Report to Heritage Lottery Fund

January 2000          

Report No 11

 

Issues

 

 

Issues Not Resolved

 

Issue 99/3 Cashflow

Formally this remains unresolved.

Issue  99/6

Delays in appointing staff.

The IT posts have now been advertised and applicants will be interviewed in February.

.

 

Progress

 

Top Level Finding Aids Project

Each of John MacKenzie, Rachael Third and Jo Peattie spent several days undertaking the creation of TLFAs for respectively Falkirk Museum History Research Centre, Angus Archives and Perth and Kinross Council Archives, under the general guidance of Alan Borthwick and of the appropriate head of repository.   By the end of January, the state of play on each was as follows: Falkirk: almost all TLFA entries drafted, all checking yet to be carried out; Angus: TLFA reckoned to be about three-quarters complete in draft only; and Perth: TLFA reckoned to be about two-thirds complete in draft only.  In the absence of the SCAN IT complement, it was difficult to make much progress with data output consideration, and the TLFA project has therefore concentrated for now on creating TLFA entries which will be available for experimentation by the IT staff when they arrive.

 

Alan Borthwick attended a meeting of the Higher Education Archives Hub Steering Committee in London on 12 January.  This Hub is a little more advanced than SCAN, certainly in mounting TLFA data on web-site for general access, although it is encountering some of the problems common in this type of work (eg definition of a collection, detail to be provided in each TLFA entry, and in general consistency across the participants). 

 

Dick Sargent of the National Register of Archives, London, paid a visit on 20 January to talk to the TLFA team members about the NRA’s work on name authority records.  Later Mr Sargent was able to provide electronic copies of some name authority record data he had received, which he is presently evaluating.   It was noted that Mr Sargent in general found that the approach being adopted by SCAN fitted with what data he hoped to collect for record creating bodies whose records are in Scottish archives.

 

Special Archive Services Project

3 Web-site design tenders were received during the week beginning 10 January 2000. These were duly circulated them to SCAN colleagues for their evaluation before the final decision is made.

 

Joanna Baird and Robin Urquhart arranged 3 visits to participating archives. One visit to Perth & Kinross Council archives took place on Monday 24 January and the other two visits are arranged for Tuesday 1 February. The visit to Perth & Kinross provided an opportunity to take further photographs for the Virtual Tour feature, to collect information for potential Knowledge Base entries, and to discuss the individual requirements of the archives re the SCAN web-site.

 

Work begun on developing an exhibition on herbal remedies to appear on the SCAN site.

 

Joanna drafted a questionnaire to be completed by each participating archive which was dispatched on 31 January.  This covered topics regarding the existing web-sites of participating archive where present, and how they would like to be represented on the SCAN web-site.

 

Joanna Baird and Robin Urquhart liaised with David Brown of the National Archives of Scotland regarding the quality control of Knowledge Base entries created by SCAN. The NAS have agreed to quality control SCAN entries.

 

The publications of the Scottish Records Association were added to the Virtual Bookshop. 

 

A simple Access database was created to record images created by SCAN – however there was no opportunity to test this in January.

 

Work was begun on the developing the ‘Useful Links’ part of the prototype web-site.  Robin Urquhart created 5 web-pages which will be the basis for the Family History part of the prototype web-site. 4 leaflets from participant archives were added to the Yellow Pages part of the prototype web-site.

 

Joanna Baird compiled a job description for a digital imaging technician and submitted it to Steven Craig of Scottish Executive Personnel for inclusion in an internal advertisement.

 

The prototype web-site was made available internally to staff of the National Archives from 31 January.

 

Work continued on:-

 

Testaments Project

One of the two applicants for the conservator post withdrew before the interview date (26 January). It was decided to cancel the interview for the remaining candidate and offer her the post. Her reply is awaited

 

Trials for 4 cameras from three of the tender bids were arranged for the w/c 7 February.

Hazel Anderson met with Wayne Metcalfe and Geoffrey Mawlam of the GSU to agree a timetable for a trial installation of their camera in February and technical support from their HQ and European staff.

 

In accordance with the timetable agreed with NAS reader services, the registers of 16th century Edinburgh testaments (CC8/8/1-35) were withdrawn from public use on 17th January and sent to the SCAN conservators for assessment.

 

As agreed with ADS, the data-capture contractor, the re-keyed index of Moray Commissary Court testaments (CC16/4) was submitted as a test disk. The whole disk was checked and, as a result, the verifying prodedure for the dates was modified. An agreed timetable for the rest of the re-keying was agreed.

 

Work continued on

- the Wills pages for the SCAN prototype website in conjunction with SAS.(Margaret Fox).

- checking, selecting and numbering the pre-1824 warrants series of Aberdeen testaments (CC1/6). (Jane Hill).

 - paginating and indexing post-1824 Aberdeen testaments registers. (Mr and Mrs Blakely, GSU volunteers).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughput Reports

 

Special Archive Services

 

November - December 1999- Achieved

January 2000 - Achieved

February 2000 - Predicted

Topic Pages - drafted

10 

2

3

Frequently Asked Questions  - drafted

21

17

12

Topic Pages  - quality-controlled

0

0

3

Frequently Asked Questions - quality-controlled

0

0

10

 

TLFAs

 

December 1999- Achieved

January 2000 - Achieved

February 2000 - Predicted

TLFA entries -drafted

450 

1100

300

TLFA entries  - quality controlled

0

0

0

TLFA entries  - agreed

0

0

0

 

The January achieved and February predicted totals differ widely because for each of the three current TLFAs work is nearing completion, and there will therefore be very little to count for them in February.  Until momentum has been built up in the next group of TLFAs there will be little done in draft form.  It is unlikely that with existing commitments that any quality control work will happen in February, and therefore no TLFA entries can be formally completed.

 

Testaments

Conservation

 

December 1999

Achieved

January 2000

Achieved

February 2000

Predicted

Vols. assessed

0

0

35

Folios cleaned

2850 (Nov-Dec)

0

1500

Vols. paginated

5699 pp (Aug-Dec)

1/335 ff

11

Folios conserved

349

187

No estimate

Vols.rebound

0

0

4

Vols. completed

10

12

3

 

Editorial

 

December 1999

Achieved

January 2000

Achieved

February 2000

Predicted

Warrants (CC1/6)

 

 

 

Folders checked

16 (1-16)

16 (17-32)

13 (33-45)

Pages numbered

3906

4256

3000

Testaments registers (CC1/36)

 

 

 

Index entries created

2000

3000

3000

Vols/Pages numbered

15/19864

16/31873

15/25000

                                   

   Costs

 

Unchanged.

 

Staff

 

Total Staff Employed at 31 January 2000

14

New Appointments

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Procurement

In Progress

Digital cameras

Website design

 

Participating Archives

 

No of Participating Archives at month end

47

Changes since last report

0

 

 

Statistics on Use of Network Facilities

None available

 

Users

A list of names of the members of the users group follows at the end of this report.
 

 

Project Board

The Board met on 12 January. The minutes are appended to this report.

 

 

Ishbel Barnes

18 February 2000

 

 

 

 

Notes of Project Board Meeting

12 January 2000

 

Present: Ishbel Barnes, Rob Mildren, Stuart Low. Apologies: George MacKenzie

 

1.   Review of December work plans and agreement on January work plans:

 

1. 1      Testaments sub-Project

 

1.1.1    It was noted that there had been some slippage due to delays in

acquiring digital cameras and in the recruitment of conservation staff.

1.1.2    Two conservators have applied for the conservator post and interviews should take place on 26/01/00.

1.1.3    The audit trail is now complete.

            1.1.4    Representatives of the GSU will be visiting SCAN w/c 17/01/00.

1.1.5    Work on the Edinburgh testaments is about to begin.

1.1.6    Digital cameras are due to be delivered in February for 1 week, on-site, trials.

 

The sub-Project work plan for February was approved. 

 

2.2       Top Level Finding Aids sub-Project

 

2.2.1    It was noted that there were still some difficulties associated with the creation of Name Authority files. Ishbel Barnes is meeting Dick Sargent on 20/01/00 to resolve any remaining difficulties.

2.2.2    It was noted that the work on biographic/administrative histories was not proceeding as quickly as planned. It was suggested that the situation be reviewed in August to allow a benchmark checking time to be established.

 

The sub-Project work plan for February was approved.

 

2.3       Special Archive Services sub-Project

 

2.3.1    Web site tendering – see item 4.

2.3.2    The prototype web site should be available on the intranet to all NAS staff by the end of January.

 

The sub-Project work plan for February was approved. 

 

3          Staffing

3.1       The project administrator took up post on 10/01/00.

3.2       The two IT vacancies have now been advertised and interviews will take place in February.

Interviews for the remaining conservator post will take place in January.

3.3       It was agreed that the recruitment process for one of the Digital Imaging posts should start now.

3.4       It was agreed that a monthly statement of salaries must be obtained from the Scottish Executive even though they are at present only able to provide them quarterly.

3.5       An invoicing system needs to be set up for GSU staff in order to draw down nominated funding from HLF. An invoice is initially required for the period November to December 1999.

 

4.                  Tenders

 

4.1              Three tenders for the web site are currently being considered.

4.2       It was agreed to discuss the financial implications of choosing the more expensive tender options with the HLF.

 

5.         Finance

 

5.1       Rob Mildren and Stuart Low will meet with Jim Grady on 14/01/2000.

 

 

The next Project Board meeting will be held on 16 February at 10.00 in Thomas Thomson House, Bankhead Crossway North, Edinburgh.

 

SL

12 January 2000

 

User Group Members as at 18/02/00.

 

First Name

Last Name

Company

Alan

Macfarlane

 

Alastair

Durie

Glasgow University

Alex

Murdoch

University of Edinburgh

Bob

Morris

University of Edinburgh

Chris

McCluskey

University of Edinburgh

David

Alston

Cromarty Court House Museum

Gavin

McCarthy

Australian Science & Technology Heritage Centre

Jim

Robertson

Dundee University

Jim

Thomson

Scottish Local History Forum

Liz

Ewan

University of Guelph

Maggie

Craig

Scottish Women's History Network

Martin

Macintyre

University of the Highlands & Islands

Robbie

Third

 

Robert

Cain

North Carolina State Archives

Rosemary

Bigwood

 

Sam

Henry

Scottish Association of History Teachers

Sonja

Cameron

University of Glasgow

TBA

 

University of Edinburgh

TBA

 

Aberdeen & Northeast Family History Society