2a.org.uk. The site at the old url at .pro.gov.uk is no longer
being updated, so please change your bookmarks/favourites to the new url,
and amend any web links you may have.
There is another staff change in the A2A Central Team: Sean McClean is
leaving us on 13 February. We are sorry to see Sean go, but we are glad to
welcome his successor as System Support Officer, Ashraf Abdul.
Lastly, A2A usage since launch has now reached 2.85 million database
searches, with 5.95 million catalogue downloads as a result.
A2A is the English strand in the UK archives network: its database at
www.a2a.org.uk already contains the electronic equivalent of over 400,000
catalogue pages describing archives held across England in national, local
and specialist repositories and dating from the 700s to the present day.
The A2A programme will make a further 300,000 catalogue pages available on
the web by March 2004.

* * * * * *
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 8487 9211
Email: [log in to unmask]
www: http://www.a2a.org.uk

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