Gloucestershire Archives is officially ‘Good to Go’

From Tuesday 4 August, visitors have been able to pre-book an appointment to access the unique collections on offer at Gloucestershire Archives at the Heritage Hub.

 

The Heritage Hub has been given the Visit England ‘We’re Good to Go’ industry standard and mark, which shows that it conforms to the latest Government and public health advice on Covid-19, and that all necessary safety measures have been taken to support social distancing and maintain cleanliness.

Appointments must be pre-booked, and visitors will be asked to book the documents they wish to see in advance by visiting https://forms.gloucestershire.gov.uk/DocumentPreorder. Anyone wishing to donate materials to Gloucestershire Archives, including contributions to the ‘Life in Lockdown’ project, must also book an appointment by contacting archives@gloucestershire.gov.uk (or by calling 01452 425294 for anyone without internet access).

Cllr Lynden Stowe, cabinet member responsible for Archives, said, “I’d like to thank everyone involved for their hard work to make sure that the Heritage Hub is safe to reopen to the public.

I’m really pleased that visitors will now be able to access the fantastic resources that Gloucestershire Archives has to offer, and would just ask them to be mindful of all of the safety measures that are in place to protect them and others.”

Further details are available on our website, here: https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/archives/plan-your-visit/covid-recovery/

Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Helen Bartlett, Senior Archivist, testing the new visors.

Good news for our volunteers

We're delighted to let all our volunteers know that Gloucestershire Archives is re-opening

We are taking bookings from now, for volunteers to return from Monday 24^th August.

In order to comply with current public health requirements, we now need to restrict the number of staff, volunteers, contractors and members of the public in the Heritage Hub building each day.  We have a strict booking system, which will also be used for NHS track and trace purposes if necessary.  

We will not be able to let in people who arrive without pre-booking.

At present we have 12 spaces for researchers, and 4 spaces dedicated to volunteers in the Frith Room. In addition we have two spaces per week for microfilm/fiche users.   We will be quarantining documents and books for 72 hours after use. 

Whilst we are very keen to welcome you back and to see you in person, we will need to prioritise and pre-book your visits and match you to a specific desk.

How you can help us

• Contact Rhianna.watson@gloucestershire.gov.uk to let her know if you are keen to return to your volunteering task soon, so she can allocate you a slot.
• Refrain from booking a researcher space for the first couple of weeks whilst we prioritise those with urgent business or legal needs.
• Register for an Archives and Records Association Archives card prior to your return to the Heritage Hub. Please see details below.

The new routine will be different, and I outline some of these new procedures below:

• Visitors, including volunteers, will need to make an appointment to come to Gloucestershire Archives.  

• All appointments will be on a timed arrival basis – that is, we will allocate a time for your arrival (your departure is any time up to 4.30pm, when we close).We may offer morning OR afternoon slots.   
• Face coverings – face masks or visors. We recommend you bring your own. 

• The CARN readers’ ticket scheme has been discontinued.   We require all researchers and volunteers to have a new Archives Card when they come to the Archives.. You will need to bring 2 forms of ID with you on your first visit (driving licence, utility bill, passport). To request the new Archives Card online please go to: www.archivescard.com 

• Please do not attend your pre-booked appointment if you develop symptoms of covid-19. But it would be helpful to know you are not coming so we can reallocate your space.

We are very keen to welcome back all of our volunteers. But we ask for your cooperation at this time. Our priority remains our duty of care to you, our staff, customers and visitors, as we strive to ensure your safety and welfare.

Sally Middleton - Community Heritage Development Manager

sally.middleton@gloucestershire.gov.uk