NERAC: North East Regional Archives Council
The membership of the North East Regional Archives Council comprises representatives of all the local authorities who run archive services (Co. Durham, Tyne & Wear, Teesside, Northumberland and Berwick upon Tweed), the Association of Chief Archivists in Local government, the British Association for Local History, the British Records Association, the Consortium of University Research Libraries and the standing Conference of national and University libraries (both of which represent university archives), the Federation of Family History societies, the North East England History Institute, the Royal Historical Society, the Society of Archivists, the Film Archive Forum and private archives in the region. Six places are available for invited regional bodies, of which one is currently taken by the Association of Northumberland Local History Societies. There are also observer places for The National Archives, the British Library, MLA NE and the Government Office of the North East.
The purpose of the Regional Archives Council is to discuss issues of general concern to archives in the region and to feed this discussion into both regional and national policy. The Council elects two representatives to the board of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council North East (MLA NE) and is thus able to feed areas of archival concern into this body, as well as being involved in the larger sectoral picture.
Some important issues facing the Regional Council at the moment are improving the housing of archives, and improving access through measures to deal with cataloguing backlogs, to give internet access to catalogue information and to digitise content from the rich resources within the region. The Council monitors funding opportunities such as A2A (Access to Archives) for retrospective electronic conversion of catalogues and new cataloguing, for digitisation of content, and the Heritage Lottery Fund generally.
The council has managed a number of successful collaborative projects including the retrospective conversion of catalogues relating to economic activity and to religion and education under the umbrella of A2A. Funding was also obtained through this scheme for cataloguing of records relating to church architects at Durham University and Tyne & Wear Archives. All this data is now available on the A2A website under the project titles "Picks and Pistons", Bell, Book and Candle" and "Ashington to Zanzibar".
The council, with the help of MLA North East, has also worked to increase general awareness of archives in the region, and has produced a CD-Rom "Hearts and Heartache" and a calendar for 2006, which was distributed widely both within the region and outside.
NERAC intends to continue to build on these successes and a number of ideas for future projects are in the pipeline.
Contact
Liz Rees
Tyne & Wear Archives Service
Blandford House
Blandford Square
Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4JA
Tel: 0191 232 6789
Fax: 0191 230 2614
Email: lizrees@gateshead.gov.uk
