Do you have any records that contain unique or interesting information about the East Riding past or present? Do you want to ensure that these are preserved for future generations? Would you like to make them available for research?
The Archives and Local Studies Service provides secure and environmentally controlled storage for records in a modern purpose-built repository. We work within The National Archives (TNA) Standard for Record Repositories and are recognised as an approved place of deposit for public records.
Records held by us are made available for public consultation under staff supervision in our Research Room. Information about catalogued records is added to our Online Catalogue so that researchers around the world can find out about the sources here.
What records might be suitable?
We collect records for any locality in the East Riding of Yorkshire and for individuals, families or organisations that have an association with the East Riding.
We are not just interested in the records of official bodies or large landed estates. Sources that reflect the everyday life of East Riding people are also very welcome. Family letters, diaries and photographs or the records of groups, societies and businesses that local people have been involved with can all be placed with us.
Suitable records can vary greatly in format, size, quantity and age. We hold documents and other sources permanently for their historical or evidential value in the future. This means that items do not have to be particularly 'old' at the time of deposit. Please contact us if you are unsure whether the records you have are suitable for permanent preservation.
We also welcome gifts of printed material to add to our Local Studies reference collection.
A copy of the Archives and Local Studies Service's collection policy can be downloaded from the link below.
Deposit and gift agreements
Records can be presented to the Archives and Local Studies Service either as a deposit or a gift. Copies of our deposit and gift agreements can be downloaded from the links below.
A deposit means that ownership of the records is retained by the depositor while custody of them is transferred to the Archives and Local Studies Service. Depositors also retain the right to temporarily withdraw items, for example for exhibitions or legal purposes.
A gift is an outright donation to the Archives and Local Studies Service in which ownership of the records is transferred to East Riding of Yorkshire Council.
We want to encourage the public to deposit or donate records to help preserve the history of the East Riding. Please contact us if you want any further information about the deposit and gift agreements or any other aspect of the process of depositing or donating records.
See our contact details and opening hours or fill in this on-line service request form.
Sensitive or confidential information?
Records which are deposited or donated are made available for public consultation in our Research Room, subject to their being fit for production.
We do however recognise that there can be circumstances when it may be inappropriate for records to be made immediately available. This may be because they contain personal details, are records of current decision-making or contain commercially sensitive information. It may be possible in these circumstances for the records to be held on restricted access, typically a period of closure for a fixed period of time.
We will however provide access to the records of public authorities to comply with the Freedom of Information Act. The presumption therefore will be that records of public authorities are open to the public unless a specific exemption under the Act can be claimed.
What to do next?
You may be able to add to the value of the records you are transferring if you can provide any background information about them. Do you have any information about people mentioned in the documents or previous owners of the records? Any summary list of the collection or background notes can also be helpful.
It can be useful to have a check through the records before bringing then in. You may be able to weed out duplicate copies or unrelated modern papers. However if you are unsure about disposing of any items it may be easier to let us see them first.
It is helpful to contact us before bringing in any records to ensure that someone is available to deal with them. Please click on the link below to access our contact details.
