Advice and guidance
In addition to support from The National Archives, there is a wide range of useful resources available to help you look after records and archives of the arts. If you need further advice please email us.
Getting started
A selection of basic guides for looking after arts records and archives:
- Association of Performing Arts Collections (APAC) Starting Out Guide for Theatres and Theatre Companies
- University of Bristol Theatre Collection: Caring for Your Own Records
- The National Archives –Archive principles and practice: An introduction to archives for non-archivists (PDF, 0.29MB)
- Association of Independent Museums/The National Archives: Successfully Managing Archives in Museums’
- American Theatre Archive Project
Managing your current records
Organisations produce records every day in many different formats – it’s vital to manage the current records you use long before they become your archives:
The National Archives – Caring for archives
The National Archives – What to keep and Why (PDF, 0.11MB)
The National Archives – Managing electronic records (PDF, 0.66MB)
University of Bristol Theatre Collection: Caring for Your Own Records
Whilst originally developed for managing Charity records, the Management Framework for Retention and Transfer also provides an excellent overview of the categories of records that organisations should preserve long-term.
Digitisation
Digitisation is the process of creating a digital copy of a physical item and its associated information. This can be in order to improve or increase access, or for preservation purposes.
The National Archives – Digitisation at The National Archives
National Preservation Office: Managing the Digitisation of Library, Archive and Museum collections
SHARE Museums: A Guide to Digitisation
Transforming Tate Britain: Archives & Access
Managing your digital records
Digital records need the same level of care and management as paper, though they offer their own particular challenges. We’ve put together some key resources to give guidance on how to manage your digital records.
The National Archives:
- Preserving digital collections
- Novice to Know How digital preservation training
- Digital preservation workflow guidance
- Developing a digital preservation strategy and policy
- Identifying file formats: DROID
- Parsimonious (cheap) digital preservation
Association of Performing Arts Collections – Preserving born-digital material
OCLC Research: You’ve Got to Walk Before You Can Run: First Steps for Managing Born-Digital Content Received on Physical Media
Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR): Born digital: Guidance for Donors, Dealers and Archival Repositories
Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC):
- Digital preservation planning case study, Ed Fay, 2013
- Digital Preservation Coalition: Implement digital preservation
- Digital preservation handbook
- Digital preservation handbook – decision tree
Library of Congress (LOC): Personal Archiving: preserving your digital memories
Moving archives
Moving your archives from one location can be a complicated task – these resources offer some advice on how to go about this:
British Library Preservation Advisory Centre: Moving Collections
Major Archives Project Learning Exchange (MAPLE)
The National Archives can also offer advice and guidance on planning a collections move, please contact us
Copyright
Identifying the owner of copyright for arts collections can be a complex process, but there are a number of resources that can help you
Copyright user – specifically for the creative community; offers easy-to-understand and practical help
Own-it – Intellectual Property know-how for the creative sector from the University of the Arts London
CREATe: UK Copyright and Creative Economy Centre
Intellectual Property Office: copyright notice for digital images, photographs and the Internet
Intellectual Property Office: Orphan works and cultural heritage institutions
The National Archives: Orphans works: guidance for archive services on reasonable searches to identify rights holders
The Space: Digital Rights Toolkit
Design and Artists’ Copyright Society: Licensing artworks
For archivists with arts archives
Detailed resources for preservation, management, review and access to records and archives:
Collections Trust: Benchmarks 3.0 – Conservation Planning Tool
Collections Trust: Reviewing Significance Framework
Dorset History Centre: Archiving the Arts – Introduction and Guidance for Potential Depositors
Museum of London: e-learning tools on collection care
Screen Heritage UK: Screen Heritage UK handbook
The National Archives: Art and artists research guide
The National Archives: Collection Development
The National Archives: Film, television and the performing arts research guide
The National Archives: Large Cultural Infrastructure Projects guidance
The National Archives: Managing Mixed Collections guidance
Archiving the Arts
Archiving the Arts was an initiative to support arts archives in the UK, wherever they were held. Our active work on Archiving the Arts drew to a close in March 2016. We reached over 250 organisations and individuals, providing advice on good practice, development, partnerships and sources of funding.
The original Archiving the Arts pages have now been added to the UK Government Web Archive.
Where else to look
There is a range of specialist organisations and networks offering advice on particular elements of arts collections
Association of Performing Arts Collections (APAC)
ARA Section for Film, Sound and Photography
The Photographic Collections Network
Arts Council list of Subject Specialist Networks
British Library Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project
Group for Literacy Archives & Manuscripts
Art UK: Advice for Collections
UK & Ireland Art Libraries Society (ARLIS)
V&A: Caring or Your Possessions – advice on caring for a range of collections types and materials
The Space: Resources for delivering art projects on digital platforms
Joan Mitchell Foundation: Creating a Living Legacy Programme for Visual Artists
Or see our Networks and Collaboration pages