The National Archives reaches finals in e-Government National Awards 2006
The National Archives reaches finals in e-Government National Awards 2006
21 November 2006
The National Archives has been short-listed for the e-Government National Awards 2006. The Awards highlight the UK's best services which improve citizen and business transaction with councils, central government departments and other public sector organisations.
For the first time The National Archives has reached the finals in three categories:
Central e-Goverrnment excellence: Citizen-focused online services (Using e-Government services to deliver proven citizen-focused services) for The National Archives Global Search
Central e-Government excellence: Take-up (Delivering high and growing take-up of e-enabled service through effective service delivery and marketing) for The National Archives´ digitisation programme
E-Government excellence: Education (Public sector online or electronic educational services which transform learning) for The National Archives Learning Curve website for schools.
Global Search was recognised because it delivers a proven citizen-focused service. The Global Search facility works on the same principle as Google and makes it easier for users to find information in 11 catalogues and databases across The National Archives´ website pages in one easy search.
The e-Government National Awards have acknowledged the success of The National Archives´ digitisation programme in serving the public. All consumers now expect fast online fast access to historical material. Despite having a largely paper-based collection The National Archives has evolved to meet these expectations with an ambitious and successful digitisation programme, to make its most popular records available online. The most recent and large-scale example of this is the launch of Domesday Online, the digital version of Domesday Book. In addition, we´ve launched a digitisation on demand programme which makes the majority of our records accessible to researchers wherever they are.
Finally, Learning Curve is recognised because of its excellent and comprehensive mix of resources to help transform learning. The site´s unique collection of historical documents and innovative technologies draw together a diverse range of information from Domesday Book to World War II. All of these resources are tailored for the UK school curriculum, creating a informative source for pupils and teachers.
Natalie Ceeney, Chief Executive of The National Archives, says:
"I am pleased that our achievements over the last year in the area of e-Government have been recognised. The National Archives is passionate about making Britain´s national heritage as accessible as possible. We are proud of the success we´ve achieved - not only are we currently government´s 5th most popular website, but researchers can now get access to our most popular records wherever they are. Our ambition is to bring history to life for everyone, and these awards recognise the progress we´re making towards achieving it´."
The annual e-Government National Awards have become the UK's highest level commendation for the best e-Government services - services which, through innovative online delivery or IT implementation, have positively transformed the lives of citizens, local communities, business and stakeholder groups. This year's finalists have been chosen from among the record 345 nominations that were submitted by senior professionals working across the public sector.
The winners will be announced and presented with their e-Government National Awards on 17 January 2007 at a black-tie dinner at the Savoy Hotel in London.
