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Dear List

Here at Roehampton we are due to move to a newly built library soon. As part of the move we will also be launching our new archival catalogue.
With the move the working structure of the library services – which we are part of – is changing to a degree and at present I am in the process of investigating which form of service we will provide in future. 

I am a sole, part-time archivist with occasional help from project archivist and (project) student volunteers, but primarily working alone. I am therefore the main point of contact for all issues involving the archives and special collections. We have not yet used volunteers to provide service.

I would be interested to hear from the list how archives provide service within a setting such as a university library or similar. Is the (sole) archivist’s work station in or within immediate reach of the reading room? Are there other members of non-archive trained staff? If so, are they solely responsible for the archives services or do they divide their time between different departments. What are their patterns and responsibilities within the archive? 

We are also looking at our opening times. At the moment we are open three times a week 10-4 (more or less my working hours). We are looking into extending the opening times to some degree with the help of library staff and I would be very interested to hear about arrangements and level of service provided elsewhere assuming that the staff does not have any background in archives.  We are also looking at the other end of the spectrum and allowing access by appointment only with and without trained archive staff.

I would really appreciate if members could share their experiences and suggestions relating to any of the questions above. Please contact me off-list at [log in to unmask] ; I am very happy to provide a summary of the responses if others are interested.

Many thanks
Kornelia 

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