Raising the Portcullis: The automation of the Parliamentary Archives

Abstract

The Parliamentary Archives' online catalogue, Portcullis, contains descriptions of three million records conforming to international standards. It was created over five years in a major project which involved the retrospective conversion of 700 finding aids within a controlled project management structure. The process involved analyses of finding aids and user needs, a significant time spent planning, timing and costing, and constant monitoring of the project's critical path and its quality control of converted data. The outcome of the project has provided extensive and wide-ranging benefits to the archives and its users.

Notes

[1] Gibbons and Shenton, ‘Implementing a Records Management Strategy,’ 141 – 57.

[2] Portcullis is available online at www.portcullis.parliament.uk

[3] Government Policy on Archives, 13.

[4] Archives Online (National Council on Archives, 1998), available at http://www.ncaonline.org.uk/materials/archivesonline.pdf and British Archives the Way Forward1999 available at http://www.ncaonline.org.uk/materials/britisharchivesthewayforward.pdf (both accessed October 2006).

[5] Now Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/JO/2.

[6] Now Parliamentary Archives HL/PO/JO/10.

[7] Now Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/PB/4.

[8] Bond, Guide to the Records of Parliament.

[9] First Report of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, 1 – 10. Subsequent reports continued the listing.

[10] See Manuscripts of the House of Lords.

[11] National Survey of Visitors to British Archives 1999. Public Services Quality Group Commentary.Available at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives/psqg/pdf/summary1999.pdf (accessed 7 December 2005).

[12] See the completed projects at http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/, http://www.scan.org.uk and http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/ (all accessed October 2006).

[13] Many thanks to Katie Cassell, Monica Halpin, Michele Losse, Jennie Lynch, Martin Robson Riley, Louise Todd, Leanne Traynor-Dutton, Matti Watton and Nick White.

[14] See www.a2a.org.uk These five lists are now six catalogues: LG (Lloyd George Papers); BL (Bonar Law Papers); HL/PO/JO/10/1 and 6 (Main Papers to 1718); HL/PO/PB/1 and HL/PO/PU/1 (Original Acts of Parliament); and HC/CL/JO/10 (Unprinted Laid Papers). The Parliamentary Archives is very grateful to Bill Stockting and his team at The National Archives for their help and patience in undertaking this enormous task.

[15] See http://www.prince2.com/ (accessed October 2006).