Conference Site Visits

University of Edinburgh

10am-12.30pm Monday 21st April

Topic of the visit

"Promoting Records Management to Users: Sticks or Carrots?”

This session is an opportunity for delegates to discuss their views with colleagues and to share your experiences. The discussions will be kick-started by two presentations one advocating a ‘stick’ approach and the other advocating a ‘carrot’ approach.

Historical background

The University was established by a Royal Charter granted by James VI in 1582. This was an unusual move at the time, as most universities were established through Papal Charters. What makes the University of Edinburgh even more unusual is the fact that its funding came the following year from the Town Council, making it in many ways the first civic university, known as the 'Tounis College'.

The session will be held in the Raeburn Room in Old College. Old College was the University's first real campus. The foundation stone was laid in 1789, with the original plan of the building prepared by Robert Adam who died in 1792 before the building had been completed. The work was hindered by the Napoleonic Wars and it was not until 1816 that William Playfair was appointed to complete the building.

During the session participants will have the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent portraits by Sir Henry Raeburn (1757-1823) hung in the Raeburn Room. Those with an interest in history may also like to know that the Raeburn Room stands on the exact site of the murder of Lord Darnley, husband of Mary Queen of Scots. Lord Darnley was murdered in 1567 when the house he was lodging in at Kirk o' Fields was blown up.

Further historical background is available at http://www.ed.ac.uk/explore/history/.

Organisational background

The University of Edinburgh is a large, diverse organisation with over 7,000 staff and over 23,000 students spread across over 300 buildings throughout the city of Edinburgh. The University is a leading international centre of academic excellence and one of the largest research universities in Britain.

The University has a highly devolved structure. The academic structure consists of 21 schools grouped into three colleges: the College of Humanities and Social Science, the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine and the College of Science and Engineering. The colleges have substantial devolved responsibilities and, in size, are similar to some smaller British universities. The administrative structure of the University is divided into three support groups of varying size.

Records management background

The Records Management Section was established in December 2002 in response to the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act and recognition that formal records management was required to fulfil the requirements of the Act. At that time data protection responsibilities were also transferred to the Records Management Section.

The Records Management Section is part of the Academic Registrar's division and reports to the University Secretary and the Academic Registrar.

Further information about records management at the University is available at http://www.recordsmanagement.ed.ac.uk.

Scottish Government

2pm-4.30pm Monday 21st April

This visit is to Victoria Quay, the largest building of the several which form the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh estate. The building is sited on the waterfront at Leith, an area of Edinburgh which is the site of a major re-development initiative over the next few years, and is five minutes walk from the Ocean Terminal, where the Royal Yacht Britannia is permanently docked and open to visitors.

A presentation package will be delivered surrounding how Scottish Government manages its records in 2008. This will include talks by one of the Information Management Advisers and one of the Information Management Support Officers regarding their roles and how they fit in to the information management structure. Light refreshments (tea, coffee and biscuits) will be provided.

Scottish Parliament ©

Scottish Parliament - Fully Booked

10am-12.30pm Tuesday 22nd April

This visit will provide delegates with an opportunity to tour the public and working areas of the Scottish Parliament. It will include a visit to the Donald Dewar Reading Room which houses the special collection of books and papers gifted to the Parliament by the late Donald Dewar, Scotland’s first First Minister.

Delegates will be able to learn about the work of the Scottish Parliament Information Centre and the central role that records management is taking in developing information standards to underpin our information management strategy. A short presentation will outline the Scottish Parliament’s approach to mobilising good practice in record keeping and delegates will have the opportunity to share their experiences in engaging staff.

Light refreshments will be provided.

The Scottish Parliament Building

Scotland's new Parliament sits at the foot of Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile in front of the spectacular Holyrood Park and Salisbury Crags. Constructed from a mixture of steel, oak, and granite, the complex building has been hailed as one of the most innovative designs in Britain today. Drawing inspiration from the surrounding landscape, the flower paintings by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the upturned boats on the seashore, Enric Miralles, one of the world's premier architects, developed a design that he said was a building "growing out of the land".

Background on the Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament is the law-making body in Scotland for devolved matters such as health, education, housing and justice. It is made up of 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs).

The main functions of the Parliament are:

• to make laws on devolved matters by examining, amending and voting on bills
• to hold the Scottish Government to account through oral and written
questions, and through the scrutiny of its policies in the committees
• to debate important topical issues
• to conduct inquiries and publish reports

The Scottish Parliament also has the power to raise or lower the basic rate of income tax by up to three pence in the pound.

National Archives of Scotland

2pm-4.30pm Tuesday 22nd April

The NAS holds records dating from the 12th Century to the present day and exists to select, preserve, and make available the national archives of Scotland. An Agency of the Scottish Government, the NAS provides advice to Scottish Ministers on records and information policy, and advises Scottish public authorities about the creation and management of their records. It also advises public and private owners about their historical records, and provides a reference service to the public on all aspects of the national archives.

The visit will incorporate a presentation on the work of the NAS, focusing on the role of the Government Records Branch, together with a tour of General Register House, which is one of the oldest custom-built archive buildings still in continuous use in the world. Designed by the eminent Scottish architect Robert Adam, the foundation stone was laid in 1774 and the building was finally completed in the 1820s. General Register House is currently undergoing refurbishment to provide accommodation for the new ScotlandsPeople family history centre, in partnership with the General Register Office for Scotland and the Court of the Lord Lyon.