Towards a toolkit for estate records

The purpose of this paper is to report on a collaborative project that investigated the value and use of the contents of estate archives. Context is provided by outlining the type of information often found within estate records, its potential value to a wide range of users, indicating some of the initiatives which have helped to open up estate archives, before exploring some of the difficulties associated with accessing these records and making optimal use of them. This is followed by a description and evaluation of the initial stage of the project, which collected data about the significance, discoverability, accessibility and use of estate archives. This was achieved by inviting a purposive sample of archive users to attend one of the three knowledge exchange workshops in different parts of Wales. Participants were asked for their views on the value of estate archives, current and potential uses of estate records, and they were asked to suggest ways in which these records could be promoted more widely and used more effectively. Finally, opinions were gathered about the desirability of creating an online toolkit for estate records. Data gathered at these events was used to create a detailed blueprint of the proposed toolkit.