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The National Archives

National Advisory Services

The National Advisory Services offer advice and guidance on all matters relating to the creation, management, care, and use of records and archives and all strategic issues arising from this. Our overall aim is to support the records management community and all custodians of records, including private owners and those with responsibility for caring for archive collections, with a range of services and written guidance to enable these activities to flourish.

How we do this:

Setting standards

Working with all custodians of records we promote and develop standards and best practice in all aspects of archival management and record keeping.

Advising the archives sector

Using The National Archives' Standard for Record Repositories we inspect repositories and advise them on how to meet its recommendations and give guidance on implementation of this and other archival best practice. We also have an active advisory service for organisations and private owners that need no official approval.

Advising on information management

We are the lead body in developing the guidance, policies, procedures, requirements, capabilities and infrastructure that delivers the government´s electronic records management agenda.

Statutory functions

There are currently over 200 places of deposit appointed by the Lord Chancellor to hold Public Records. We have a statutory role to help monitor and raise standards of archival provision in these places by assisting the organisations which run them. We do so by providing tailored advice based on formal inspections and other written guidance.

Promoting the value of records

We promote the benefits of good records management systems to the wider public sector to realise its corporate functions and we advocate the evidential, cultural and historical importance of archives to governing bodies, funding organisations and government.

Maintaining our knowledge of all collections

We are pro-active in collecting up-to-date information on the nature and location of records relating to British history and the circumstances in which they are cared for.