The project aims to improve skills and service delivery within the Scottish archives sector.

Funding of £513,400 has been awarded to help the Scottish Council on Archives to provide 18 traineeships over the next three years, working in partnership with archive services across Scotland.

The ‘Opening Up Scotland’s Archives’ project will take a holistic approach that brings together partner organisations. This co-operative approach will deliver training that supports service improvement across the archives sector: strengthened relationships with archives users; on-line access meeting identified user needs; collections made more representative of communities; support for on-going access to digital records; and facilitating wider access to older documents through learning of handwriting and related skills. Training will be delivered by means of annual bursaries, mentoring and working on a range of exciting projects which will allow trainees to develop a variety of skills they can take with them to future career and training opportunities.

Colin McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said: “Our archives are a valuable resource for anyone wanting to explore the history of Scotland or the communities within it. Through supporting these work-based placements, we are giving people the experience and skills to pursue a career in archives while ensuring that the sector as a whole is in a stronger position for the future.”

Scottish archives are the ‘documented memory’ of the nation, of its communities and organisations and of families and individuals. They capture the whole range of experience from epoch-changing events to the grind and joys of everyday life. Access to that heritage is a democratic right of the people. It also enriches the experience of visitors to Scotland.  

The Chair of the Scottish Council on Archives, Dr. Irene O’Brien, said: “This support from the Heritage Lottery Fund provides an exciting opportunity to improve vital skills within the archives sector. I say vital because they will help to open up archives – the ‘documented memory’ of the nation - to a wider range of users and do so in ways they want.”

Recruitment of the first trainees will commence in summer 2014 and placements will start in September 2014.

The scheme will be delivered in partnership with The National Archives (Kew), the Archives and Records Association UK and Ireland and the University of Dundee Centre for Archives and Information Studies.

The following archive services will be hosting traineeships related to Outreach and Community Engagement, Digitisation, Digital Preservation, Collections Development and Traditional Skills:

• East Lothian Council Archive Service
• Falkirk Community Trust Archive Service
• Glasgow City Archives
• Glasgow School of Art Archives and Collections Centre
• Midlothian Council Archive Service 
• Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS)
• South Ayrshire Council Archive Service
• Tasglann nan Eilean Siar (Archives of the Western Isles)
• The National Records of Scotland
• University of St Andrews, Special Collections 
• University of Dundee Archive Service
• University of Glasgow, Libraries, Archives and Special Collections

Notes to editors
Launched in July 2009, Skills for the Future is an HLF programme supporting organisations across the UK to create new training places.  HLF has awarded grants totalling £26.8m under this programme enabling high-quality work-based training, the development of new qualifications and capacity building in the sector.

About the Scottish Council on Archives
A Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SC044553) grant-aided by the Scottish Government, the Scottish Council on Archives is the lead advocate for archives in Scotland. It has an ambitious vision: “Leading Scotland’s archives and records management community to inspire and inform the nation.” The ethos of the organisation strongly favours partnership working within, and beyond the archives sector. Bringing together skills and expertise from diverse sources can efficiently improve service delivery and the experience of the growing range and numbers of users of archives.

The Scottish Council on Archives’ website that contains essential information about it and about developments within the sector – see the Scottish Council for Archives website The site includes issues of the monthly e-magazine Broadsheet.

Further information
Victoria Brown, Programmes and Development Manager, The Scottish Council on Archives on 0131 535 1362 and email v.brown@scottisharchives.org.uk