Report to Heritage Lottery Fund
July 1999
Report No 5
Issues
Issues Resolved:
Issue 99/1 Contracts
Issue 99/2 Request from Participant
Archives on Finding Aids
Issue 99/3 Cashflow
It
was agreed to keep this matter under review.
Issue 99/4 ICT Report
Verbal
agreement to the conclusions were given by phone by Seamus Ross to Rob Mildren
on 22 July and restated in an e-mail received on 4 August. To avoid further delays, procurement will
now go ahead.
Issue 99/5 Communications
No
response has been received to the Project Initiation Document, sent to HLF and
evaluators on 18 June.
No
response has yet been received to the first drawdown request, sent on 13
July.
A
mechanism for formal sign-off of such documents is needed.
No
other issues have been identified at this time.
Progress
Top Level Finding Aids
Dr
Borthwick attended a 2-day Encoded Archival Description (EAD) workshop, held at
University College, Dublin, 15-16 July.
The course was led by Michael Fox (Minnesota Historical Society) and
Kris Kiesling (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at
Austin). This was a very useful
opportunity to learn about the application of EAD from tutors who were in from
the start of its development. SCAN
requires to consider the application of EAD to the TLFA part of the project,
and this course together with the Conference in September provides the
opportunity for informed consideration of the matter.
Arrangements
are in hand for some informal visits to participating archives to view the ‘lie
of the land’.
Special Archive Services
Project
Joanna
Baird has continued work on the prototype Scottish Archive Network web-site.
The main features developed during this period were the ‘Yellow Pages’,
together with some ‘Features’ which included the ‘document of the week’ as well
as a glossary of useful Scottish words.
Joanna Baird has been working with Hazel Anderson on the prototype of
the ‘Scottish Wills’ section of the web-site which will include images and
transcripts of testaments. Joanna Baird and Ishbel Barnes met with two
photographers from the National Railway Museum in York regarding a future
exhibition for the Scottish Archive Network web-site. Arrangements were made for informal visits to
participating archives to be made during the month of August.
Testaments Project
Checking
of the St Andrews commissary index is almost complete. With the help of Joanna Baird and Rob Mildren the search
fields for the on-line index have been determined and the re-keyed index
converted to a data base.
A
number of 16th and 17th century testaments have been digitally captured for the
prototype web-site and transcripts made of the earliest (and hardest to read)
ones. A glossary of words unfamiliar to the general reader is being compiled in
co-operation with Joanna Baird.
Preparation
of the conservation database is now complete, and already some of the volumes
from St Andrews commissary have been withdrawn for treatment.
New
microfilm reader-printers have been installed by NAS Reprographic Branch in the
Historical Search Room in readiness for the withdrawal of the original St
Andrews testaments.
Throughput Reports
As
no comment has been received from HLF to the Project Initiation Document
submitted on 18 June, it will be presented at the Project Board meeting on11
August for approval, together with the first detailed monthly plans (initially
for the period to 30 September) for the different sub projects (TLFAs, Special
Services, Wills, IT). Measurement of
throughput will in future be judged against these plans.
Costs
As
no response has yet been received on the first drawdown request, submitted on
13 July, the second request is being held back until the result of the first is
known, to avoid duplicating any errors.
Staff
|
Total Staff Employed at 31
July 1999 |
5 |
|
New Appointments |
0 |
|
Posts backfilled |
all |
|
|
|
Recruitment
of two conservators from outside NAS is expected on 2 August and 14 September
respectively.
Applications
for 5 curatorial posts closed on 16 July.
There were 116 candidates for these and several NAS posts. The initial sift took place on 30 July and interviews will be held from 18
August.
Procurement
No
procurement during the reporting period.
Participating Archives
|
No of Participating
Archives at month end |
46 |
|
Changes since last report |
+1 |
Royal
Bank of Scotland archives have indicated they wished to participate. While not eligible for equipment, they will
be able to supply finding aid and other data to the network.
Statistics on Use of Network
Facilities
Nothing
to report
Users
Nothing
to report
Project Board
The
first meeting is scheduled for 11 August at 13.00 at Thomas Thomson House,
Edinburgh.
6 August 1999