/ Case Studies Heritage Digitisation
British Online Archives and The National Archives Partnership
On-site digitisation supporting globally published archival collections
Microform Imaging provides on-site digitisation services at The National Archives on behalf of British Online Archives, supporting the creation of digital primary source collections for institutional access worldwide.
Through a long-running partnership with British Online Archives and The National Archives, Microform has digitised bound volumes and loose-leaf archival material for publication to universities and libraries across the globe, including Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge.
The programme has delivered more than 1.3 million images across a growing body of themed archival collections.
/ The Challenge
How do you deliver large-scale on-site digitisation across many different archival collections, each with its own handling requirements and capture considerations, while working closely with conservation teams to minimise risk to the material?
Collection complexity
Each collection within the programme has its own structure, condition profile, and handling requirements. Successful delivery depends on careful planning with conservation teams at The National Archives to ensure effective capture with minimal risk to original material.
- Bound volumes and loose-leaf archival records
- Collection-specific handling and workflow requirements
- Close coordination with conservation specialists
- Need for consistent outputs across a varied publication programme
Microform approach
Microform delivers a fully on-site digitisation service using multiple team members and multiple equipment types, allowing workflows to be adapted to the requirements of each collection while maintaining production efficiency and preservation standards.
- On-site digitisation carried out entirely within The National Archives
- Multiple operators deployed across the programme
- Different capture systems used to suit material type and format
- Planning undertaken in partnership with archive and conservation teams
Quality control and delivery
Capture workflows combine direct on-site checking with remote quality control, helping to maintain accuracy and consistency across a high-volume and ongoing digitisation programme.
- Initial one-to-one checking completed on site
- Remote QC completed after on-site verification
- Digital outputs prepared for publication by British Online Archives
- Structured delivery supporting global academic access
Published collections created in partnership with The National Archives
- Britain Under Threat: Civil Defence in the Era of Total War, 1914-1989
- British Mercantile Trade Statistics, 1662-1809
- Building a New Germany: Denazification and Political Re-education, 1944-1948
- Censorship: Policy and Practice During the Second World War
- Establishing the Post-War International Order, 1944-1961
- Military Intelligence Files: Land, Sea & Air, 1938-1974
- Pandemics, Society, and Public Health, 1517-1925
- Paris Peace Conference and Beyond, 1919-1939
- Prison Ship Records from the War of 1812
- Prosecuting the Holocaust: British Investigations into Nazi Crimes, 1944-1949
- Radicalism and Popular Protest in Georgian Britain, c. 1714-1832
- Secrecy, Sabotage, and Aiding the Resistance: How Anglo-American Cooperation Shaped World War II
- The British Union of Fascists: 1933-1953
- The British Union of Fascists: Newspapers and Secret Files, 1933-1951
- The Laws of War: Justice, Rights, and Ethics in Military Contexts
- Witchcraft and Magic in England, c. 1400-1920
/ Long-term benefits
Conservation-aware delivery
Digitisation workflows are planned around the needs and condition of each collection.
On-site capture model
Material remains within The National Archives throughout the digitisation process.
Flexible production
Multiple people and equipment types support varied formats across the programme.
Global research access
Published collections are made available to leading institutions worldwide.
/ Outcome
The partnership has supported the creation of a substantial body of digital archival collections, giving researchers and institutions around the world access to important primary source material from The National Archives.
With more than 1.3 million images captured and an ongoing publication programme in place, the work demonstrates Microform's ability to deliver large-scale, conservation-aware digitisation on site and to support a partnership that will continue for many years to come.