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Archives Network Wales is a project to create a web resource to allow easy searching of the collections of documents held by record offices, universities, museums and libraries in Wales, so that users will be able to identify which repositories hold information relevant to their research or interest.
Archives and Records Council Wales (ARCW) represents organisations involved in administering the documentary heritage of Wales, including local government archive services, universities and national bodies. It was set up in 1995 to raise the profile of archives in Welsh public life, as Archives Council Wales. In November 2004, it changed its name to Archives and Records Council Wales. ARCW is responsible for the ANW project; there is a Project Management Group overseeing the ANW team. See Project partners.
ANW will use the existing finding aids (lists of the contents of each collection) to create a standardised electronic description of the nature, extent, type and scope of the records, which will then be searchable through the website. Records will be added throughout the course of the project. The 4,500 records will represent 90% of the catalogued collections of the ARCW members. ANW will also be training staff of ARCW members in the use of the system.
The project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Library of Wales, and the other bodies forming Archives and Records Council Wales.
Top of pageThe project started in January 2003, and the funding runs until December 2005. In September 2003 the first data went online (500 records, comprising family and estate records held by ARCW partners throughout Wales, initially created as a project funded by the Historical Manuscripts Commission, and other records held by the National Library of Wales). A further 4,000 records will be added over the next two years, with an official launch of the website in autumn 2005. See Project milestones.
The website will be maintained by ARCW after the completion of the ANW project. The system is designed to allow the partners to continue to add records to the website.
ARCW has appointed a team of six to undertake the work, based in the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. The ANW team comprises a Project Manager, Martin Locock, and five Archive Officers.
Top of pageEach repository has been asked to select their most important collections of documents. These include corporate papers and business archives, personal papers and diaries of prominent literary, artistic, political or other figures (living and dead), estate archives, council, academic and church records. The records take many forms: manuscripts, printed materials, photographs, maps and picture. The data will exclude uncatalogued material.
No. ANW provides information about the location and nature of the sources, and access details to the repositories. It operates as an index to sources rather than as a source itself.
Examples of websites which display primary documents include:
The website allows a range of search options, including a simple text search, advanced searching of specific fields, thematic searching using subject, personal and corporate names, and geographical searching.
No. ANW is providing information at the collection level (describing a group of documents rather than individual items).
Websites allowing searches at other levels include:
Yes. The web pages and search facilities are fully bilingual. The underlying data has been created in English, so search results will not be bilingual.
Grant awarded by Heritage Lottery Fund for three-year project to make 4,000+ collection descriptions available on the web.
Work starts on preparing the computer system, defining the collections to be included, and appointment of the project team.
ANW project team starts work, initially on the holdings of the National Library of Wales.
ANW project team starts work on the records of other repositories.
Website goes live with first data, 500 records drawn from all ACW
members. Launch and marketing campaign.
The live website was launched on 4th September 2003 by Alun Pugh (Minister for Culture, the Welsh Language and Sport) (above right), who was presented with a group of archive photographs as a memento by Susan Edwards (Vice Chair, Archives Council Wales). Other speakers at the event were (left to right) Gwyn Jenkins (Secretary, Archives Council Wales), Martin Locock (ANW Project Manager), and Richard Keen (Wales committee, Heritage Lottery Fund).
ANW: An Introduction (Powerpoint presentation) (2.7Mb)
The website was officially launched by ARCW and the Assembly Minister for Culture, the Welsh Language and Sport, on 22 September 2005; the event included presentations from user representatives and video links celebrating the anniversary of the first wireless telegraph transmission from the UK to Australia in 1918.
Completion of the ANW team's work.
Downloadable files in pdf format. 
or
January (25kb) | February (21kb) | March (21kb) | April (16kb) | May (14kb) | June (35kb) | July (33kb) | August (39kb) | September (62kb) | October (36kb) | November (37kb) | December (31kb)
January (33kb) | February (29kb) | March (30kb) | April (30kb) | May (32kb) | June (41kb) | July (37kb) | August (30kb) | September (33kb) | October (31kb) | November (37kb) | December (31kb)
January (39kb) | February (40kb) | March (36kb) | April (35kb) | May (40kb) | June (40kb) | July (37kb) | August (39kb) | September (38kb) | October (34kb) | November (38kb)
November 2002 (43kb) | March 2003 (20kb) | June 2003 (33kb) | November 2003 (19kb) | March 2004 (36kb) | July 2004 (36kb) | November 2004 (15kb) | March 2005 (23kb) | July 2005 (38kb) | November 2005 (23kb)
November 2002 (16kb) | March 2003 (24kb) | June 2003 (28kb) | November 2003 (24kb) | March 2004 (24kb) | July 2004 (24kb) | November 2004 (21kb) | March 2005 (21kb) | July 2005 (21kb) | November 2005 (20kb)
August 2002 (49kb) | February 2003 (68kb) | May 2003 (56kb) | July 2003 (70kb) | September 2003 (60kb) | December 2003 (59kb) | February 2004 (64kb) | May 2004 (60kb) | September 2004 (53kb) | January 2005 (43kb) | February 2005 (43kb) | May 2005 (43kb) | September 2005 (34kb)
The ANW project is being undertaken by the members of Archives and Records Council Wales, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The data is held in MySQL.
Download the [ANW logo (11kb)] [Instructions (1kb)]
[ANW guidelines for fonds-level descriptions v.3.0 (December 2004) (556kb)] [Example descriptions (44kb) ] [Summary of changes in v.3.0 (December 2004) (15kb)]
The AIM25 system was created by Patricia Methven (King's College London), Robert Baxter (AIM25) and Frances Blomeley (University of London Computer Centre) with the help of the AIM25 staff team and AIM25 partners.
[Top of page] [Project milestones] [Reports and meetings] [Project partners] [Technical information]
