Our Plugged In, Powered Up strategy reflects issues and priorities identified through a large scale survey of over 300 archive professionals, carried out with Jisc at the beginning of 2019 and a series of focus groups, challenge panels and desk research.
The strategy focuses on three main areas of digital archival work: engagement, access and preservation, with a fourth strand focusing on digital skills more widely – including advocacy, conversations with IT and the ability to make informed procurement decisions around software.
The National Archives is delivering the project over 20 strands, some of which are already available or underway:
- Our Novice to Know-How digital preservation training, created by the Digital Preservation Coalition
- The first meetings (in person and online) of the new Digital Archives Learning Exchange (DALE)
- The delivery of the Archives School, a free taught programme in digital preservation, delivered at Kew
- A peer mentoring scheme for archivists looking to engage in more extensive digital work
- Digital preservation workflows to help archives process, preserve and manage born-digital content
- Case studies about digital preservation architecture and the digital journeys of different organisations
- Advocacy resources to help explain the importance of developing digital preservation, access and engagement skills
- Digital engagement grants as part of our Collaborate and Innovate funding scheme
- Supporting the British Library and Birkbeck, University of London, to develop a postgraduate certificate in Computing for Cultural Heritage
Future programmes in development include a leadership programme for senior managers and an engagement toolkit for digital storytelling and audience development.