1. Family history/ University of the Third Age/ New reader groups/ Coach parties
Organising a group after 1 January 2008
Until late spring 2008 there will be building works at Kew which will involve disruption to our services, a significant reduction in seating capacity and periods of closure. For further information please see Changes to our services at Kew.
The relocation of the Family Records Centre (FRC) to Kew is allowing us to streamline many of our procedures. Of particular significance to coach party organisers is that from January 2008 we are effectively adopting the FRC model relating to coach party access. The new procedures are:
1) Coach parties
Pre-booking will no longer be required for coach parties. Instead, we will be inviting groups to notify us when they intend visiting. We will then be publicising intended visits on-site and on our website so that group organisers can plan ahead. Other than for junior education groups or special needs groups, the coach bay will only be available on a first come first served basis. We plan to enlarge our facilities to allow two coaches to park in the coach bay. If the coach bay is full then any later arriving coaches will be allowed to drop their passengers and pick them up again at a pre-arranged time, there will not be any additional parking for coaches available onsite. Limited free coach parking is permitted on the A307 Kew Road (the stretch between Lion Gate and Victoria Gate) after 10:00 each day.
2) Access and your Reader´s Ticket
Most of our most popular records, particularly those that are of interest to family historians, are available in surrogate form (microfilm or online) as at the FRC. Many of our readers do not order original records. We are also planning, from 28 January 2008, to allow visitors to use the general research areas without having to get a Reader's Ticket. A Reader's Ticket will be required only to order original documents. Tickets will be issued in the reading rooms themselves, subject to the usual identification procedures. Readers can still register for tickets in advance, but again they will only be issued in the reading rooms when triggered by a document order. By adopting these procedures we will be effectively clearing the reception bottleneck, often a cause for difficulty with coach party arrivals. For more information including what you need to bring with you.
To let us, and others, know when you intend to travel please contact us by telephoning 020 8392 5393 or emailing: public services development team as usual.
Please note that half term weeks are particularly busy. In 2008 these weeks are:
Spring Half term: 18 - 29 February
Summer Half term: 26 - 30 May
Autumn Half term: Late October (dates tbc)
We also expect to be very busy from 17-20 March 2008 inclusive. | 
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