The (UK) National Archives announced that on July 21^st the reading rooms in Kew will reopen after being closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Archives will be providing limited access to parts of the building and our services will operate differently for the time being.

They are introducing new systems:

• They will be introducing a booking system. All visits will need to be pre-booked and they will ask everyone to pre-plan and order all documents in advance
   
• You will notice a new document delivery process to protect you, their staff and to ensure the correct handling and quarantine of documents
   
• A one-way system will be in place around the building with signage to help with social distancing. There will also be rigorous cleaning throughout the day.

For the time being, we will also continue to provide free downloads of our digital collection on our website, along with a huge number of research guides, resources and activities for the whole family to enjoy.

For more information please read: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/coronavirus-update

Thank you to Mark Nicholls, JGS Great Britain and member IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee for sharing this information.

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee