The Department of Archives has issued a "clarification" in response to criticism from the Ombudsman that it declined to make a database on important slave registers public.

It revealed that the Archives plans to launch a "fully searchable" website in June to provide worldwide access to the registers, which it described as "national treasures".

In a statement issued last week, Ombudsman Arlene Brock described a database on the 1821 and 1834 registers, compiled by Virginia Bernhard, as incomplete and imperfect, but an important research tool nonetheless.

She said the public should have access to the database, and eventually released it herself to the Bermuda College, National Museum and National Trust because the archives failed to do so.

The Ombudsman got involved after complaints from members of the public about that issue, and other allegations of barriers to public access to the archives.

However, the Department of Archives issued a statement in response, saying: "Following the Ombudsman's report, the department has been diligently addressing those recommendations that are seen as positive reinforcements for both internal processes and those services extended to the public.

"The slave registers are public records that have been available to the public since the archives was established in 1974.

"The registers were completely restored several years ago and the archives has promoted and carried out extensive outreach to make the public aware of these valuable documents.

"The originals were exhibited last fall as part of the 400th anniversary celebrations and a travelling exhibition showcasing copies of the registers was displayed on Emancipation Day 2009 at Camden; travelled to the Bermuda College Library in the fall and is currently on display at Warwick Academy."

With reference to the topic of the database, the statement said: "Following restoration, the archives recognised the need to fully catalogue not only the registers but their content as well.

"Full indexing was carried out last year at the same time that the registers were digitally imaged to professional standards by the archives' conservation laboratory in New England.

"The Archives Department appreciates the Bernhard name index, compiled by Professor Virginia Bernhard in preparing her book 'Slaves and Slaveholders in Bermuda, 1616-1782' and acknowledges her generosity in donating it to the archives.

"However, the Bernhard index does not link index terms to page numbers in the original registers and is therefore of limited use to researchers.

"After hours of painstaking work commencing a year ago, the archives has completed the quality assurance phase of their own indexing that will enable them to proceed with making the registers fully searchable on their website, where images and transcriptions of each of the original pages will be displayed alongside search results.

"An anticipated June launch of the website will provide not only local but worldwide access to these national treasures.

"In the meantime, a printout of the Bernhard index is available in the Reading Room at the Bermuda Archives where reference staff continues to provide personalised service to everyone who visits and will readily search all its finding aids for the public no matter what format."