By accepting records for deposit Dorset History Centre and its funding authorities are taking on a permanent and on-going financial commitment. Dorset History Centre is a purpose-built archive repository. Maintaining a high quality preservation environment for physical and electronic archives inevitably incurs costs in spite of concerted efforts to reduce our expenditure.
It is important to state that Dorset History Centre does not levy any mandatory charge when it takes custody of records. The safeguarding of important knowledge and cultural heritage is the service's primary goal.
Voluntary contributions
In order to help off-set the significant costs associated with the storage and management of archives, a suggested one-off voluntary contribution of at least £10 per box or part thereof is encouraged from all potential depositors. This contribution reflects the costs of packaging and boxing material, or digital preservation activities which help to preserve the records and promote efficient storage.
We would encourage all donors to offer payment through Dorset Archives Trust (to which cheques can be addressed) and to Gift Aid their contribution, allowing the reclaimed tax to add to the value of the donation. Gift Aid envelopes are available on request.
The actual costs of long-term and on-going preservation and maintenance of archive collections are much greater and any additional voluntary contributions towards meeting this commitment would be gratefully received by the service.
Supporting us in other ways
There are a number of other ways that you can support the work of Dorset History Centre. These include:
- helping to fund the cataloguing and/or conservation of material deposited at Dorset History Centre. Both activities help to open up access to archives and thereby our understanding of our county's history
- joining our support charity, Dorset Archives Trust or donating funds via them. These can be Gift Aided