Example of a Taiga Old Believer manuscript, Russian Federation. Endangered Archives Programme.
Endangered Archives Programme
The Endangered Archives Programme, hosted at the British Library, awards grants for the digitization of archives around the world that are in danger of destruction, neglect or physical deterioration.
Grant-funded projects cover rare printed sources, manuscripts, photographs, and audio recordings in all languages and scripts from all periods up to the early 20th century. The programme covers collections still in private ownership as well as those held in public institutions. A parallel programme at UCLA supports projects focusing on later 20th-century and 21st-century material.
Digital records created by the projects are deposited in appropriate repositories in the country of origin. The British Library also makes a permanent digital copy of the records freely available online.
The programme has published two books: ‘From Dust to Digital’, showcasing the historical importance and research potential of digitized collections, and ‘Remote Capture’, an accessible how-to guide for anyone embarking on a scholarly digitization project.
Since it started in 2004 the programme has awarded 562 grants.
The call for preliminary applications opens each September with a deadline of mid-November. Details are available via the programme’s website.
Project examples
Preserving and digitising the Barbados Mercury Gazette
The Barbados National Archives received a grant from the programme to digitise the only extant complete set of the Barbados Mercury Gazette (1783-1848). The newspaper is crucial for understanding the history of Barbados in the 18th and 19th centuries. More particularly, it sheds light on the everyday life of a slaveholding society, including notices of sale and the escape of enslaved people. It also covers the period of Bussa’s 1816 rebellion and the events that led to the abolition of slavery on the island in 1834.
Digitising Rare Medieval Sanskrit Manuscripts in Nepal
This project worked to preserve fragile manuscripts containing original Sanskrit Buddhist texts of Buddhist monks, priests and community leaders in Nepal. It is one of several led by the scholar Shankar Thapa to document the written heritage of Nepal. This project digitised 478 Hindu and Buddhist manuscripts, including texts on medicine, music, ritual, epic stories, and iconography.