Retrieving records from the Archives

Which records will the National Archives issue?

The National Archives will issue, through our Lending Service, any record that your agency controls, with the following exceptions:

• Fragile records – If the records are very fragile, the Archives may ask you to send a staff member to look at them on the Archives premises, rather than risk damaging them in transit. If this does not suit you, we may be able to send you a copy instead of the original, or you may need to wait while preservation staff repair or make special transport containers for the records. This will apply if your record is already receiving special preservation treatment from the Archives. Our staff will consult with you about the best way to give you access to the fragile records.
• Records in the open access period – The Archives will not issue records that are in the open access period, except in very limited circumstances. These records are available for access by the public, so you will need to visit an Archives reading room to look at them, or order a copy.

If the National Archives asks you to come to its premises to see the records, and the records are not open to the public, you will need to obtain official access for each person who will look at the records.

Coordinating your agency's lending requests

If you need to look at records already transferred to the National Archives, you will have to authorise a particular person to make requests for records. Ideally only one person in an agency should be authorised to make lending requests – this will prevent two or three people contacting the Archives looking for the same file. Please keep us informed about who is authorised to request records on behalf of your agency.

If your agency has a high volume of lending requests, please group these so we can respond to them more efficently.

Submitting a lending request

To request a record, you need to know the record’s series, consignment (or transfer job) and item or file numbers (control symbols). This information is on the consignment lists you sent to the National Archives when the record was transferred. Some Archives offices will also ask for the box number as the consignment list may be indexed by box number.

If you don't have copies of the consignment lists, or you don't know the consignment number, please contact the Archives. We keep copies of all consignment lists and we can provide an electronic copy, or a photocopy, of these lists. There is a charge for this service. The Archives also charges for retrieving some categories of records, such as temporary records, and may charge you for looking for records that do not exist.

You can submit a lending request by:

• logging on to the National Archives RecordSearch system and filling out a lending request form. To do this you must be the authorised person in your agency and have a RecordSearch login. If you do not have a RecordSearch login, please contact us.
• Emailing or faxing us with a list of records you would like to borrow, including the following information:
  • agency name
  • name of the officer authorised to make lending requests
  • the branch or section you are calling from
  • your telephone number
  • the series and consignment number of the records you want
  • the item or file number, title or description
  • part numbers if applicable; and 
  • how you intend to collect the items.

We prefer email or fax contact. However, if you have an urgent request for a small number of records, you may contact us by telephone. If you do need to telephone a records request, please have the above record information ready when you call.

Turnaround times

The National Archives aims to have normal requests for records ready within 24 hours. Some Archives offices have repositories in more than one location. This, and factors such as the timing of courier runs, can affect the response time. You may wish to contact your nearest Archives office for details about their response times. Some offices may advise you on the best time of day to make a lending request.

Urgent requests

For urgent requests during business hours, the National Archives may be able to have your records ready for you to pick up in one hour. Archives offices with repositories in more than one location may not be able to provide a one-hour service.

Urgent requests should be telephoned, or you can telephone to alert us that you are faxing an urgent request. The lending arrangements for official access to records vary depending on the type of record and storage location. Contact your local Lending Service office to learn more about their arrangements for urgent requests.

Digital records

Digital records requested by an agency can be retrieved via Lending Service in the same way as paper records. We will send you all the documents that make up the item on a transfer medium (like a CD or portable hard drive) or through other agreed methods. Normally, we will provide the open-format version of the documents, but we can supply the original version as well if required.  

Special format requests

The National Archives keeps some kinds of records in special low temperature storage (eg master microfilms, photographs and films). When they are removed from cold storage, these records require an acclimatisation process before the Archives can issue them. For this reason, there is a week turnaround for lending some special types of records.

Pick-up arrangements

Once your records are ready to pick up, you can arrange to have them collected by an authorised courier or person. If you are using a courier, you should give them specific information about the records they will be picking up, including your 'CA' or Commonwealth Agency number. If you are not sure of your agency's 'CA' number, please check with the National Archives.

Records will not be issued to anyone who does not have the required authorisation, as the Archives has a responsiblity for the security of records in our custody. If you have requested records which have a national security classification, we will notify you of this. However, it is your responsibility to make sure that the person collecting the records has appropriate security clearance.

For more infomation on security classifications and clearances, please see the Australian Government Protective Security Policy Framework released by the Attorney-General's Department.

Withdrawing records for sentencing

If your agency has unsentenced records stored with the National Archives you may want to withdraw them to sentence them. As the process of withdrawing records differs from standard Lending Service procedure, you should contact the Archives for advice.

Returning records to the National Archives

While your agency is using records that you have retrieved through the Lending Service, you need to take particular care to keep track of them. Return records to the National Archives office that issued them to you as soon as you have finished with them. Make sure that you securely pack or wrap the records to prevent damage during transit. If you need to keep records longer than three months, let the Archives know as soon as possible.

Take care that you return only the records that the Archives has issued to you so they can be returned to their series and consignment. If you are not sure if a record was retrieved from the Archives, look for a lending label. If the Archives has issued the record to you through the Lending Service, the record will have a label on the back with details of the request on it.

What if my agency needs to keep the records?

Contact your local Lending Service for advice.

Returning records after sentencing

After a sentencing project, you may find that some of the records you withdrew from the National Archives for sentencing need to be returned to the Archives. You should not return these records through the Lending Service. Instead, you will need to transfer them to the Archives as part of a new consignment.