Ombudsman Arlene Brock is not the first to launch an investigation into claims of serious problems at Bermuda Archives, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

Numerous sources have told this newspaper that allegations of information being withheld — as well as claims of staff bullying, a "toxic" work environment and exorbitant fees for reproduction — are nothing new.

Cabinet Secretary Marc Telemaque promised an overseas academic last year that he would investigate a complaint about poor service and the Bermuda Public Services Union (BPSU) is also understood to be looking into grievances from staff about Archives director Karla Hayward.

The Ombudsman announced on Wednesday that she had launched a probe into the Archives to ensure that citizens' rights to public information were protected after five complaints were made to her.

But those complaints are just the tip of the iceberg, according to the many sources who have spoken to this newspaper in the last two days on condition of anonymity.

They say the long-standing problems date back more than a decade. One former member of staff claimed she suffered several nervous breakdowns due to harassment and the poisonous atmosphere, but got nowhere when she sought help from superiors.

The overseas academic who complained about his experiences to Mr. Telemaque in the summer of 2007 was told by the Cabinet Secretary in an e-mail: "I will immediately investigate the circumstances surrounding this and ensure that you are kept informed accordingly."

Another foreign academic said he reported his bad experiences at the Archives to Mr. Telemaque and was assured it would be investigated but has never been told the outcome.

The professor said: "There are very, very serious problems at the Bermuda Archives, problems that have damaged the preservation of Bermuda's wonderful heritage and have, probably more importantly, damaged the lives of employees who have worked there."

Mr. Telemaque, in response to questions yesterday about whether the issues were investigated, said it would be inappropriate for him to comment while the Ombudsman's inquiry was ongoing and that "in any event, public comment on internal matters such as these is rare".

He added: "I would only suggest that you not accept the version of those who say 'nothing has been done' and instead accept that they a) may not be happy with what was done or b) may not know what was done."

A highly placed source said the BPSU was investigating concerns about Ms Hayward and that at one point all the staff in the small department, in the basement of the Government Administration Building, were complaining about her.

"There are a number of issues and at one point it was just across the whole department," said the source. "There seems to be some validity to the fact that there are personal issues between the director and the staff members."

Users of the Archives, which is the official repository of the records of the Government of Bermuda, say that information is withheld for no reason and there are unnecessary delays in obtaining material.

Other complaints include inflexibility, the lack of a useful website, poor cataloguing and high fees for reproductions, the latter being decided by Parliament. One researcher said: "Karla Hayward is preventing cultural works from being completed.

"This may seem like a small issue to some people but it has huge repercussions for our culture and history, for our youth and future generations."

Ms Hayward said yesterday: "I would dearly like to respond but I'm afraid we have been asked to refer all inquiries to the Ombudsman."

Ms Brock said she has not come to any conclusions yet but is encouraged by the promise of cooperation from the Archives.

She stressed that her focus was "not on finding fault".

BPSU general secretary Ed Ball would not comment.