“We are very pleased with the results so far […]. Ensuring access to our collection is central to our mission, so revealing text that has faded beyond our physical ability to read is a significant advancement for our
The UK National Archive
Guarding over a thousand years of national documents, the UK National Archive takes a special role in the preservation of its country’s history. They are the official publisher for the UK government, England, and Wales, and emerged between 2003 and 2006 as a joined cooperation between four government organizations: the Public Record Office, the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, and the Office of Public Sector Information. Today, they collect and manage government information, maintaining everything from “Shakespeare’s will to tweets from Downing Street”.
Project background
With a comprehensive collection of manuscripts, maps, and documents, the National Archives are keen on guaranteeing its thorough preservation and a possibility for research.
In search of a Multispectral Imaging System (MSI) which would be accessible by all staff instead of imaging specialists only, the National Archives issued a tender.
With the help of the MSI the National Archives hoped to increase readability of manuscript written in faded ink, identify unknown pigments for restoration, and detect underdrawings and hidden layers in paintings. Winning the tender, book2net enabled the National Archives to do so.
Book2Net Action
By installing an innovative Multispectral Imaging System in March 2019 and instructing the staff on how to operate the system, the National Archives were given a handy equipment for digitization and restoration.
The bespoke solution now continues to simplify archivists’ lives and gives them a new research tool. The next large project that was enabled is the “BT 43 Designs on Demand” project, with almost 3 million designs to be evaluated.
The MSI
- • material identification
- • detection of underdrawings
- • Identifying past conservation treatments
- • Identifying deterioration of the materials
- • Increasing the readability of damaged documents
Results
First results have been achieved, such as the identification of a pigment in the BT registers. Also, the legibility of old documents written in iron gall ink was successfully increased and has therefore been of great help to researchers. Satisfied with the equipment, the National Archives can now embark on a journey to restoration and research.
Book2Net ‘s intention is to develop practice-orientated book scanning solutions for the use in archives, libraries and museums by covering hardware, software and services. The book2net focuses on the requirements and needs of the end users of the digitization equipment. These needs are reviewed and incorporated into the development and ultimate design of our scanning solutions.
The National Archives in numbers
- • 1000 years of British history
- • 185 km of shelving
- • 11 Million+ records total