Day 17 - The National Archives

After an emotional morning on Tuesday, our second day in Edinburgh, I met with the LIS group in front of the National Archives of Scotland for our afternoon tour.

The NAS preserves, protects, and promotes Scotland's records while providing access to the archives in order to educate, inform and engage. The NAS is headed by the Keeper of the Records of Scotland. In the early history of the NAS, it was known as the Scottish Record Office. Many of Scotland's records were taken out of the country in the 13th century during the Wars of Independence as well as in the 17th century. Therefore, many records were lost and the earliest Scottish public record is the 1189 Quitclaim of Canterbury. The oldest private record in the NAS is a 1127 charter by David I to the church of St. Cuthbert in Edinburgh. In 1999, the Scottish Record Office was renamed the National Archive of Scotland.

Each year, the NAS sees about 12,000 visits to its search rooms and provides visitors with access to around 250,000 records. There are about 160 employed at the NAS, including archivists, conservators, ICT and other specialists and administrative staff.

For our tour, we were guided by Margaret McBride who took us to meeting room for a slide presentation and a look at some of the materials in the archive. The National Archives is a government agency funded by the government with three buildings: General Register House, West Register House, and Thomas Thomson House, and two divisions: Record services and Corporate Services.

The NAS houses around 250,000 records dating from the 12th century to the 21st century. It uses an online catalogue as well as the paper catalogue, as there is just too much to go completely digital. There are eight online sites associated with the NAS including a site about handwriting identification and a tartan design site.

Those wishing to gain access to the records are issued a readers ticket that is valid for three years. All that is need is proper identification and a passport photo. Readers can get digital copies of materials for £2.50 for five pages, though they are not allowed to take digital photos themselves.

After the presentation, we had the chance to look at a few materials on display. It was interesting to thumb through the history of the people of Scotland and get a feel for what it was like. Ms. McBride was very helpful and assisted a few students in searching for information on their ancestors.

Until next time.

First Photo from http://www.nas.gov.uk/about/default.asp