CARMARTHENSHIRE’S archive looks set to return to Carmarthen after the council’s Executive Board agreed to finance a new building as an extension to the rear of the Library in King Street.
Executive Board members heard how bringing the archive service into the town centre would bring additional footfall to the King Street area of town, whilst adding to its ‘cultural quarter’ ethos.
Several other sites had been considered, including Abergwili Museum and the Guildhall in Carmarthen, as well as Parc Howard in Llanelli.
It is seen as a positive step forward for the archive service, which has been affected by an outbreak of mould at its present base in Parc Myrddin. Executive Member for Regeneration Cllr Meryl Gravell offered assurances that ‘lessons had been learned,’ at a meeting on Monday (Apr 25).
The Collection is currently undergoing cleaning and is being returned to temporary storage at Glamorgan Archive and The Richard Burton Archive, Swansea.
Providing a new purpose-built repository in Carmarthen will allow the return of the archives, and also improved access with shared resources at the library.
Funding has been allocated from the council’s Capital Programme to finance a new building, and following Executive Board endorsement, council officers will now progress with detailed plans and costings for the site.
Introducing the report, Cllr Gravell thanked the friends of the museum, who she said had been ‘very supportive.’
“Can I also take the opportunity to thank the staff for all the work that they have done, and possibly the full council for allowing us to spend £2m at a time when things are very austere,” she added.
“I think it shows commitment that we feel the archives are very important to the future, and obviously people have felt strongly about making sure that we have right environment to store these very important documents.
“We have looked at various ways of trying to make sure that they are stored properly and we have come to the conclusion that Carmarthen Town is the appropriate place to store these.
Cllr Gravell pointed out that digital access would be available in most of the county’s libraries at some point.
Cllr Deryk Cundy described the work done as ‘exceptionally important’. However, he asked for clarification about potential joint management of the service in the future. He also queried whether the council would be trusted to store archives both now and in the future after what had happened at Parc Myrddin.
“The future is safe in our hands,” Cllr Gravell replied. “There is no doubt about it, a lesson was learned and these are very important materials.
“The fact that it is going to be accredited by Welsh Government by 2017 will make sure that they will be stored at the right temperature and the right environment.”
Cllr Gravell acknowledged that discussions into management arrangements were ‘ongoing.’
“I think we will have to work with others because that is what Welsh Government is asking us to do – look at neighbouring authorities and possibly come together for the future better management of the archives throughout the area,” she added.
Cllr Emlyn Dole, who worked on the Carmarthenshire archive as part of a higher degree in the 1980s, highlighted the importance of the Carmarthenshire archive in the national context.
“It’s one of the best there is available, because of the history that we have here in Carmarthenshire,” he added.
“I worked on three eighteenth century diaries which contained information which was not to be had anywhere else. It’s an exciting archive and one we will be looking after, from now on, in the right place and in the right way.”
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