The Accessions to Repositories 2023 survey is now closed. Each year we contact archives across the UK to invite them to take part; if you are interested in contributing for the first time in next year’s survey, please contact the team.
We ask all participants to submit returns by 1 February, by replying directly to their invite email.
We use data from the annual survey to analyse trends and collecting practices, which we then share with the sector in our published report. Therefore please report all new accessions. However, please do not include any personally sensitive data. Highlights of the surveys are made available through Discovery and our website, with some datasets accessible through data.gov.
If you wish to contribute, please use the correct template to report your accessions. The template is designed to support our data analysis work, and is updated each year. As a result, we ask all participants, including local authority places of deposit, to use the updated template to send in their returns. Please also read the appropriate guidance below before submitting a return.
Template
Accessions template 2023 for reference: Accessions template 2023 (XLSX, 0.026MB)
Please do not make changes to the format of the template when submitting a return. Changing the layout of the template affects our ability to analyse the information accurately. The methods we use to analyse the data rely on the format being as uniform as possible. We have also implemented a new system to help us process the data. This is why we have introduced new guidelines around submitting a return and filling in the template. Please read the appropriate guidance before submitting a return.
Guidance
Accessions guidance 2023: Accessions to Repositories Guidance (general) 2023 (PDF, 0.26MB)
Guidance for local authority places of deposit
Accessions guidance (local authority places of deposit) 2023: Accessions to Repositories Guidance (local authority places of deposit) 2023 (PDF, 0.36MB)
20-year rule and local authority places of deposit
Local authority places of deposit need to complete the survey using the updated template and also mark up any public record accessions.
We cannot guarantee payments of New Burdens funding if we do not receive accessions returns by the deadline.
To authorise payment, we need repositories that have accessioned records eligible for New Burdens funding to respond promptly to any request for confirmation of stated quantities, and agreement to the terms.
For more information on completing the return as a local authority place of deposit, please see our specific guidance above. Further details about New Burdens and eligibility for local authority places of deposit are available on the 20-year rule web page.