We are now way past the pandemic, but it seems that we are now settled into a major reset with regards to ScotlandsPeople access provision at centres across the country.
The ScotlandsPeople Centre in Edinburgh remains accessible five days a week, with spaces bookable at https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/visit-us. Rate £15.
The Burns Monument Centre in Kilmarnock (https://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/CouncilAndGovernment/BirthMarriageAndDeath/Scotlands-People/ScotlandsPeopleCentre.aspx) continues to advertise that it is open three days a week from Tuesdays to Thursdays - however, in reality it has recently been offering just one day a week, and this can frustratingly fluctutate between a Wednesday and a Thursday. You can only book a place for the following week on a Friday morning. The centre has told me that this one day provision, down from five pre-pandemic, is due to "lack of demand and staffing provision". Rate £15.
The Glasgow Genealogy Centre (https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=17698) is open just two days a week, Mondays and Tuesdays, down from five pre-pandemic, and one Saturday a month. It is very difficult to get a booking that is not at least two months away ("Please note bookings for the Genealogy Centre can now only be made up to 8 weeks in advance. This applies to Saturday bookings also"), to the point where I have given up on trying. Those living in Glasgow can chance their arm to get a cancellation on the day itself, but it's a long way to travel for a remote possibility if you live further afield. In its most recent update, on February 5th, the centre reiterated that "We appreciate and fully understand that our clients who regularly use and access the centre, along with new visitors are frustrated with the reduced new opening times, however as the Family History Centre is a non-statutory service this is not a priority and unfortunately given other statutory elements of the work that we carry out, we are currently not in a position to open any other days at this time." Rate £15.
Inverness's Highlife Highland (https://www.highlifehighland.com/archives-service/family-history/) offers just four spaces on Tuesdays and Thursdays - but recently increased its rate to £20, rather than the £15 charged elsewhere in the country.
Clackmannanshire Council's Genealogy Service in Alloa (https://www.clacks.gov.uk/culture/genealogy/) offers access five days a week from 9am-4.30pm, but closes for lunch every day for an hour between 12.30 and 1.30pm. Rate £15.
Finally, Hawick Heritage Hub (https://www.liveborders.org.uk/borders-collection-online/scotlandspeople-and-research-services/), the heroes of the pandemic when it came to maintaining ScotlandsPeople centre access when everywhere else was closed, continues its excellent provision in the Borders five days a week. Rate £15.
The service provision in the west of Scotland, i.e. in Kilmarnock and Glasgow, has deteriorated to an appalling level since the pandemic. The last straw was this morning, when having secured a booking at Kilmarnock for today, I received a phone call whilst I was parking outside the centre to say that as there was no power going into the room, they would have to give me a refund or a gift voucher. That unfortunately is not a good enough basis on which I can rely on them for my research service needs, and so I will be defaulting to Edinburgh for the time being, until such times as either Glasgow or Kilmarnock can get their act together.
Chris
Order Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors in the UK at https://bit.ly/BelfastAncestors. Also available - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, on Threads at @scottishgenesblog and via Mastodon at https://mastodon.scot/@ScottishGENES.
And STILL no provision in Dumfries. I seriously doubt there ever will be.
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