Large-scale transfer of archives from Tower Hamlets Town Hall, the council headquarters since 1993, to Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives at Bancroft Road.
Summary
Large-scale transfer of archives from Tower Hamlets Town Hall, the council headquarters since 1993, to Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives at Bancroft Road. The transfer of archives was a necessary part of the move of all council services to the new Town Hall in Whitechapel. The Archive Manager and Heritage Officers gave presentations to directors of the five directorates and the archive team issued guidance to staff. Documents were selected and transferred to the archives from 1800s-present representing an amazing range of services to the borough’s diverse communities.
The challenge
To support local authority staff to understand which documents needed to be moved so that the appropriate records and archives could be secured.
The solution
The Archive Manager and Heritage Officers gave presentations to directors of the five directorates: Children and Culture; Governance; Place; Resources; and Health, Adults and Community to advocate the importance of preserving council records. The archive team issued guidance to Town Hall staff on what records to look out for, referring to existing retention schedules. The team then made floor walks around Mulberry Place with members of Facilities Management to talk with staff to learn more about what material existed and explain the process of transferring historical records.
The impact
This process resulted in the official endorsement of the selection and transfer of records. This led to appropriate documents being selected and transferred to the archives.
Image credit: Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
How is the new approach being sustained?
Maintained contacts for future digital transfers from shared drive and minutes on ModernGov platform; planning files; and working with Information Governance on future retention schedules and training.
Lessons learned
It is vitally important to communicate policy and value of archives effectively with all staff from directors from the directorates involved to facilities and logistics teams and to walk the floor involving key staff.
Contact
Richard Wiltshire, Archives Manager, [email protected]
Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives
London Borough of Tower Hamlets