The National Archives at Kew has announced proposals regarding major changes at its facility, in a bid to make efficiency savings. The proposals are to be discussed in public meetings tomorrow (2nd) at the facility and on the 11th and if agreed are expected to be implemented from early 2010. TNA staff and trade unions have already been briefed on the changes.
The following are two of the main proposals, from a TNA press release:
Closure to the public on Mondays
Reading rooms will open from Tuesday to Saturday only. Closing on a Monday will allow us to reduce our ongoing running costs whilst continuing to provide a high-quality service.
Monday is already one of the quietest days so will have a lower impact on the public than any other day of closure.
Introducing car parking charges
Introducing charges for the use of the public car park will allow us to cover the costs of providing onsite parking and bring us in line with the Government’s green agenda. There will still be free parking available for visitors with a disability.
The National Archives is relatively unusual in providing free onsite parking for both visitors and staff (for example there is no onsite parking for staff or readers at the British Library’s St Pancras site or the National Archives of Scotland, while our neighbour Kew Gardens charges £6 flat rate for a day’s parking).
The facility also intends to introduce a new ordering service for documents, to restrict access to expert staff advice at the site in the evenings, and more.
Full details are available at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/changes-general-info.htm.
Expect this not to go down well...
Chris
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I had to laugh at the "free parking" comparison - I wasn't aware there was *any* parking at the National Archives of Scotland, free or otherwise!
ReplyDeleteAlison