The National Archives Receives National Lottery Grant for Digital Project

28 Jan 2020 03:27 PM

The National Archives has received a £93,500 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for an exciting digital heritage project, “Safeguarding the Nation’s Digital Memory”. This project will support the building of a digital preservation risk model which will allow us to understand and navigate the 21st century risks that our nation’s digital heritage faces.

The National Archives will partner with the Applied Statistics & Risk Unit at the University of Warwick; and archives partners, TfL Archives, University of Brighton Design Archives, Brotherton Library at the University of Leeds, Gloucestershire Archives, and Dorset History Centre.

John Sheridan, Digital Director at The National Archives yesterday said:

“The survival of the UK’s digital cultural heritage depends on archives. Applying the University of Warwick’s risk management techniques to archives is truly transformational. We can bring measurement together with expert judgment for the first time. This is ground-breaking for The National Archives and the whole archives sector.”

The project will look at bringing established risk management methods into the digital heritage environment. The project partners will create an evidence base by sharing their collective experience in order to map and explain the network of risk events, actions and impact on heritage. This knowledge will then allow archivists to prioritise threats and choose the most effective actions to combat them.

Stuart McLeod, Director London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, yesterday said:

“Our nation’s digital archives are full of incredible stories and cultural heritage. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, this project will work towards safeguarding them for future generations.”

More information about this project can be found at the webpage