Current projects

Grants awarded 2025

British Trust for Ornithology

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Archives looks after a wide range of ornithological material, from the data collected through BTO surveys and monitoring schemes to the personal papers of prominent ornithologists. This bursary will enable the organisation to acquire a better understanding of photographic materials and the processes by which they degrade, which is vital as they work to stabilise, and make accessible, their large collection of early twentieth century lantern slides and glass plate negatives.

Prof Juliet Vickery, BTO Chief Executive Officer, says: “We are thrilled that our archivist has been awarded a National Archives Skills Bursary. BTO is privileged to look after a wonderful and nationally important collection of early photographic material. This specialist training on photographic degradation will enable us to provide better care for this wonderful collection of bird imagery and open it up to the public”.

University of the Arts London

The UAL Archives and Special Collections Centre (ASCC) has particular collection strengths in filmmaking, sound arts, photography and student artworks, as well as histories of printing, publishing and art education. A number of these collections are digitised or born-digital and require a series of technical workflows to make them accessible. This grant will support Assistant Archivist Erin Liu’s participation in the Postgraduate Certification (PgCert) in Applied Data Science at Birkbeck, University of London.

The PgCert provides students with a broad knowledge of computing, as well as applicable skills in programming and data analysis, using Python. In addition to improving UAL ASCC’s asset preparation and ingest workflows, Erin will develop computational knowledge and skills to better equip the Archives service to meet changing user needs.

Sarah Mahurter, Manager of the ASCC, says: “We are grateful to The National Archives for awarding us this bursary. Erin’s particular interest is in the care and conservation of archives and collections, which is central to their ongoing access and use in the future. Her participation in this PgCert will further develop UAL’s ability to maximise the benefit of its heritage assets, not only to the academic world — which can sometimes seem exclusive — but to the wider public who will engage in creative activity in the future to enhance their lives and their own learning.”

Grants awarded 2024

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD)

RWCMD Library & Archives have been invited to share their findings at the international SIBMAS conference in Hong Kong in June 2024 to an international community of archivists, librarians and researchers working in the performing arts. Their talk will highlight the college’s pioneering and creative collaboration with opera company Opera Rara around a special collection. Opera Rara will deliver a lecture recital illustrating how they use archival sources to fulfil their mission to restore, record, perform and promote the lost operatic heritage of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Judith Dray and Mandie Garrigan from RWCMD will explore the use of special collections to enrich student research and learning opportunities. Together, the two organisations will talk about how the shared archival resource has led to meaningful and creative collaboration between them.

Judith Dray and Mandie Garrigan from RWCMD said: ‘We would like to thank The National Archives for this grant which contributes towards us attending SIBMAS Hong Kong 2024. The conference will allow us to gain new skills in research and presentation. It will also provide tangible benefits for RWCMD’s collections and their functions within the college. Showcasing the collection with an international community of performing arts archivists, librarians, and researchers may lead to collaborations in different international sectors.’

British Medical Association

This grant will enable a member of staff to attend the InterPARES summer school. The summer school covers a wide range of topics relating to digital record keeping, including trustworthy digital records creation, preservation, and access. The modules are extremely pertinent to their ongoing digital preservation work and they are particularly interested in the modules relating to AI and its application within the archive.

The course, which is limited to 30 attendees, will enable the staff member to professionally develop and upskill, broadening their ways of thinking about digital preservation. The course also provides the opportunity to learn from leading academics and practitioners in the sector. The staff member will share their new knowledge with colleagues at their own workplace as well as with the wider archive sector.
Milla Churchill, Library and Archive Lead at the BMA, said: ‘The knowledge and skills gained at the summer school will help inform the development and successful implementation of our own digital archive.’

Explore York Archives

Explore York Archives is currently going through a period of change, with a team whose roles and responsibilities have been altered. Their project aims to build new skills into their team, and to develop a revitalised and resilient archive service which can improve and enhance access to under-used collections.
As part of this project, one of their archivists has been successful in applying for this skills bursary to undertake professional training in reading and understanding Latin documents. This will enable the team to create accurate and detailed online collections information, to enhance teaching and learning activities, and to open up new research potential by providing access to nationally and internationally significant Latin documents.

Julie-Ann Vickers, Head of Archives at Explore York, said: ‘The medieval civic collections we hold at Explore York document the lives of York’s citizens in glorious detail and at a crucial period in the city’s history. Yet they remain woefully under-used in our engagement activities. This generous grant will build Latin skills within the team, helping to overcome barriers to access and enriching our engagement programme.’

Grants awarded 2023

Archive and Cornish Studies Service

Archive and Cornish Studies Service (Kresen Kernow) look after more than a million records relating to Cornish history. They will use their grant to promote under-used records, which often hold hidden aspects of their past.

Tamsin Mallett, Collections and Development Manager at Kresen Kernow, said: ‘It’s fantastic that our archivist has been awarded this bursary to continue her Latin studies. Her deeper knowledge of the subject and enthusiasm for our manorial collections, will really help us promote these records and the way they can be used for information, inspiration and enjoyment.’

Pavement Pounders CIC

Pavement Pounders are a community interest company (CIC) working on spoken memory projects. Over the last ten years they have been collecting spoken memories in various seaside towns in Kent. 

David Lay, one of the three directors of Pavement Pounders CIC said: ‘We are delighted to have been awarded a skills bursary by The National Archives to send one of our team on an audio archiving course.  This is recognition that the local spoken memories we have been collecting over the years are worth preserving and a tribute to our many memory sharers.’