Present: G Jenkins (NLW, Chairman); L Craven (PRO); S Edwards (Glam); M Ellis (HMC); G Evans (NMGW); H Malaws (NMRW); D Jeremiah (NLW); D Rimmer (Gwent); L Tomos (DILS); R Williams (SocArch); J Watts-Williams (NLW); and, for the morning session, Stephen Green (HLF).

Apologies: K Matthias (Denbigh); A D Carr (UWBangor); A Lloyd Hughes (MWL); David Leitch (PRO).

1	Wales Archives Network
	GJ explained that the meeting had been called specifically to discuss the strategy for preparing an application for Lottery funding with regard to WAN.

2	The Heritage Lottery Fund and Archives
2.1	HLF Guidelines
	SG explained how HLF guidelines and policies had evolved since it began operating three years ago. During that time the emphasis of its criteria for making grants had changed gradually from grand buildings to people and communities. It was noted with interest that HLF was no longer in favour of supporting feasibility studies. The new application pack containing the latest guidelines had been published by HLF in April 1998 and was being distributed widely in the archives community.

2.2	Archives and HLF
	To attract the consideration of the HLF trustees, archival projects need to have added value, e.g. making archives accessible to a wider clientele. Flagship projects were more likely to be considered than routine plans for the digitisation of summary catalogues.
	The mapping of archives services drawing attention to the most urgent needs was considered very important in support of applications; and the success of the Scottish Archive Network scheme was vital for the prospects of further applications.
	The People's Library report had caught the imagination of politicians. It was important for archives services to be seen as essential participants in the development of the concept of public access to information put forward by that report. An event was being arranged at the PRO to try and impress the HLF trustees with the ambitious plans being put forward for networking archives throughout the UK. It was encouraging that Seamus Ross's report had been fully endorsed by the trustees.

2.3	Wales Archives Network and HLF
	It was agreed that the WAN Scoping Study document should be developed into a fully-fledged application identifying and emphasising the Welsh heritage elements of the project's intellectual content; and that the proposed feasibility plan should be dropped in favour of a business case to be completed by the end of 1998.
	It was regarded as desirable to do another mapping exercise to include a wider range of archive services than the local authority record offices mapped by ME in 1996, and, if possible, to complete the exercise by the end of 1998 so that it could strengthen the ACW Lottery bid. It was noted that the Welsh County Archivists Group had already agreed to redo the mapping exercise; and that ME had started working on it.
	Some gathering of information for the business case would fit in with the mapping exercise. ME and LT would agree on the question on IT provision to be included in the questionnaire for the mapping exercise. HM agreed to draft a question relevant to the Wales Archives Network to be included in the user survey scheduled for June.
	Funding for a six-month project to prepare the business case had been generously offered by WDA (£15K), UWA (£5K, partly in kind), and NLW (£5K, partly in kind). It was decided to approach the PRO for a contribution to the funding. LT, DJ and JWW agreed to draft terms of reference for the business case the following week and to send copies to members of ACW and its networking sub-committee.

3	Date of next meeting
	The probable date of the next ACW meeting was 17 July 1998.

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