Saving Worcestershire Archives

[Eastbury]

Hello everyone on the Worcestershire Forum,

Whether you’re just coming home in the UK or waking up on the other side of the world, Worcestershire Archives needs your help!

Can you please read my post in The Common Room concerning the on-line Petition to
“Save Worcestershire Archives”.

You can sign the Petition if you live outside the UK.

Some of you had a “pop-up” that asked for a donation, that does not benefit Worcestershire Archives or the Friends of Worcestershire Archives. The website which is home to many other Petitions is asking for voluntary donations to support it.

Thank you
Jack

[rosie99]

Link to your post in the Common room
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=807364.

[Eastbury]

Thank you Rosie99

Jack

[Eastbury]

A big thank you to everyone who has signed the “Save Worcestershire Archives” on-line petition, but we need more names!! 
https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-the-worcestershire-archives

If you can get to Worcestershire here’s the link to download the 2019 Events Guide
http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20019/archive_and_archaeology/1020/learning_and_outreach

The  Worcestershire Archives “ Explore the Past” blog is always worth a read wherever you live in the world.
https://www.explorethepast.co.uk/blog/ 

Please do all you can to help our Award-winning Archive and its friendly knowledgeable staff. They need all the support you can give.

Spread the word to family and friends and on social media.

Thank you
Jack

[philheeks]

I echo Eastbury's thanks to all who have signed the petition but would add that this petition still needs a lot of signatures to try & dissuade the council from making these cuts as I've heard that if they go through it may mean some records at the HIVE may be lodged elsewhere & none of us want that as I remember the last night of the long knives & a lot of valuable staff were lost as a result so PLEASE add your names to any petition to save the HIVE from these cuts

Thank you for reading this

All the very best

Phil

ps Im a member of the Friends of Worcestershire Archives

[smudwhisk]

I gather from a recent local online news report that the budget cut has been reduced from £405k to £250k.  Still a lot but a slight improvement on what was originally suggested.  That said, they're cutting budgets left right and centre anyway across the county again.

[Eastbury]

Hi smudwhisk

Yes, "they" maybe cutting budgets left right and centre but we don’t have to sit back and accept it! We need to support our local archives. If you read the Worcestershire Archives petition you will see that a reduction in service will affect not just people like Rootschatters.

https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-the-worcestershire-archives

The proposed cut is currently 36%. To put it into perspective the Worcestershire Archives budget is 0.12% of the whole County Council’s budget.  The proposed £250,000 cut will have a hugely damaging effect on the Archives, but relatively little on the County Council’s overall budget.

Jack
(member of the Friends of Worcestershire Archives)

[smudwhisk]

Rubery library is local to me, although I'm a BCC council tax payer, and I know that the library is at risk.  That said when something was posted about it being at risk on the local Facebook page a number of residents asked where the library actually was.   It risks being cut I gather due to lack of use but then it is not exactly that obvious where it is unless you park down the cul de sac its in or have need to find out.  I've lived here for many years and personally never been in it, but I've not been in any of the Birmingham libraries for some years either.

BCC is the same, the archives service was cut drastically a few years ago after the fanfare of the opening of the Library of Birmingham but they spent too much on it being open 7 days a week and then cut the service drastically.  Don't get me wrong its the same old story that certain departments suffer more than others and unfortunately libraries and archives, often along with IT departments, get cut the most.