King's College London Personnel Records

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0100 KCLCA KA/FP
Held at	: King's College London College Archives   Click here to find out how to view this collection at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/library/archivespec/ ›
Full title	: King's College London Personnel Records
Date(s)	: 1900-1999 (ongoing)
Level of description	: Sub-fonds of King's College London Archives
Extent	: approx 9900 files
Name of creator(s)	: King's College London | College Secretary's Department

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

For the majority of the twentieth century, and up until the 1985 merger between King's, Chelsea and Queen Elizabeth Colleges, responsibility for the creation and maintaining of staff records was divided according to the status and seniority of the person concerned between the Principal, the College Secretary, the Senior Assistant Secretary and the Bursar. In 1985 the personnel functions of all three colleges were integrated in a single department which took responsibility for staff of the other colleges and reported to the College Secretary. In the late 1990s reporting lines of the department have been varied but the personnel function has remained integrated. Dispersed series of staff files for King's College were integrated on their receipt into three main, chronologically arranged series reflecting academic and academically related, clerical and clerically related, and manual and technical staff.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Records comprise three series of King's College staff files: Academic and academic related staff files, 1900-1999 (KA/FPA), (predominantly from 1920, with few surviving before this date); Manual and Technical staff files, 1903, 1932-1995 (KA/FPT); Clerical and Secretarial staff files, 1920-1998 (KA/FPC). Academic staff includes professors, lecturers, research staff and academic related staff such as senior administration officers and professional staff such as archivists and librarians. From 1985 the Manual and Technical staff files include porters, catering and kitchen staff, laboratory and research technicians, cleaners, receptionists, telephonists, house keepers, drivers/chauffeurs, service engineers, electricians, carpenters and security attendants. Clerical and Secretarial files from 1984 include secretaries, secretarial assistants, library assistants, assistant accountants, administrative assistants, nursery assistants, post-graduate records assistants, payroll assistants, cashiers, computer programmers and operators, information officers and surveyors. Files include correspondence and papers relating to terms and conditions of appointments, contracts, salaries, sick leave, pensions, expenses, resignations, applications and references. The earliest part of the series for academic staff is incomplete.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

Arranged chronologically overall and then alphabetically by the surname of the member of staff for each year. The year given is the date when the member of staff left the College. In cases when it was not possible to determine a leaving date, the last document on file was used to provide an indication. Academic staff files 1900-1981 and Clerical and Secretarial staff files 1920-1982 were originally arranged in five series; Academic (up to 1976); Non-Academic (up to 1979); Clerical and Secretarial (1977-1982); Professorial (1978-1981) and Administrative (1968-1978). These were rationalised to create the two existing series.

Conditions governing access:

Subject to an eighty-year closure period, but may be consulted by members of the College with the permission of the head of the Personnel Department.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be provided for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Director of Archive Services, King's College London.

Finding aids:

Detailed catalogues are available in hard copy in the reading room of the College Archives. A series of record cards arranged alphabetically by name is also available in the reading room, detailing academic staff appointments, [1890-1982] under present, past and deceased staff.

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

The majority of the Academic staff files, 1900-1981, and Clerical and Secretarial staff files, 1920-1982, were transferred to the College Archives from the Secretary's office in December 1982. The Manual and Technical staff files 1903, 1932-1983 were maintained by the Head Clerk until January 1984, and transferred to the College Archives from the Personnel section of the Secretary's office in December 1984. A few files relating to administrative staff, 1922-1946, and refectory and hostel staff, 1925-1960, were transferred from the Bursar's semi-current records store in December 1984.

Allied Materials

Related material:

The college archives also hold personnel records of Chelsea College, Academic staff files, 1960-1985 (CA/FPA), Clerical and Secretarial staff files, 1951-1987 (CA/FPC), staff personal record cards, 1976-1985 (CA/RC); Queen Elizabeth College Manual and Technical staff files, 1919-1985 (QA/FPT), Academic and related Academic staff files, 1909-1985 (QA/FPA), Clerical and Secretarial staff files, 1922-1985 (QA/FPC); King's College London Library staff files, 1957-1998 (KAL/FD), wages signature books (KA/WSB), salaries books (KA/SAB), College calendars (include lists of academic staff).

National Register of Archives: Click here to view NRA record

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:

Rules or conventions:

Date(s) of descriptions:
February 2000