Presentation given at the 2014 ICA Section for Business and Labour Archives' conference in London. The presentation was about Scotland's National Strategy for Business Archives and our progress since the launch of the strategy in January 2011. Find out more about the Strategy online http://www.scottisharchives.org.uk/businessarchives and follow us @workingarchive

1. A National Strategy for
Business Archives in
Scotland: encouraging new
kinds of engagement
Kiara King, Ballast Trust Archivist

2. Vision
Business archives in Scotland will become even more
valuable, representative of economic activity and innovation,
accessible to all and supported and developed by strong
networks and partnerships

3. Business Archives in Scotland
• Scotland has rich business archive collections
• Status of business archives stronger than elsewhere in the
UK? Is this true and why?
• A holistic approach to collecting business archives
• Role of the Surveying Officer since 1977 (recently re-
established in 2014)
• Tradition of strong sector support and partnership working
led by BACS, National Records of Scotland, the National
Register of Archives for Scotland and the University of
Glasgow and recently Scottish Council on Archives
• Advantages of being a small country

4. What does our engagement look like?

5. Online Presence
www.scottisharchives.org.uk/businessarchives

6. Case Studies

7. Guidance & Training
• Meet the Archivists
• BACS/ARA Training Days
• Financial records
• Technical records
• Photographic records
• Training for museum
colleagues on archives
management
• Sessions with HATII and
CAIS students

8. The Working Archive
The Working Archive campaign aimed to encourage archives,
their users and the public at large to celebrate the heritage of
Scotland’s businesses; the records of the products and
services they delivered; and the legacy of working Scots of all
kinds - whether in business, farming, healthcare, education,
the church or government.
• 62,000 website views
• c. 60% of archives participated
• Visit from Cabinet Secretary for
Culture and External Affairs to exhibit
at National Records of Scotland
• 150 images of working lives
submitted
• Participation in awareness day at
Scottish Parliament

9. Social Media: Twitter & Blogging
@workingarchive
www/workingarchive.wordpress.com

10. Explore Your Archives
Repurposed case study
content and images using
‘explore’ templates
Allowed us to easily
participate in UK national
awareness campaign
Gave case studies a
second life

11. Events & Exhibitions
Scots at Work, May 2013
SCA’s
Business
Archive Day
at the
Scottish
Parliament

12. Reporting: Year 2 Review

13. Implementation Group
• Essential to engage with our own implementers and wider
stakeholders
• Active and dynamic group keeps strategy moving forward
into our 4th
year

14. Challenges
• Implementing a strategy
without a dedicated strategy
officer
• Securing buy-in from archives
• Engaging with the right
audiences…
• Connecting with business
• Digital records

15. Plans & Priorities
• Records at Risk & targeting Insolvency Practitioners
• Toolkit for engaging with academics
• Joint working with English & Welsh strategy
• Chambers of Commerce
• Corporate responsibility indices
5 year strategy

16. Thanks
www.scottisharchives.org.uk/businessarchives
@workingarchive