-----------------------------------------------------------~ Research and development of imagebased retrieval systems (video disc and CDROM) for the curation and distribution of the Royal Commission's srock of photographs and graphics is also planned, hopefully adding to the range of information providing services currently available. The Royal Commission is also engaged in negotiations with English Heritage and the Department of the Environment Heritage Division over the computerisation of the statutory lists of Hisroric Buildings. The benefits of a national, comprehensive and statutorily authoritative record would be considerable. In addition to improving the quality of information held by RCHME and the management of the administrative procedures carried out by the other national bodies, the computerised record could provide the basis for Local Authority information systems, without them having to do the job themselves. It is, of course, acknowledged that some local authorities will find it necessary to develop their own systems for handling List information and related administrative procedures, before a nationally available record is produced. To this end, RHCME and EH are developing a core data standard for building information which will be published this year. It is hoped that this will enable the computerisation projects that are started in the intervening period tO be compatible in content and structure with the national record. As the national body of survey and record, the Royal Commission has a leading role to play. It sees the computerisation of the lists and its own records as fundamental not only to the efficient management of its activities but also to the development of the national heritage database, which in turn is essential for the professional management of the heritage. Until this database is made available tO its users in an efficient and timely manner, conservation of the built heritage will be a reactive process; aimed at preserving what is under threat rather than a predictive THE GREATER LONDON SITES AND MONUMENTS RECORD Hugh Jones discusses this record of information relating to historic buildings and archaeologicalsites. The Greater London Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) is a computerised record of information relating ro hisroric buildings and archaeological sites in London. It also includes a set of large scale (1:1250 or 1:2500) hard copy maps marked up to show the location of the items in the record. The SMR was started in 1984 by the GLC, and is now financed and managed by English Heritage, and operated in partnership with the Museum of London, the Passmore Edwards Museum and the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames. There is a Sites and Monuments Record in existence or in the process of being compiled for most counties or regions in Britain. All SMRs contain locational and descriptive information, dates, and bibliographic and other references for each of the sites and buildings recorded in them, and information should be retrievable on any reasonable combination of these attributes. Some SMRs are strongly biased towards archaeological information. SMRs are designed to serve a number of purposes. Perhaps the most important of these is the provision of accurate, easily accessibie data ro inform the planning process, and for this reason many such records are located in the Planning Departments of (usually county-level) CONTEXT 25 local authorities. SMRs are also used for academic and educational purposes, and may support a variety of research interests, both from the public and from commercial organisations. Some SMRs may charge for the provision of information ro commercial users. The emphasis so far within the Greater London SMR has been on intensive compilation. It is expected that when this phase ends in 1991 there will be of the order of 60,000 records on the system, making it by some margin the largest SMR in Britain. It will be possible ro provide information on all statutorily listed buildings in London, and all archaeological sites about which information has been available to SMR. The record was designed with potential users in mind, and EH seeks tO amplify the information contained in the staturory lists wherever possible. For instance, additional information such as architects' or builders' names is added, where these are known but not included in the list entry. References are also added tO other principal sources, such as the survey of London, VCH etc. As EH nears the end of intensive compilation, a stage is being reached where consideration can begin of how best to offer a service to users. The aim is to make the record as accessible as possible and, in particular, of value to the London planning authorities. Hugh Jones is with Englisl, Heritage. methodology, geared toward advance threat assessment and the development of forward looking and informed conservation policies. Simon Granr is Head of Computer Services, Royal Commission on the Historic Monumcnrs of England. COMPUTERJSATION OF LISTED BUILDINGS DATA: MARKETING CONSULTANCY Co-operative work carried out by The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England and English Heritage has confirmed the view of the House of Commons Select Committee that a computerised copy of the statutory historic buildings lists should be established for the purposes of efficient heritage management. A further analysis is being carried out, examining the potential for marketing list information, since financial return on a major investment of this nature is highly desirable. The consultants Pannell Kerr Forster Associates have been commissioned by RCHME in partnership with EH and the Department of the Environment Heritage Division to canvass the views of actual and potential users of list information and to suggest appropriate marketing strategies. Questionnaires will shortly be circulated to all local authority and county council planning departments requesting basic information from list users on the nature of present usage and potential future needs for information. RCHME hopes for as full a response as possible to this survey as the information will help the development of strategies for a more efficient service in future. 13
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