Thanks to genealogist Kirsty Wilkinson via the Facebook page of the Scottish Genealogy Network (http://scottishgenealogynetwork.blogspot.com) for news that the ScotlandsPeople Centre (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) seems to be slightly extending access to five hours on a visit, and not the previous four. The email confirming seat bookings now states the following:
"Our search room will open at 10:00 and close at 15:00. We have now removed the need for specific arrival times so please keep socially distanced when you arrive."
There is also information on a new online booking system for seats which will soon be implemented:
"We are actively working to launch a new online seat booking system during September. We are hoping that you will be able to trial the new system for bookings from Tuesday 21 September. Further details will follow in the next 2 weeks."
Whilst undoubtedly a positive development, there is no indication yet of when the elite practice of only allowing professional genealogists access to the centre will end. The Historical Search Room at the NRS next door will be opening up its resources to everyone once again from September 6th (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2021/08/national-records-of-scotland-to-re-open.html). Hopefully this will be addressed very soon.
Note that access to the centres in Hawick (full day opening) and Kilmarnock (4 hour bookings) is currently open to all. Details of both centres is available at https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/local-family-history-centres.
There is also currently some limited access to the ScotlandsPeople service at the Inverness Registrars service, anyone wishing to use the service there is asked to email them at
inverness.registrars@highland.gov.uk for further information. Access at the Family History Centre in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, remains unavailable at present.
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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