Presentation given at the launch of the Scottish Business History Network to celebrate the achievements of the National Strategy for Business Archives in Scotland.

1. A National Strategy for Business
Archives in Scotland
Achievements 2010-2016

2. A National Strategy for Business Archives in Scotland
Our 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. Strategy Timeline
Strategy
Launched
Data Mapping Project
concludes
The Working
Archive
awareness
campaign
Appointment of
Surveying Officer Launch of
Scottish Business
History Network
2011 2013
2012 2014
2015
2016
Speak about strategy
engagement at International
Council Archives’ conference
Published our
17th case study
Take part in UK ‘Explore
Your Archives’ awareness
campaign
Held our 21st
implementation group
meeting
BACS create Scotland’s
100 oldest companies
project
First ‘Meet the
Archivists’ workshop
Promote use of
business archives at
WDYTYA live
2010 Consultation
draft published

4. Strategic Goals
The National Strategy for Business Archives in Scotland was underpinned by a conviction that the records of Scottish
businesses were vitally important and provided crucial commentary not only on Scotland’s economic, political and
social development, but also on that of the UK and many countries around the world.
The Strategy’s four defined goals were to:
Raise businesses’ awareness of the value of their archives
Raise the public profile of business archives
Increase the number of publicly accessible business archive collections
Improve standards in the care of business archives

5. Implementation Group
An Implementation Group was formed by volunteers in 2010 from the key stakeholder
organisations to ensure that the actions set out in the strategy were implemented.
7 years | 16 members | 12 organisations | 23 meetings

6. Implementation of the strategy was overseen by a steering
group drawing members from private corporate archives,
public collecting archives, museums, libraries and key archive
bodies.
Implementation
Created annual action plans for the strategy to track our
activities and objectives
The group successfully met 86% of the original strategy
actions
Joint working with our partners in the English and Welsh
strategy on UK wide initiatives

7. Collections
Over 200 business archive collections have been deposited in Scottish archives since
2010. The strategy has actively worked to engage with custodians of business archives to
promote their value and potential as well as supporting records at risk.

8. The team was created in 2009 as part of the English &
Welsh strategy to represent all parts of the archive sector
to organise agreed responses to business archives under
threat and it exists to monitor and assist in steering
records at risk into suitable homes.
In Scotland the team investigated the archives of 26
businesses at risk and saved 13 collections. Including:
Crisis Management Team
Ferguson Shipbuilders Ltd
The Arches Theatre
Scottish Resources Group (Scottish Coal)

9. A full-time Surveying Officer was first appointed by the
Business Archives Council of Scotland in 1977. The existence
of a Surveying Officer in Scotland has made a huge
contribution to the status of the business archives sector in
Scotland and helped to ensure that Scotland has a wealth of
business and business-related archives.
Surveying Officer
In 2014, after a 3 year absence a Business Archives
Surveying Officer was appointed following a successful
collaborative effort to secure funding for the post
30 business archive surveys completed between 2010-
2015
Successful engagement with insolvency practitioners has
created new cross-sector links to improve outcomes for
records at risk

10. Advocacy
Outreach and engagement has been at the heart of the Strategy and more than 30
different events, campaigns, workshops and opportunities have been used to promote
the value of business archives to a wide audience.

11. In 2013/14 the Working Archive awareness campaign
supported the ongoing National Strategy for Business Archives
in Scotland and explored the stories behind Scottish working
life whilst promoting the vital role that archive and records
management professionals play in creating and caring for our
national heritage.
Awareness Campaign
A collaborative exhibition held at the National Records of
Scotland celebrated Scotland's extraordinary working
archives, included 31 rarely-seen documents and objects
from 15 of Scotland's archives and museums
55% of archives across Scotland participated in the
campaign
10 case studies were published to celebrate Scotland's
many extraordinary working lives and the unique stories
contained in business archives across Scotland

12. The Scots at Work exhibition was attended by Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, Fiona
Hyslop who welcomed the exhibition as a celebration of: “the diverse heritage of Scotland's businesses, and
their products and services. Visitors have the chance to see fascinating evidence of the nation’s companies,
consumers and employees at home and abroad over hundreds of years.”

13. 1
Working Archive
gallery featured
150 archive images
provided by 23
organisations
across Scotland

14. The strategy’s implementation group managed a
business archives stall at the Scottish Council on
Archives’ advocacy event at the Scottish Parliament in
October 2013.
Advocacy at the Scottish Parliament
An unprecedented opportunity to talk directly to
MSPs about the nature and importance of
Scotland’s business archives
The Cabinet Secretary referred to archives as
being a research tool ‘integral to business’
Business records related to the construction of
the Forth Rail Bridge and the Bank of Scotland
were displayed

15. The strategy has strived to connect with individuals and
organisations across a variety of sectors including
insolvency practitioners, family historians, chambers of
commerce, academics and students.
Reaching Out
Visit by Humza Yousef MSP to the Scottish Business
Archive at the University of Glasgow.
Visits by Douglas Alexander MP and Annabel Goldie MSP
to the Ballast Trust
Visits and engagement with politicians
A guide to using business records for academic research
and for family history
Numerous talks and presentations on using business
archives including attending WDYTYA Live in 2014
Search guides for users
Building new relationships with insolvency practitioners
through records at risk work and training events for
archivists
Insolvency practitioners

16. To support the Explore Your Archive campaign in 2013, 2014 and 2015, the National Strategy for Business Archives in
Scotland produced a series of posters based on our case studies highlighting the inspiring and valuable contributions
Scottish business archives make to learning, industry and creative pursuits.
Explore Your Archives

17. Projects
Scotland has a wealth of business and business related archives and expertise held
within active business and collecting repositories. Our ongoing project to create case
studies sought to document the innovative and interesting work happening in the
sector. Our funded data mapping project aimed to document these collections and
improve our understanding of them.

18. In 2011 the Strategy embarked on a project, funded
by the Archives & Records Association, to map
Scottish business archive collections. The objective
was to gain a better understanding of the business
archives already held in Scotland to inform future
collecting and encourage greater research use.
The project mapped 6,122 collections of which 63%
were held by archive repositories, 21% by private
bodies, 11% by libraries and 4% by museums. The
findings inspired a proposal to survey the business
archives held by industrial museums and have also
been extensively used by textile historians.
Data Mapping Project
An extract showing proportion of collections by some industry sectors
Shops, Merchants and Distributors
Textiles
Transport & Communications
13%
11%
10%

19. 21 case studies
published
On sectors as varied
as shipbuilding,
banking, brewing,
textiles, publishing,
carpet-making,
whaling and energy.
Demonstrating how
business archives
can be used to
promote, inspire and
educate.

20. “Our heritage is key to our
identity and designers
often wish to consult the
archive for inspiration.” ~
Lorna MacAulay, Harris
Tweed Authority
"Having archive
materials to support
brands gives even more
credibility than any
other message we
could transmit." ~ Sarah
Castillo, Diageo
"Our history gives us a
distinct identity in today's
competitive market. We
are proud to be the
custodians of such a
significant archive." ~
Susan Rice, Lloyds
Banking Group Scotland
Case Studies
The case studies we have published from a variety of businesses, archives and heritage organisations show how business
archive collections are used by businesses, researchers and archive organisations.
"Having such a rich and
meaningful archive to look
back on can really inspire
our people to help shape
the company we want to
be, now and in years to
come." ~ Stephen
Ingledew, Standard Life
“The Tennent’s
archive is one of our
key assets.” ~ Mike
Lees, Tennent’s
Lager
"The Collins Archive is a
deep and varied creative
treasure trove, which
helps highlight our
heritage and inform and
enhance our future
thinking." ~ Sheena
Barclay, HarperCollins
Publishers

21. Resources
The strategy published a number of tangible resources as outputs from our advocacy
and project work. These aimed to help individuals and organisations that create, care
for and use business archives.

22. The strategy worked with the Business Archives Council
of Scotland and the Archives and Records Association
Scotland to provide training days on specific aspects of
business records.
The resources from these training days were made
available online.
Training
A ‘hands-on’ training opportunity using the records of the
Alliance Trust to learn more about financial records.
Financial Records
Training to help custodians understand and describe
maps, plans and technical drawings in their collections.
Technical Records
Training that explored how to engage audiences with
photographs, issues of copyright, and how to look after
photographic material within archive collections.
Photographic Records

23. Inspired by the successful BAC model of ‘meet the archivist’
days, the strategy has held 3 workshops to encourage
researchers to make the most of business archives
collections.
Meet the Archivists
Workshop brought together academics and archivists to
discuss and explore with students how business archive
collections can be used for their research.
2012
Workshop brought together academics and archivists to
discuss and explore with students how business archive
collections can be used for their research with a focus on
design and creative use of collections.
2013
Workshop brought together academics and archivists to
discuss and explore with students how business archive
collections can be used with a focus on oral history
collections and genealogical research.
2014

24. 201620152014201320122011
Royal Bank of
Scotland becomes first
accredited business
archive in Scotland
02 03 04 05 06 07
New corporate archivists
appointed at Standard
Life and HarperCollins
Publishers
New corporate archivist
appointed at DC
Thomson
New corporate
archivist appointed at
SSE
2010
01
Three business
collections inscribed to
UNESCO UK Memory of
the World register from
RBS, NLS and Bank of
Scotland collections
Highlights of the Scottish Business Archives Landscape
Royal Bank of Scotland
Archives and The
National Library of
Scotland: Company of
Scotland Trading to
Africa and the Indies
1695-1707 inscribed to
UNESCO UK Memory
of the World register Tennents Lager
celebrates 130th
anniversary with
archive inspired
packaging
Scottish Canals launch a
heritage strategy
John Murray archive
collection is
deposited at NLS
Diageo Archive
celebrated its 20th
anniversary
The Scotch Whisky
Association celebrates
100 years with
exhibitions in Glasgow
and Edinburgh
Britain From Above -
Scotland’s Industrial
Might, exhibition of
Aerofilms Ltd tours the
country
Establishment and
launch of the Scottish
Business History
Network

25. A not-for-profit Scottish Business History Network will
ensure that the work the Strategy has begun will continue
and evolve.
Membership is open to anyone with an interest in
business archives and business history in Scotland and
beyond, both individuals and institutions.
The aim of the new Network is to connect all those with
an interest in Scottish business history and business
archives in a way which:
A Sustainable Future
Develops communication, partnerships and networks
Increases awareness and access
Provides leadership, education and training