Session 1
On-Line Catalogues
1901 Census
Chip-shaped & Bristol Fashion

Session 2
The Wessex Film & Sound Archive
The Great War as Local History

Session 3
Members' Presentations
The Living Archive CD ROM
Computerised Local History Project
Histories for the Millennium

Exhibitors
Michael Bell Maps
University of Hertfordshire
Easy Peasy Guides
Dave Ogden Family History Society Books

Research Displays
Cressage Area Research Project
Illustrating a disaster, Hartley 1862
CLUTCH Project
Servant Migration: National Trust Houses in 1881
Friendly Societies Research Group

On this page are just a few of the highlights!

The Public Record Office's On-Line Catalogues
David Thomas, Head of the Information Record Department, PRO

Delegates were treated to a real-time demonstration of the PRO's On-Line catalogue service that showed the depth & richness of available information for users of the Internet. The development programme for the PRO's internet site was explained and delegates were able to see pre-release information of how documents will be presented in the significant site update planned for May 2000 that includes pre-ordering of documents by e-mail (prior to a physical visit to the PRO). The site receives in excess of 2,000,000 "hits" per month and has received a prize from Price Waterhouse Publications for the high level of "Wow!" ... visit the PRO Web Site.

The 1901 Census Digitisation Project ... an update
Margaret Brennand & David Annal, FRC 1901 Census Communications Team

Society members were looking forward to this presentation and were not disappointed in the richness of content.  As background delegates also received interesting information that the Family Records Centre in London has experienced phenomenal growth in the number of researchers visiting the premises, and that saturation is currently forecast to be reached in 2003. Currently peak occupation times (and hence queues for reader facilities) occur during school half-term and on Tuesdays and Thursdays of other weeks ...

Clearly the release of the 1901 census on January 2nd 2002 would no doubt exacerbate the situation so the decision to digitise the census, and thus make it "more accessible" outside of the PRO & FRC was made.

Delegates received an exciting presentation of how the digital access should work though it should be remembered that this will be a commercial service, and based upon the level of information provided to members, it could turn out to be expensive to use.

Conference 2000
Plenty of things to look at

Conference 2000
Explaining CLUTCH
A co-operative initiative by the Living Archive & the Knowledge Media Institute (KMi)