[Bell Historians] Whitechapel records post 1945

[pickford5040 at gmail.com]

A brief response to Oliver's email. I am writing with two hats on - as
current archivist at Loughborough, but primarily as an archives professional
with a wider perspective on the matter (and author of the original "Standard
for Access to Archives" -
https://www.communityarchives.org.uk/content/resource-cahg/a-standard-for-ac
cess-for-archives).

 

There is no automatic right to access to archives in private ownership - nor
any obligation on owners to make them available for study. Where archives
have been placed in the care of a public repository (such as the London
Archives) it is usual for there to be public access to at least parts of the
collection alongside an expectation that the rest will become available for
use at some future date. The standard arrangement is for the owner and the
repository to agree on access terms that protect the former's interests (and
comply with considerations such as GDPR and commercial confidentiality)
while also allowing access in line with the repository's need to justify its
public expenditure on the care and management of the archive.

 

In that context, the arrangement for the Whitechapel archives at LMA is very
much in line with standard policies for such collections - and, in my view,
the balance of access and closure is probably about right. Bear in mind that
many business archives are lost altogether when business close down or go
into receivership etc, so we should be grateful to Alan and Kathryn Hughes
and the London Archives for working together to ensure that this particular
archive is preserved as it is. It is probably not helpful to enter into
public debate on the balance of access when, in fact, such a large part of
the archive IS available for public use. 

 

As it happens, I'm going to London tomorrow for a day's Whitechapel
research! 

 

Chris Pickford

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