The discussion about benchmarking has proved most interesting.  I realise the Welsh HERs have so far not commented.  In my case this was because the introduction stated that the discussion was to guide English policy, which I understood to mean that EH were not terribly interested in our comments!  However, it seems like an opportune moment to give a little feedback based on the Welsh experience of using the existing set of benchmarks. 

In Wales the funding structure and a hiatus in HER data entry due to the development of a new shared HER system meant that we were able to turn our attention towards the creation of benchmarking documents.  We appreciate this is an entirely different situation to that in England where it appears on the whole that one person is attempting to maintain and update an HER while performing a range of other functions.  And I accept that writing some of the benchmarking documents does feel like a box-ticking exercise, but the burden of creation is lessened by sharing examples from others.  Additionally, if the benchmarks are subject to review, perhaps these should be the first to be modified.

All four Welsh HERs have been able to create sufficient documentation to allow us to be recognised by independent validation as having achieved the stage 1 benchmarks, although the benchmarks were slightly modified to reflect the Welsh system.  In order to prevent duplication of effort we shared expertise and led on different benchmark documents over a number of years, all of which we felt were useful in order to both contextualise the HERs and the environment in which they exist.  The documents are useful to extract summary information for web content and outreach materials and can be used as a point of reference to assist others in understanding the HER.  They have also been an aid to define what the HER is for ourselves and others.  Of particular use is the Benchmark relating to manuals for use and maintenance of the record which can be supplied to new employees and others working on the data.  The process of creation of the documents has also been useful in identifying the materials that fall under the jurisdiction of the HER staff and those which are the responsibility of others, eg the archive material (temporary or longer term) that is created and housed within our building.  Creating a collection policy and photograph management policy highlighted priorities for data creation when HER deposition is the intended product, just as the disposal policy highlighted what materials should not be retained within the HER but passed to an accredited archive repository or discarded.

The creation of the audit is a useful (albeit time-consuming) exercise in understanding what the HERs actually consist of.  In Wales we did not complete any database content and instead simply created an audit document describing and illustrating the research and its outcomes based on a specification circulated by the RCAHMW.  We found that the burden of work was lessened by the existence of benchmarking documents (or it could instead contribute to their creation) as some of the content is similar enough to simply import and slightly modify benchmark document text for the purposes of the audit.  

It is vital to understand the content and constituent parts of an HER in order to manage it effectively and the audits highlighted areas of the records which require improvement.  We created action plans and targeted these identified areas through our funding streams in order to improve the content and quality of the HERs.  

Quality issues are addressed when they can be, and as already highlighted in these discussions, presence or absence of information and simple quality checks (eg erroneous entries in controlled fields) can be performed through such processes as the audit, but the actual accuracy of data is more difficult and can only be improved through feedback from those using the data.  If some contractors feel that all NGRs and other data should be accurate then they should feed all cleaning up of HER data that they undertake for their clients back to the HER (and highlight it as such) in order to rectify mistakes.  It is important for the archaeological community as a whole to take some responsibility as users of, and therefore contributors to, HERs.  HER officers could not possibly visit each site/feature recorded in order to verify each and every element of the data (nor should they be expected to do so).  Contractors/others who undertake fieldwork are in the position of being able to check accuracy and we feel it is their responsibility as HER users to do this.  The Welsh access and charging guidance (that users sign up to when receiving HER data) clearly states that users are responsible for the accuracy of the information and requests that new or amended information is made available.

Adherence to recognised data standards, as promoted through the benchmarks, has improved the interoperability and interpretational value of the HER data in Wales and we strive to ensure that the four records use the same terminology for this purpose.  We meet under the auspices of the Extended National Database (END) with the RCAHMW (NMRW), the National Museum, and others,  on a quarterly basis in order to work on terminology and data standards issues.  The benchmarks have again proved a useful context for some of this work and have driven aspects of it.  While these opportunities may be simply be a reflection of the different structure of archaeology in Wales, and while it is certainly a strength inherent in the system, we do all consider the benchmark and audit process to be a valuable contribution to the HERs.

Finally, while it is a perfectly understandable argument that bureaucratic documentation stifles creative development and wastes precious time that could be used elsewhere, the experience in Wales is that the HER benchmarks provide a useful framework within which the HERs can operate and allows HER officers the opportunity to define the service they do (and wish to) provide, supported by documentation that can be used as we see fit.

Nina
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Nina Steele 
Uwch Archaeolegydd Cofnod yr Amgylchedd Hanesyddol - Senior Historic Environment Record Archaeologist
 
 
Gwynedd Archaeological Trust
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