LMA Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) is a core service of the City of London Corporation and as such fully supports its wider strategies to promote equality, diversity and inclusion.

LMA’s core values are encapsulated in its Vision which states:

Our vision is to ensure as many people as possible now and in the future have access to the archives in our care on site and digitally, safeguarding knowledge, improving understanding, inspiring participation, and supporting good public governance. We aim to provide a world class service aspiring to the highest standards that is open and engaging, innovative, inclusive, secure and sustainable. As one of the leading archive services in the UK we also have a responsibility to provide leadership within the London, national and international archive sectors.

The LMA Vision is part of LMA’s Mission Statement. 

LMA’s core values are also reflected in its detailed policies on all key aspects of the archive service.

Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to our vision and our core values, ensuring our future as a dynamic and relevant archive with a positive and supportive culture, where all staff and people who engage with us feel empowered and respected. At all times our work to embed equality, diversity and inclusion is anchored in our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, particularly in relation to people with protected characteristics.

We recognise that equality, diversity and inclusion require a strong and active commitment and concerted action to build an inclusive environment where opportunities are open to all, diversity is valued, and where everybody can reach their full potential without fear of harassment, prejudice, or discrimination.

We are committed to supporting diversity, equality, and inclusion in the following three key ways:

• Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics
• Taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people
• Encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low

We believe removing any existing and potential barriers to inclusion is critical to creating an inclusive work and study environment where people feel welcomed, valued, and supported.

LMA is London’s archive service, collecting, preserving, celebrating and sharing the stories of London and Londoners and its many communities through collaboration, innovation and learning. It is responsible for 100 kilometres of the capital’s documentary heritage dating from 1067 to the present day, making LMA the largest archive service in the United Kingdom after The National Archives.

Because of their national status, these collections have been awarded Designated status by Arts Council England and LMA is also recognised as an Accredited Archive Service demonstrating that it has met clearly defined national standards relating to management and resourcing, the care of its unique collections and what the service offers to its entire range of users.

LMA operates within an equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) framework provided by our professional bodies and others including:

• The Archives and Records Association UK and Ireland (ARA) which seeks to ensure that its membership, organisations that manage records, the holdings that archives acquire, preserve/conserve and manage, and the users and stakeholders that we work with and serve reflect the diversity of our society 
• The Institute of Conservation (ICON) which sets out its diversity strategy as part of its wider vision for cultural heritage to be valued and accessible and for its future to be enhanced and safeguarded by excellence in conservation
• The Museums Association (MA) which has an unreserved commitment to decolonise museums and their collections
• The Culture& Black Lives Matter Charter for the UK heritage sector to decolonise its relationship with the UK Black community and their workforce, collections and programmes 
• The International Council on Archives’ Universal Declaration on Archives which advocates for ‘the preservation and universal accessibility of the world’s documentary heritage. Archives secure human rights, establish a collective memory and underpin accountable and transparent governments