The National Archives Reader and Customer Forums at TNA Jeff James, Head of Reader and Customer Services

Issues with the existing forum format General perception that the meetings are not as productive or effective as they could be (from both TNA and User point of view) Dwindling attendance from former regulars Attendance not representative of TNAs user base Too infrequent (issues raised are often old news by the time of the next forum) Meetings can have a tendency to lose their focus and structure Timing is inconvenient for some Name is out of date

Proposed way forward A fresh start: re-launch and re-name (proposals welcome) Agree and publish Terms of Reference Encourage existing members to continue attending and lapsed members to come back – we value your input Improve communications (both onsite and online) and encourage larger and more diverse attendance

Proposed way forward (2) Keep things fresh, focused and current – shorter meetings (1 hour), more often (monthly or every other month) Aim for joint chairing from TNA (Jeff James) and Readers (TBA) Improved structure (half corporate updates, half open feedback / discussion) Incentives (e.g. lunch!, possible discount scheme at bookshop etc…) Change the timing back to lunch time

The Role of the Reader and Customer Forum* *from draft Terms of Reference document Represent the interests of all users of TNA public services (onsite, online and remotely) Act as a body for TNA to seek feedback on the quality of service being provided and put forward suggestions for improvement Provide a forum for TNA management to present its performance ratings and explain its capabilities to improve services; or indeed its constraints Provide a forum for TNA management to test ideas for service improvement Advise TNA management on measures that can be taken to improve public consultation on service delivery Bring issues of concern or potential risk to the attention of TNA management

Questions and/or comments?