Here are the archives participating in the 2026 programme:
Bromley Historic Collections
Bromley Historic Collections are implementing necessary policies and procedures to help them care for the born digital records currently in their care. They also hope to expand their accession procedures to include born-digital records and use Preservica to make these collections accessible where appropriate. Their archivist will receive digital support to help them lead on this digital preservation plan.
Dumfries and Galloway Council
The archivist at Dumfries and Galloway Council is seeking mentor support to help them develop a Digital Archives Strategy and implement a Digital Archive Management Plan to ensure long-term access and preservation of digital records. The mentor will provide essential guidance in shaping sustainable workflows, aligning with national standards, so the archivist can embed digital archiving into council practice.
English Folk Dance & Song Society
The English Folk Dance & Society are looking to develop a strategy for their Archive & Library, both as a repository and a functioning department. They will receive support to develop this strategy, particularly in the remits of engaging colleagues, embedding sustainability and working to a new digital preservation strategy.
Haringey Archive Service
Haringey Archive Service is hoping to purchase a digital preservation system for the council’s born digital archive collections. The archive manager will be supported to establish the strategy and workflows in advance and to build their overall confidence in preserving digital records and advocating for support, and funding, within the council.
Headstone Manor & Museum
Headstone Manor & Museum aim to build a digital preservation strategy so they can collect, preserve and make accessible oral histories from a recent National Lottery Heritage Funded project. Under mentorship, they want to develop their skills communicating with other departments and set foundations for a larger strategy where the council can transfer its digital assets to the archive.
Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS)
This project aims to make best use of HALS’ recently acquired access to Preservica by identifying and ingesting those digital records in most urgent need of preservation. To achieve this, they are planning an audit of existing digital assets, and the creation of a Digital Asset Register. The peer mentor will advise HALs as they look to update their Digital Preservation Strategy.
Lincolnshire Archives
Lincolnshire Archives is developing its capacity to ingest, process and preserve born-digital records. Their mentor will support them to create a digital preservation policy and review their digital asset register, which has not been updated recently due to staff changes. With this work completed, they hope to create a more detailed digital preservation strategy and put practical steps in place to secure their existing digital data.
National Records of Scotland (NRS)
The first of two NRS projects will focus on developing a sustainable approach to digital preservation, ensuring long-term accessibility and integrity of born-digital and digitised records. A mentor will support their first applicant to navigate technical standards, tools, and best practices, while building confidence in project planning and delivery.
Their second project will focus on cataloguing born-digital records. Key activities will include conducting literature reviews, analysing best practices, engaging with professionals in the digital preservation community, consulting internally and building a network in the digital space. A mentor will provide guidance and strategic insight.
Nationwide Building Society Archives (NBSA)
The archivist at NBSA will be supported to build a case for a digital preservation system – this will include outlining risks, establishing benefits and approximate costs, and building a sensible shortlist of external providers who could fulfil their requirements.
Nucleus: the Caithness and Nuclear Archives
The Digital Archivist at Nucleus plans to develop and implement a comprehensive digital strategy that bridges records management and digital archiving within the organisation. Key outputs will include a digital preservation policy, metadata framework, and recommendations for suitable systems and tools. Their mentor will help them navigate best practices in digital preservation, system selection, and change management.
The Bus Archive
The Bus Archive aims to establish its first digital preservation policy and procedure, starting with a pilot project to safeguard its collection of digital bus timetables and newsletters. Their archivist will receive guidance on workflows, suitable tools, and sustainable procedures for ingest, storage, fixity checking, and metadata capture.
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham recently acquired a structured digital preservation system. Their mentor will offer guidance on how to implement and advocate for this system and new strategies. They are particularly keen to learn what has worked elsewhere, avoid common pitfalls, and gain confidence in shaping a sustainable and scalable approach.
University of East Anglia (UEA)
In 2024, UEA Archives implemented Preservica to preserve, and give access to, their literary archives. They are currently navigating 8 TB of legacy material, an unknown quantity of obsolete digital carriers and several high-profile writers eager to submit contemporary writing archives in various formats. Under mentorship, they will develop digital preservation workflows for processing legacy material and accessioning new deposits.
University of Edinburgh
Staff from the Edinburgh Research Archive will receive guidance on the planning and implementation of a pilot project which seeks to make their digital repository of original research more accessible. By making the collection fully machine-readable through a combination of optical character recognition and natural language processing, they hope to produce accessible knowledge graphs to connect educators, current students, and external researchers to the collection in meaningful ways.
University of Northampton
Staff at University of Northampton are currently establishing a digital preservation workflow to capture core university records and identifying the best means for long-term preservation. They are seeking support to help them reliably accession records and facilitate long-term digital storage.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP)
YSP recently acquired a Digital Asset Management System which they are using for operational purposes. Their staff will receive guidance on how to advocate for the use of this space to support the management assets selected for retention and preservation in the YSP Archive. They will also be supported to develop digital asset and workflows for both YSP and the National Arts Education Archive (located at the same site).