Gwynedd Council’s Archives Service has received high praise in an independent survey of archives throughout Wales and England.
For the second time running, Gwynedd Council’s Archives have secured the four star standard – the highest possible – from the National Archives who have been measuring performance across all areas of the service.
Gwynedd Council’s Archives Service – located at the Caernarfon and Dolgellau Record Offices – offer a wide-range of services for members of the public. The record offices offer a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in researching their family tree or finding out about the history of your local community, and they’re also responsible for preserving a range of historical documents which are of national and local importance.
The Council’s Archive Service gained an overall score of 79% when rating the different areas of provision – governance and staffing; documentation of collections; access services; preservation and conservation; buildings, security and environment. The average score across Wales was 61%.
Councillor Roy Owen, who leads on archives for Gwynedd Council, said:
“This independent survey underlines the fact that Gwynedd has one of the very best archives service – many congratulations to the staff who work so hard to ensure a quality service for the residents of the county.
“The hardworking and professional team is based at the record offices in Caernarfon and Dolgellau where there is an opportunity to view documents, photographs, maps and local newspapers relating to the county’s history.
“Preserving this heritage and making it accessible to the public is vitally important for the culture and identity of Gwynedd. It’s great to see that this careful stewardship has been recognised.”
For more information and to access the on-line catalogue visit the Gwynedd Council website: www.gwynedd.gov.uk/archives or phone (01286) 679 095 Caernarfon Record Office, (01341) 424 682 Meirionnydd Record Office.
