Resilience Grants funded in 2024
Here are the proposals that were awarded Resilience Grants in 2024, to enable change and develop organisational resilience in the archive sector.
Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo’s wide range of records have previously been stored at various locations within the zoo, uncatalogued and never treated as a cohesive collection. Over the past two years, a dedicated archive team has made efforts to centralise these records and store them in archival-grade boxes to ensure permanent preservation.
This grant will support the team to continue their preservation efforts and complete the monumental task of cataloguing the collection. Dating back to the zoo’s beginnings in 1931, the collection includes: academic and scientific papers, animal and veterinary records, directors' correspondence, society meeting minutes, local council minutes, newsletters, marketing materials, zoo-related documents from the Mottershead family, press clippings, artwork, objects, architectural plans, zoo maps, conservation records, education files, horticultural and garden documentation, legal records, employee records, membership and adoption records, as well as media such as films, photographs, audio recordings, and slides.
We are thrilled to have received this Resilience Grant. It will significantly advance our archival project, allowing Chester Zoo to establish governance for offering archival services and making our unique collection accessible through the launch of an exciting new digital catalogue.
Karen Grant, Information Governance Manager at Chester Zoo
Coventry University
Coventry University will use this Resilience grant to create a network and toolkit for organisations that are looking to preserve local newspaper archives. Newspaper collections contain years of photos, cuttings and other unique records, and often include the stories of those marginalised or excluded from other forms of historical narrative. However, the current state of the local newspaper industry means traditional town centre offices are closing and decades of records are often thrown away.
This is the first project to promote a systematic approach to salvaging these records. Using the Midlands as a case study, the project will create a network to support those who are active in this area and a toolkit which will be shared with archivists both locally and nationally.
Local newspapers are a valued part of community heritage and people appreciate these records for the stories they tell. This exciting project will get underway in the new year and anyone who is interested in getting involved is welcome to contact me at r.matthews@coventry.ac.uk.
Rachel Matthews, Associate Head of Research and Engagement
St Ives Archives
St Ives Archive will undertake a collections care audit, carried out by qualified and experienced conservator Victoria Stevens. The audit will include a review of the existing collection and access policies, and it will make recommendations for moving the collection to new premises in St Ives. It will also provide advice on storage requirements and modern collections’ care facilities, including environmental and security controls.
The key anticipated impacts are the enhanced sustainability of the collection, through highlighting issues that require attention, and the opportunity to gain further donations of Archival material and much needed funding.
This is a wonderful opportunity to improve the care of our collections, and enable our volunteers to implement and engage with all aspects of conservation.
Lyn Burchess, Chair
Glasgow Zine Library
Glasgow Zine Library is a community archive and zine library based in Govanhill, Glasgow, established in 2018. They have a growing international collection of over 1000 zines (self-published magazines). GZL also hosts a blended online/offline programme of workshops, professional and artistic development opportunities, community meals, film screenings and much more.
This project will increase organisational long-term resilience by digitising and preserving their archive of 4,000+ zines; train their growing zine archive network, building sector skills, resilience and inclusivity; and enrich their collection by capturing marginalised heritage using intangible heritage skills in zine making.
Glasgow Zine Library is delighted that the National Archives are supporting our project, Resilient Zine Archives in Scotland! Zines are self-published DIY magazines used to share resources and creativity, and are often the only records of subcultures, countercultures, and social justice movements. This project will build our archival resilience by digitising and preserving our collection of 4,000+ zines. We’ll also train our growing zine archive network, building sector skills, resilience and inclusivity; and we’ll enrich our collection by capturing marginalised heritage through zine making workshops.
Nic Munogee, Archives and Collections Manager
Greater Manchester Archives
Greater Manchester Archives and Local Studies Partnership (GMALSP) is a network of 10 local authority archives who work together to preserve and promote the county’s rich heritage and archives. The National Archives have awarded a Resilience Grant of £13,622 which will enable the partnership to begin to develop a digital preservation programme by purchasing the resources required to understand and process born digital material acquired over time and held on many different storage formats.
The award will fund ‘Greater Manchester Digital Kits’ for each of the archives involved to use. The project will highlight that digital preservation isn’t something that is done in the same way across services through the creation of tailored workflows and trialling multiple free open-source software with the help of allocated staff time for training.
We are delighted that The National Archives have awarded this Resilience grant to the GMALSP Digital Preservation project. It’s a significant leap forward on our journey to future-proof our ability to capture and preserve born-digital records for posterity. It will allow us to acquire knowledge and expertise which our network of GM Archives partners can all share and use to build our understanding and skills in digital preservation.
Philip Cooke, Libraries and Archives Lead, Manchester City Council
Greater Manchester Archives
The Methodist Church
From Shetland to Jersey there are thousands of Methodist churches that hold historic records, and which are continuing to create records that document the story of the church and wider local community. These records are cared for by a network of volunteer archivists. The Resilience Grant from The National Archives will enable the Methodist Church in Britain to commission comprehensive guidance to support these volunteers and give them the confidence to manage these records effectively.
We are very grateful to The National Archives for the award of this grant. Our volunteer archivists are a dedicated and committed group of people and this funding will enable us to develop new guidelines and resources to support the valuable work that they do to ensure that the records of the church are well-managed and that records of archival value are deposited with local archive services. We are looking forward to developing these resources and collaborating with colleagues in the local archive sector to deliver high quality training materials. By ensuring that our archives are preserved, the project will benefit all those who have an interest in Methodist history, from academic researchers to family historians.
Mary Ellis, Liaison Officer
Media Archive of Central England
The ‘Sustaining Screen Heritage’ project seeks to enable the Media Archive for Central England (MACE) to build resilience through the development of sustainable solutions for its digital infrastructure. The programme of work aims to futureproof MACE’s core IT and digital operations and increase independence and financial resilience by adopting and migrating to economical, cloud-based systems.
We are delighted to be awarded this Resilience grant by The National Archives. MACE plays a critical role in the archival ecosystem of the Midlands, working in collaboration with numerous organisations and individuals across our region to support the preservation of and access to unique and significant audio-visual records. This grant is essential in enabling MACE to build a sustainable future and ensure we continue to serve communities throughout the Midlands.
Sue Malden, Chair of the Board of Trustees
The Media Archive of Central England
Sutton Archives
Sutton Archives, part of London Borough of Sutton’s Cultural Services, is delighted to have been awarded a Resilience Grant of £20,000 from The National Archives this month. The Council will be leaving its current civic offices site in the coming years and this funding will help with the safe transition of the borough’s existing archives to their new home on Sutton High Street.
The grant will allow the procurement of a specialist feasibility assessment on proposed sites for both a new archive store and search room in the new civic buildings. Consultants will ensure that requirements for the fabric and environment of the building are met and safeguard the provision of a secure and appropriate home for the archive’s future.
Allocated funding for improved CMS infrastructure will also enable improved access standards for their online catalogue to meet the continuing and growing needs of their residents, wider users and stakeholders.
At a time when local government budgets are stretched, this grant will help us not only secure the physical future of our archive collections, but will also lay the foundations for a sound future digital backbone, benefitting access for our users and our staff with collections management. This funding is a big step towards improving the resilience of our archives. We would like to thank TNA for recognising the importance of this work in Sutton
Dr Imran Choudhury, Strategic Director for Public Health