Archives Move Into Their Home at Hay's Dock
Another milestone at the Shetland Museum and Archives has been reached with the Archives starting to move their large collections into the new state of the art facility at Hay’s Dock. The staff are hoping to have the facility open by appointment only from November this year and fully in Spring next year.
Having been relocated from the old Shetland Archives building they now enjoy three times the storage space previously available. The new building also features some of the most up to date storage and preservation features available. The Archives repository is one of the few in Scotland to conform fully with BS5454:2000, the standard which prescribes conditions for the preservation of archival documents.
The Archives contains many tons of documents. These papers throw light on every period of Shetland’s history since the fifteenth century. There is also a large collection of oral history material, including the remarkable music archive collection of legendary Shetland fiddler and collector Tom Anderson. The Archives will offer the visitor access to records of Shetland Islands Council and its predecessors since 1750; some categories of crown records, including voluminous court and police records from the nineteenth century; a wide variety of papers generated by companies, individuals, estates and societies; and a large body of printed material concerning Shetland’s past.
The Archives will be the first stop for anyone interested in Shetland’s past, whether they are researching the history of their house, writing a thesis, or looking into their family history.
Brian Smith, Archivist, said:
‘For many years Archives staff have had to work in inadequate premises. We are very pleased to be joining our colleagues from the Shetland Museum in this splendid new facility. For the first time we will be working in a place where our rich collections will be preserved in a properly designed repository. We will be able to make them available to more people.’
The collections will be occupying a large repository and media store on the second floor of the Museum and Archives. There is also a specially designed searchroom on the first floor, where up to eighteen members of the public at a time will be able to study printed materials, microfiches and images, as well as listen to audio archive materials in comfort.