Our standards
Our role
The role of the Archive Service is to locate, collect and preserve archives relating to past and present life in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent and to make them available to the residents and its visitors.
Our services include:
- storage, conservation and management of archive collections to national standards
- reading rooms to enable people to consult archives for research
- copying and research services
- published and widely accessible information about the archive collections in our care
- talks and exhibitions about archives
As a service we recognise the importance of equality of opportunity and we are committed to the provision and delivery of fair and equal services to all members of the community.
Our commitment to you
You can expect an archive service which:
- is courteous, informative and responsive
- is accessible
- consults its users
- strives continuously to improve its services to the public
- monitors and publishes the details of its performance against its targets
- aims to put things right if they go wrong
- provides value for money
- is committed to training and developing its staff
- co-operates with other organisations to enhance service delivery
Copies of our policies on customer care, preservation, reprographics, Information Technology and access and the Code of Conduct for readers can be obtained from any of the addresses listed at the end of this leaflet.
Your commitment to us
We ask you to:
- show courtesy and consideration to our staff and others at all times
- observe the Code of Conduct and Procedures for Users for the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service
- recognise that at the busiest times there may be a delay before we can help you
- tell us if things go wrong - a full copy of our complaints procedure can be obtained from any of the addresses listed on the back page of this leaflet
- help us to preserve Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent's archival heritage
Our Standards
Personal Visits
If you visit Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Archive Service, you can expect:
General Standards:
- a friendly welcome, from clearly identifiable staff
- assistance in using the reading rooms
- assistance in identifying the records necessary for your enquiry
- availability of original documents and microforms within the limits of the Archive Service's security, conservation, and access policies
Production of original documents:
- We aim to produce documents within 20 minutes of your request being made. If undue delays are likely to occur, we will keep you informed.
- We will aim to produce documents kept in out storage or specialised storage within 2 working days.
Postal and email enquiries
If you write to us about the services we provide, or about the contents of collections, you can expect a reply within 5 working days. For more complex archival enquiries an acknowledgement will be sent within 5 working days and a full reply within 20 working days. If we are unable to assist you because we do not hold the records required for your research, we will always try to suggest an alternative line of enquiry for you to follow.
Telephone enquiries
We aim to answer all telephone calls promptly and courteously. Our staff will always be happy to give you their name and will endeavour to help you to the best of their ability. If we are unable to assist you because we do not hold the relevant records we will always try to refer you to an appropriate organisation.
Copying services
Our standard is to notify you of the completion and cost of your copies/microform prints from the receipt of your order within:
- 8 working days at Staffordshire Record Office
- 6 working days at Stoke on Trent City Archives
Research services
Our standard is to notify you of the completion and cost of your research from the receipt of you order within:
- 15 working days at Staffordshire Record Office
- 15 working days at Stoke on Trent City Archives
You can expect a report detailing the results of the research and suggestions for follow-up research, where appropriate.
Talks about Archives
We aim to respond positively to requests from local organisations for talks about the archive collections in our care.
Acquiring and preserving archive collections
- We will actively seek to acquire and preserve archive collections relating to past and present life in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent within the terms of our Acquisitions Policy and make them available for people to use.
- We will respond to all approaches relating to the deposit or donation of archive collections
- We will accession all new collections and send a final acknowledgement and receipt from the office of deposit within 12 days of their receipt
- We will provide specialist archive storage to prescribed national standards as required, administered and inspected through The National Archives
- We will conserve original archives to prescribed national standards and within the terms of our Preservation and Conservation Policy
- We will catalogue collections to prescribed international cataloguing standards and will make such catalogues available online
- Copies of our Terms of Deposit, Acquisitions Policy and Preservation and Conservation Policy are available on request.
Contact details
Joanna Terry, Head of Archive Services
Staffordshire Record Office, Eastagate Street, Stafford, ST16 2LZ
Tel: 01785 278380
Fax: 01785 278414
Email: joanna.terry@staffordshire.gov.uk
Staffordshire Record Office
Chris Copp, Collections Manager
Staffordshire Record Office, Eastagate Street, Stafford, ST16 2LZ
Tel: 01785 895181
Fax: 01785 278384
Email: chris.copp@staffordshire.gov.uk
Stoke on Trent City Archives
Louise Ferriday, Archives Service Manager
Hanley Library, Bethesda Street, Hanley, Stoke on Trent, ST1 3RS
Tel: 01782 238420
Fax: 01782 238499
Email louise.ferriday@stoke.gov.uk