Buckinghamshire’s archives receive Accredited Archives Services award
Buckinghamshire’s archives have won national accreditation for its management and service to the county’s residents.
Buckinghamshire’s archive service is one of 17 archives services across the country to receive the Accredited Archives Services award, bringing to 141 the total number of services nationally with accreditation.
The team running Buckinghamshire County Council’s archives manage around 750 cubic metres of records and artefacts, equivalent to nearly 12 double deck bus loads, the earliest of which is a grant of land to the monks of Biddlesden Abbey, dating from around 1150.
The accreditation acknowledges the archives service’s expert staff, who are clear about their mission, plan effectively, make sound decisions and use resources well.
A delighted Laura Cotton, who heads the team of 17 staff and 42 volunteers, said: ‘This is a wonderful acknowledgement of the high quality of the work we do to preserve the unique and irreplaceable collections in our care, of our efforts to make them available to the people of Buckinghamshire and beyond, and of our plans to ensure they remain safe for generations to come.‘
Noel Brown, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Public Health, said: ‘We recognise the importance of preserving the county’s heritage records and I want to congratulate our great team, who are well known for their expertise, knowledge and for providing a superb service to those who use our archives.‘
The award was granted by the UK Archive Service Accreditation Committee, which represents the nation’s archives sector.