Costs of running an archive

Running an archive is expensive

The trustees have paid many thousands of pounds themselves to set up the Archive.  Lottery funds have supported most of the cataloguing. Staffing is by volunteers, so high storage costs are the main financial burden which the Friends can help the Archive to carry.

If the public is to see some of our fragile and vulnerable material, it needs carefully protecting from the dangers of handling. A simple dust-free album with enclosures costs about £25 and the Archive uses hundreds of them. Some older photographic images need special care, and this is also costly.

The importance of regular donations

Long-term financial planning is the essential first step in running the Archive, which must be careful not to over-extend itself. Single donations are always welcome, but monthly standing orders are vital to ensure that regular costs are covered by regular income.

Public support, particularly from those with a longer term commitment, is a major influence on grant-giving bodies. The Heritage Lottery Fund, a generous supporter of our cataloguing, likes to feel its grants echo public interest. Regular donations by many people are the best way of signalling that interest and guaranteeing the long-term success of the Mills Archive.

What the Archive does with your money

Your gift will be spent on the collections: acquisitions, storage and conservation, cataloguing and improving public access. To give you an idea of how the Archive uses your money:

• £50 pays for 20 A1 document folders
• £500 would pay for a new document scanner
• £2,500 pays for 100 albums and protective pockets
• £6,000 pays our rent for 6 months
• £15,000 would buy us a book scanner
• £25,000 allows us to speed up our cataloguing and upgrade our website
• £50,000 would allow us to scan and properly protect all our glass plate negatives and lantern slides