The purpose of Dewsbury Bus Museum Archive is to:

Preserve and hold in safe keeping any historical company records, documents and items of memorabilia that relate specifically to West Riding Automobile Company, Yorkshire Woollen District Transport Company and their constituent companies such as J Bullock & Sons and South Yorkshire Motors. Consideration will also be given to their successors and other local independent operators that trade or traded in the same geographic area.

Catalogue and store all such items in a logical order in a safe, dry and secure location.

Make the archive collection available for inspection by any person approved by the Trustees for the purpose of historical research or practical use.

Provide material from time to time for temporary Museum Open Day displays and provide material for permanent Museum displays.

The role of the Museum Archivist is to:

Act as a focal point for any enquiries that relate to the history of West Riding Automobile Company, Yorkshire Woollen District Transport Company and their constituent companies.

Facilitate relationships with other organisations with similar aims and build a network of contacts.

Seek to acquire any items from third parties that are considered relevant to the collection.

Liaise with any external contacts who wish to donate items of interest to the Archive collection.

Make decisions on what material should be displayed on Museum Open Days and what materials should be permanently displayed in the Museum building.

Practical Requirements

It is anticipated that an established and organised Archive would require minimal time to maintain and update. However, the postholder should understand that tthey must commit at least 10 hours per month to this role. Due to the nature of some items that are included in the collection, the role of Archivist requires an individual with integrity and a high degree of credibility.

Any deviation from this published policy must be agreed in advance by the Trustees.  

Requests for loan of materials from the Archive

Where a request to remove any item from the Archive from the Museum building, the Archivist must ensure that all such items are detailed in a loan book and that they are signed for by the receiving party. In all cases, items must only be loaned for a maximum of 14 days unless approval is sought and agreed by the Trustees.

Where the individual requesting an item is a member of the Museum then the item may be loaned on trust. Where the individual is not a member of the Museum a deposit in cash will be obtained that reflects the estimated value of the item.  In exceptional cases the Trustees may waive this.  However, this must be agreed in advance. Where an organisation requests use of any item from the Archive (for example a television production company),an administration charge may apply for the loan of the item.

Requests to donate materials to the Archive

When a member of the public wishes to donate any item to the Museum they should contact the Museum Archivist or when this is impractical, the item should be accepted by a Trustee and placed in secure storage at the earliest opportunity and the Archivist advised.

The role of the

Archivist is to assess how relevant the item is to the collection and this should be advised to the person donating the item.  Where the item is considered to be outside the collecting policy and/or unsuitable for display in the Museum building, agreement will be sought from the person donating the item for the Museum to dispose of said item as the Museum sees fit.  For example, a donated item may well be sold on, or exchanged with a third party for something more relevant for the benefit of the Museum.

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