********************************* PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE GENERAL INFORMATION Leaflet No: 2 ********************************* [Note: this and all other PRO General Information leaflets are (c) Crown Copyright, but may be freely reproduced except for sale or advertising purposes. Copies should always include this Copyright notice -- please respect this.] (c) Crown Copyright, September 1989 ----------------------------- start of text -------------------------- 2. HOW TO USE THE READING ROOMS AT KEW --------------------------------------------------------------------------- We hope that this leaflet will enable you to make full use of the reading rooms at Kew. Please read it carefully. If you then have difficulty in using the reading rooms, or you want more advice on your enquiries, please ask the staff in the Reference Room. Please remember the General Rules set out in {GI#31} "Information for Readers", and especially that PENCILS ONLY may be used, and no food or drink is allowed in the reading rooms. Guidance on the care of documents is displayed at each desk. OBTAINING YOUR SEAT You must first go into the Langdale Room and ask the staff at the distribution counter for a seat. They will allocate to you a bleeper corresponding to your seat number; it will be used to let you know when the documents you have ordered are ready. The bleeper will work anywhere in the building but it must be returned before you leave. Readers using typewriters or dictating machines are restricted to certain tables in the room, and you must ask for a suitable seat if you need one for these purposes. IDENTIFYING THE DOCUMENTS YOU WANT TO SEE There are leaflets (obtainable in the Lobby) on many of the most popular subjects of study. If there is a leaflet dealing with the subject of your enquiry, it will tell you which classes of records are likely to be useful, thus enabling you to go direct to the CLASS LISTS. If there is no leaflet on your subject, or if you wish to explore more widely, you will need to use the GUIDES (in the Lobby). The main guide is the "Current Guide"; there is a descriptive introduction at the beginning, explaining the contents and arrangement of the various parts. The most recent copies of parts II and III are on microfiche. The Current Guide has not yet completely superseded the published "Guide to the Contents of the Public Record Office", which may therefore be useful too. A fuller description of the guides and other means of reference is available (Information 36) {which is no longer available}. The leaflets and the guides identify classes of records by 'group letters' and 'class numbers' (such as ADM 196 or T 70). You need to refer to the CLASS LIST in order to find the number of the 'piece' (that is, the volume or file) you want. There are two sets of class lists in the Reference Room and one in the Lobby. Each set runs in alphanumeric order of group lettprs and class numbers, from AB 1 to ZSPC 11. When you find the iist of the class you want, it will normally have the piece numbers in the left-hand column, with dates and descriptions of the pieces on the right. (If there are special difficulties about a class list it should have a note at the front explaining how to use it). When you have decided which piece you want to see, you are ready to order. ORDERING DOCUMENTS To order a document you will need: your reader's ticket number your bleeper (seat) number the group letters and class number the piece number. Orders for documents are made through a computer. There are six computer terminals in the Reference Room and one in the Map Room. You can order the document at any of the terminals; simply press the red key and then follow the instructions which appear on the screen. You may order up to three documents (pieces) at first. When these are ready your bleeper will sound, and you can then collect them from the distribution counter. You may then order three more. Once you have collected these, you may order one additional piece for every one which you return. All documents must be used at your seat and returned to the distribution counter when no longer required. If you want to use the same document again the next day, please tell the counter staff that you want it 'kept out'. If the document you want is not available, this will normally be shown on the computer screen, with a brief explanation; occasionally the computer will accept your order but the staff at the distribution counter will hand you a slip rejecting it. If you have any query about the availability of a document, please ask the Reference Room staff. Remember that most documents remain closed to inspection until they are thirty years old, and some for longer; there is a leaflet giving fuller explanations of the rules (Information 37). Documents ordered between 3.30pm and 3.45pm will be ready on the following day. Advance orders may be telephoned (extension 2136) before 3.30pm on the day before the documents are required. THE MAP ROOM Certain documents, including large documents and all maps which have been separated from their accompanying documentation for ease of storage and study, are produced in the Map Room; if your document is produced there, the staff at the distribution counter in the Langdale Room will tell you. Large documents are normally ordered on the computer, but pieces in maps classes should be ordered on tickets in the Map Room. There are lists and indexes of map classes; there are also printed catalogues and a general card catalogue which are, however, not comprehensive. COPYING SERVICES We offer a wide range of photocopying and photographic services; please check Information 1 {actually GI#19} to see which process you want. If you want parts of a document copied, put loose slips at the beginning and end of each part, marking each strip clearly BEGIN (or END) LEFT (or RIGHT) HAND as appropriate; if there are unambiguous page-numbers or other clear identifications, put these as well. There are supplies of slips at each seat. If you want the whole document copied there is no need to mark it up. Take the whole piece (even if you want only part of it copied) back to the distribution counter, collect a transfer slip, and then go to the adjacent photo-ordering room. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Public Record Office, Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1LR. Public Record Office, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU. Tel: +44 (0) 181 876-3444 Opening hours: 9.30am - 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. Closed on public holidays and for annual Stocktaking (normally the first two full weeks in October). Admission is by reader's ticket which will be issued on production of proof of identity, such as a (UK) driving licence or passport. ----------------------------- end of text ------------------------------