What is the guidance?
The Rapid Response Collecting Guidance was published in January 2025. It has been produced by The National Archives and a group of archive sector professionals with experience of rapid response collecting.
The guidance has been developed to help support archive collections staff manage collecting tributes and spontaneous memorials left in response to unforeseen, sudden, unpredictable, or unprecedented events. These scenarios can be stressful, emotionally charged, rapidly developing, involving co-ordination of multiple services – including emergency planning professionals – and under a high-level of media and community scrutiny. Working under these circumstances is likely to fall well outside the experience of most collections staff.
Aware that there was no practical ‘how to’ guide on how to approach scenarios like this, the National Archines set about producing one. They were also aware that there were colleagues out in the archives sector with practical experience of collecting, in scenarios like this, so actively engaged with them to draw on their expertise.
Every collecting scenario will be different, so they set out writing a manual to suggest a range of potential options and actions available at different stages of response, rather than a manual explicitly directing colleagues on what to do.
Where can it be found and how do I access it?
The guidance is freely available from The National Archives’ website. It is in the form of a series of linked webpages. There is also a downloadable pdf that staff may prefer to print, use and annotate while working remotely.
The guidance is arranged into six sections, starting with factors to consider and immediate priorities, and then exploring the first few weeks and longer-term management.
The final section includes a series of case studies from archive services who have undertaken rapid response collecting exercises. The guidance is not designed to be read from start to finish – although anyone interested in the subject is welcome to do so. Instead, different sections will be relevant at different times, and key points are repeated or cross referenced where appropriate. There are also links to more detailed external resources, supporting guidance and networks.
Why The National Archives?
As well as being the official archive for the UK Government, The National Archives holds the leadership role for the archive sector in England.
This function is delivered through the Archive Sector Leadership Department, working with archive services and archive-holding organisations across the country to provide advice, guidance, training, networking and funding opportunities.
The archive services they work with include those in local government, national organisations, businesses, charities, schools, health and hospitals, arts organisations, historic houses, community archives and many more.
There is more information on their role, and how to contact them here . They are always happy to answer questions or connect you with other useful contacts if necessary, so please do get in touch if you think they can help.
