I attended the latest stakeholder forum this morning for the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni), where I heard some very welcome news for readers who use the institution.
Having received new advice on best archival practice in the pandemic, PRONI is shortly intending to remove the need to pre-order the limited number of documents that you can currently look at, as it will no longer be required that documents be quarantined prior to a visit and after - this basically means that you will be able to order up any document whilst on site.
Just to add to the good news, the Public Search Room will also be re-opened, and access restored to the self-service microfilm area, with microfilm printer availability also. In addition, two of the four GRONI access terminals are to be restored, providing access to the https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk service for civil registration BMD events (including within the online closure periods), and access to two terminals restored for access to off-site resources (e.g. FindmyPast). Each attendee will be allocated a dedicated microfilm reader and a computer offering access to the on-site CALM catalogue, theirs for the duration of a visit.
A timeline has yet to be clarified, but it is intended that this will be implemented fairly imminent - not next week, but potentially by the back end of September, as there are some technical challenges to sort with removal of online ordering and other issues. Slots for research will still need to be booked in advance, and other Covid mitigations put in place (for example, a one way system for travel between the public search room and the historic documents room). PRONI intends to announce the specifics on these updates over the next week or two.
Please note - these measures are not yet in place, so please await the formal announcement!
Some other news from PRONI:
The on-site CALM catalogue (basically the version of the catalogue you see at the centre as opposed to that available online) has been in use for 14 years now. There has been an extension of the contract until next year, but a new catalogue system will then be implemented, the contract having gone to Axiell Collections. For the humble user, there will be a fresher feel to the system, but the actual functionality will be essentially the same, with no major changes foreseen.
On the cataloguing front, the following are amongst the materials being worked on recently (the references may not be accessible on the online catalogue yet):
- D4794 Reid family papers from 1806, including material from the Rev. James Seaton Reid
- D4780 Research papers from the Lost Lives book on Troubles victims
I was also delighted to
hear that papers from the Ultach Trust (Ulster Languages Traditions
and Culture) are also being catalogued for the first time. As a
student in the 1990s the agency was incredibly helpful with regards
to a student documentary I made on the use of the Irish language in
Ulster. This will be the first collection to be catalogued bilingually at PRONI in both English and Irish.
In terms of new accessions, there's a fair bit happening of interest to genies:
- Church of Ireland records from Inch in Co. Down – vestry records from 1757 onwards.
- St. Cedma's Church, Larne - baptisms from 1806, marriage records from 1817, and burials from 1826. Also the vestry records from 1763.
- Reformed Presbyterian Church - overseas missionary work registers from 1907, including work in Syria and other places.
Another big acquisition is a major update to Ulster Unionist Council material held at the archive, with fifty more boxes being deposited at PRONI, including seven boxes of material on the Ulster Vanguard movement.
There are also some further estate papers, and other materials to be worked on over the next few months, including potential acquisitions concerning Belfast's Jewish history, thanks to a partnership with the Belfast Jewish Community.
Dave Huddleston gave us an update on CAIN (the Conflict Archive on the Internet), which PRONI contributes to. There have been 24 million visits to the site now, with 87 million page views, and with links to 30 associated sites. Recent records added include 440 declassified documents from 1993-94, which discuss the IRA ceasefire. It was pointed out that the Clinton Library in the USA has further materials from the era, as indeed has the National Archives of Ireland, which can be cross-referenced to add further context.
On other fronts, the Mellon Centre for Migration Studies (https://mellonmigrationcentre.com) near Omagh has now re-opened once again, and the North of Ireland FHS (www.nifhs.org) has a new book coming out shortly on Belfast resources.
COMMENT: For all of us exiles on this side of the water, compare the service from PRONI with the service that we have had from the NRS in Edinburgh over the last year. PRONI deserves immense praise for the incredible lengths it has gone to serve its user base - it has been simply outstanding.
(With thanks to all at PRONI and others at the meeting)
Chris
Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
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