WIREDGOV

Find out how the Digital Services team approached the design of the new catalogue and how users play a vital role in shaping our services.

In this blog we’re going to delve into the design of our new catalogue. Launched as a Beta (a first version that we’re still working on) at the end of 2025, it’s the first major release of what will eventually replace Discovery, our current catalogue, to deliver a more modern, robust and secure service for our users.

When Discovery first launched over a decade ago, it set the standard for archival searches. However, in the intervening years the needs of users visiting The National Archives’ website have changed as has the internet itself. What worked ten years ago no longer meets our users’ expectations, especially with the prevalence of mobile devices and emerging technologies such as AI.

This new catalogue has been a long time in the making, part of a multi-year commitment to building a new website for The National Archives from the ground up. Our catalogue is vast, containing 37 million records and counting. Designing such a complex and unique service has been a huge challenge for the Digital Services team. From the earliest experiments (under the banner of Project Alpha) to its current Beta, the catalogue has seen many iterations in both design and functionality.

Click here for the full press release