Kew archives cuts

Historians furious as Kew archives are 'dumbed down' - Home News, UK - The Independent: "concern is growing that public access is under threat after an announcement that it is to reduce opening hours, limit access to original documents and lay off a number of specialist archivists.

Leading historians, including Antony Beevor and Saul David, have this weekend expressed anger and dismay at the proposed cuts. Professor David told The Independent on Sunday: 'The future history of our country is at stake" . . . .

Managers closed the facility on 30 June 2009 for a special meeting in which they informed staff of the proposed changes. These include reducing opening hours from six days per week to five from March 2010 – the chosen extra day of closure, apart from Sunday, being Monday – and getting rid of 35 of 105 specialist posts to shave £4.2m from the budget.

But job cuts will not affect those at management level or in the press or marketing departments. The closure represents a 16 per cent reduction in public opening hours.
Yet according to sources at TNA, that will make savings of only around 3 per cent in terms of recruitment because staff will still have to come in on that day to fulfil other functions.