Visiting and Access
The records of the National Archive of the Velocity Interoperability Network are held for the public. Anyone may consult an open record, request a copy of it or attend an exhibition, and no charge is made for doing so. This page explains how to request a record, what the access status of each series means, the present arrangements for the enquiry service and the reading room, and the rules that apply when original records are consulted.
Requesting a record. The steps below apply to every request, whether for copies or for consultation of an original.
Step 1: Find the record in the catalogue
The catalogue lists each record series with its reference, title and contents. Note the series reference and, where you can, the title or date of the item you need. If you are not sure which series holds what you are looking for, describe the subject and the Archive will advise.
Step 2: Check the access status
Each series is marked Open, Restricted or Closed in the catalogue. Open records may be consulted by anyone. Restricted records are open only to those entitled to see them, as explained below. No record is currently closed.
Step 3: Send your request by email
Write to the Archive quoting the series reference and the title of the record, and say whether you want digitised copies or an appointment to consult the original. For a restricted record, state the grounds on which you are entitled to see it and enclose any consent required.
Step 4: Receive confirmation
The Archive acknowledges every request and answers it within ten working days. The answer confirms whether the record is open to you, whether it has been digitised and, if not, whether its condition allows it to be imaged or produced for consultation.
Step 5: Consult the record
Digitised copies of open records are sent by email without charge. Where a record has not been digitised, the Archive images it on request if its condition allows, or offers an appointment to consult the original in the reading room once the reading room opens.
Access status. The catalogue marks each record series with one of three access statuses. The status of a series may change, for example when a closure period ends, and the catalogue is updated whenever it does.
| Status | Meaning | Series |
|---|---|---|
| Open | May be consulted by anyone, without application or charge. Digitised copies are supplied on request and published on this site as imaging proceeds. | Founding instruments; standards; Register notices; infrastructure maps; departmental press releases; records of the Archive |
| Restricted | Contains the personal information of identifiable individuals. Open to the person concerned, or to another person with that person's written consent, and to all readers thirty years after the date of the record. | Entry-point records |
| Closed | Withheld for a stated period at the request of the transferring department on grounds of security. The period and the reason are recorded in the catalogue and reviewed each year. | None at present |
Opening arrangements. The Archive's services are provided as follows while the reading room is being prepared.
- Enquiry service
- Requests and enquiries are received by email and answered within ten working days. The service is open to everyone and there is no charge for advice, for the supply of digitised copies of open records or for the imaging of records not yet digitised.
- Online holdings
- Digitised records are published on this site as imaging proceeds, beginning with the founding instruments and the standards. The Archive aims to have every page of the founding year online by the end of 2027, after which most readers will have no need to consult the originals.
- Reading room
- A reading room for the consultation of original records is being prepared. Its location and opening hours will be published here when they are confirmed. Consultation will be by appointment, and originals will be produced only where no digitised copy exists or where the reader has a demonstrated need to examine the original.
- Group visits and teaching
- Schools, member organisations and other groups will be able to arrange visits and teaching sessions built around the exhibitions and games once the reading room opens. Expressions of interest may be sent by email now so that the Archive can plan its programme.
Rules of the reading room. The rules below will apply from the day the reading room opens. They exist to protect the records, and readers who cannot comply with them will be offered copies instead.
- Registration
- Readers register on their first visit by giving their name, the organisation they represent if any, and the purpose of their research, and by showing staff or citizen identification or an equivalent document.
- Handling
- Records are consulted at the desk to which they are issued and are not removed from the reading room. Bound volumes are supported on rests, loose papers are kept in their original order, and staff will assist with fragile or oversize items.
- Writing materials
- Pencils and personal computers may be used. Ink, adhesive notes, food and drink are not permitted in the reading room.
- Copying
- Readers may photograph open records for their own research without flash and without touching the record with the camera. Copies of restricted records are made only by the Archive and only for those entitled to see them.
- Citation
- Records are cited by series reference, item title and the name of the Archive, for example: ARC-1, Decision establishing the National Archive, National Archive of the Velocity Interoperability Network. Readers who publish work drawn from the records are asked to send the Archive a copy.
Requests and enquiries should be sent to contact@archive.gov.vin. The record series are listed in the Catalogue; common questions are answered under Frequently Asked Questions; and the care taken of the records is described under Preservation.