Agenda item

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Adults and Communities which provided an update on Phase One of the Collections and Learning Hub Project, the re-siting of the Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland (ROLLR) to the County Hall campus, and, as part of forthcoming stakeholder engagement, presented an opportunity for the Committee to shape the design brief. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 10’ is filed with these minutes.

The Cabinet Lead Member for Adults and Communities, Mr R Blunt CC, confirmed that he supported the two-phase approach to the Collections and Learning Hub project.  He recognised the need to relocate the records officer, in order to keep records safe and was comfortable with the proposal to relocate to County Hall, which was a broadly central location.

Arising from the discussion, the following comments were raised:

i)     A Member expressed concern that as the world of digitalisation progresses, hard copy records may no longer be kept. It was felt important, particularly in terms of social history, that future generations were still able to access and refer to local documents.

ii)    In response to a question, it was confirmed that timescales for starting the build of the Record Office were indicative at this stage and would be adapted around the project as it evolved. The visit to the Hereford Record Office, which was an example of a modern archive, had provided useful insight and information that had helped shape the process.

iii)   It was noted that Wigston residents were disappointed that the Records Office was being relocated.  They felt that the current records offices were well used, with a town centre location and access to car parking.  Concern was also expressed regarding use of the existing site once the relocation had taken place. It was confirmed there were currently no plans for the existing site, but that information would be available at the appropriate time. The Cabinet Lead Member suggested this could be an opportunity for local members and their constituents to make suggestions on ways to maximise the use of the old site.

iv)   The consideration of a Changing Places facility as part of the design brief for the new records office was welcomed.

v)    It was confirmed that a project to digitalise existing records was underway, particularly focused on popular records.  Although the number of people physically searching for documents had reduced, there had been an increase in people accessing records remotely.  As a result, those who came to the records office were generally more well informed. It was seen as a positive that routes of access were broadening and changing rather than there being a decline in service users.

vi)   It was noted that the requirement for the new records office to have sufficient storage for the next 25 years was an approximation based on the knowledge of archivists.  There was a risk that, after 25 years, more storage space would be required; however, it was expected that the increase in digital records would offset this risk. 

vii)  A member queried why the original proposal of a Collections and Learning Hub on the same site was no longer being pursued.  It was confirmed that the project had been scaled back to make it affordable.  Phase 2 of the project would see the Creative Learning Service Collections and the Museum Collections, which were currently scattered around the county, brought together in the Eastern Annexe.  The separate teams had already been brought together under one management service to maximise opportunities for collaborative working.  It was not expected that schools would visit the collections hub; rather they bought into the service so that they could receive artefacts in their schools.  The timescale for the development of the Collections Hub was not known but the Committee would continue to receive regular programme reports.

RESOLVED:

(a)  That the update on Phase One of the Collections and Learning Hub Project be noted;

(b)  That members of the Committee be requested to put forward suggestions for consideration that they or their constituents may have with regard to maximising the use of the old site once the relocation has taken place.