The West Glamorgan Archives Committee met to discuss the County Archivist's report, which highlighted increased service usage and preparations for the move to Y Storfa¹. The committee approved the proposed fees and charges for 2025/26 and agreed to fund an additional archive trainee to assist with the move to the new premises.

Move to Y Storfa

The committee received an update on the progress of the move to Y Storfa. The County Archivist Andrew Dulley reported that preparations were nearing completion, with around 75% of actions complete and an expectation that everything would be finished by the end of September. Current work included packaging the largest items, including rolled maps up to 5m in length, and a shelf-walk to check that every box is barcoded and accurately recorded.

Mr Dulley advised that building work was on track to be completed towards the end of the year. The Archive Service's public searchroom would be moved to Y Storfa shortly before the building opens, requiring a closure of a few days. The strongrooms would be tested for several weeks to ensure a stable environment before the collections are moved in January, with the move expected to last several weeks.

To maintain public access during the move, the service will offer facsimiles to order, advance bookings, and daily consignments of pre-booked records. The Neath Antiquarian Society Archives will not be affected by the move and will maintain normal opening hours.

Archive Trainee Post

The committee considered a proposal to fund an additional archive trainee post from January to August 2026, using the Training reserve. The purpose of the post is to facilitate the organisation of the strongroom following the move to Y Storfa.

The report stated that:

It will enable us to maintain the public service while we undertake this essential work and return to full capability as soon as possible after the move. The post will also provide excellent foundational experience to a prospective archivist looking to gain experience before undertaking the postgraduate qualification.

The committee agreed to the proposal.

Fees and Charges

The committee reviewed the proposed fees and charges for the service for 2025/2026. Minimal increases have been applied. The committee approved the fees and charges.

County Archivist's Report

Andrew Dulley, the County Archivist, presented his report outlining the work of the Joint Archive Service during the period June to August 2025.

Key points from the report included:

• Service Usage: The number of on-site visitors was 641, and the total number reached on and off-site was 965.
• Talks and Seminars: Emma Laycock, Ffion Kidwell and Andrew Dulley delivered education sessions to St Joseph's Primary School, Swansea and Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive School, Neath. Emma Laycock delivered a talk to a seminar group at Cardiff University entitled Women and the Industrial Landscape. The service continues to host monthly meetings of the Glamorgan Family History Society and provide a short talk for members.
• Other Engagement and Joint Working: Staff have been helping two local groups with oral history recording projects, one in Waunarlwydd and another in Pontrhydyfen. Archive Assistant Ffion Kidwell has organised and run an in-house oral history recording project based in Neath to collect local people's memories.
• Archive Service Accreditation: The Archive Service's provisionally accredited status has been extended for another year.
• Archives Online Catalogue Project Update: Work is underway to finalise the branding and content for the public interface, with completion expected by the end of September.
• Staffing Matters: Emily Hewitt from Swansea University's Richard Burton Archives has been appointed as the new archivist, starting on 1 October. Ffion Titcombe has been appointed as the new Archive Trainee.
• Professional Meetings and Training: Archives staff have attended various professional meetings and training events.
• Accessions of Archive Collections: A list of archives received during the period June to August 2025 is attached as Appendix 1 to the Public reports pack.

Previous Minutes

The minutes from the previous meeting on 13 June 2025 were approved as a correct record. The minutes record that Councillors Robert Smith and Cen Phillips were elected Vice Chairs of the Committee for 2025-2026.