Of all the main 'national' repositories in Scotland, two are used regularly by genealogists, the National Records of Scotland (www.nrscotland.gov.uk), and the National Library of Scotland (www.nls.uk).
The former defines itself as follows:
"National Records of Scotland (NRS) is a Non-Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government. Our purpose is to collect, preserve and produce information about Scotland's people and history and make it available to inform current and future generations.
We were established on 1 April 2011, following the merger of the
General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) and the National Archives of
Scotland (NAS). For administrative purposes we sit within the Scottish
Government’s Constitution and External Affairs portfolio.
We are headed by Paul Lowe, our Chief Executive, who fulfils the
roles of two non-ministerial office holders – the Registrar General for
Scotland and the Keeper of the Records of Scotland." (https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/about-us)
The latter defines itself as follows:
"The National Library of Scotland is a reference library with
world-class collections. It is also Scotland's largest library and one
of the major research libraries in Europe.
Our collections range
from rare historical documents to online journals, covering every
subject. We specialise in Scotland's knowledge, history and culture." (https://www.nls.uk/about-us/)
On the NLS site this is immediately accompanied with a link to a 5 year 'Reaching People' strategy:
"'Reaching People: Library Strategy 2020-2025' sets out the National
Library of Scotland's mission, vision and priorities as the organisation
approaches its centenary.
Our key focus will be on connecting with people and enriching their
lives, with outstanding digital engagement at the forefront of our
activities.
By 2025, the year of its 100th anniversary, we aim to be a place
where people of all ages and backgrounds in Scotland can feel it is their national library." (https://www.nls.uk/strategy/)
Within the Reaching People strategy is the following line:
"The first five years of our 10-year journey to our centenary focussed on
building infrastructure, capacity and resilience, while growing
partnerships, reputation and income. The second period concentrates on
sharing information, knowledge and experiences with a diverse audience
in Scotland and around the globe."
I've tried to find an equivalent mission statement or strategy on the NRS site, but cannot find one, only very detailed mission statements about what its responsibilities are as a Non-Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government (e.g. https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/about-us/what-we-do).
Both organisations' web platforms offer a great deal of information on how to carry out family history research and the various records on offer, many of which have been placed online. For many years, both organisations have been Edinburgh based institutions requiring you to visit Edinburgh to use their services, with seemingly little effort for them to come out to visit the rest of Scotland.
The NLS in the last few years, however, has shifted into a new gear. It has engaged in a mass digitisation programme in partnership with the Internet Archive, it has opened a facility in Glasgow (https://www.nls.uk/using-the-library/kelvin-hall/), and as can be seen in its Reaching People strategy, it has a mission to make people "feel it is their national library".
A couple of days ago, I tweeted the following:
"Long term complaint here! Both@NRScotland and @NatLibScot would serve the people of #Scotland better if they had travelling exhibitions around the country, to local archives and libraries, on the mainland & in the islands. Why is so much history only accessible in Edinburgh?" Amost immediately I received a very welcome response from the NLS:
"Thank you for your comment, which was timely! We resumed our touring display programme last week. ‘Lifting the Lid’ – the history of food and drink in Scotland – has just launched at Montrose Museum and we’ll announce details of other venues around Scotland in the coming weeks."
And no response from the NRS.
For over a decade now I have been a participant on a user forum for another of the UK's national archives, PRONI, based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I've witnessed the extraordinary collaboration between the archive and other agencies across the country, with regards to developing ideas for events, for travelling exhibitions, and a great deal more besides - and yes, I know it is a much smaller country, with a slightly different remit, yadda yadda etc etc! Scotland is a big country, with its huge mainland, and its many
island communities - but whilst many roads in the country do indeed lead
to Edinburgh, in most cases, they have parallel lanes going in both
directions, but seemingly with archival traffic travelling in only one direction. What was the last great initiative that led the NRS to take its message and Scotland's stories, as held within its archives, directly out to Inverness, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Dumfries or Perth? Is it only a 'national' archive in the virtual world?
For many users, there is a desire for a service that they feel can serve their needs adequately, one that they can visit when required, but which they wish to see reach out to them also, to be part of a wider community of interest. Is this what the NRS has been offering over recent years?
Meanwhile, the archive finally dropped its Covid requirement to book a seat in advance yesterday, but from colleagues, I am informed only a handful of people were there yesterday morning at the Historical Search Room, and that today its computers are now seemingly down, affecting document ordering etc.
Don't the people of Scotland deserve better from their 'national' archive?
Chris
My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - 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. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
