The South West Heritage Trust successfully applied for a Resilience Grant in 2023 to increase capabilities in key areas around digital capacity. Digital access has been identified as a vital growth area for the South West Heritage Trust and the Covid pandemic emphasised the importance of reaching audiences through digital means.
The availability of records online and the accessibility of online catalogues have resulted in a continuing growth in demand for remote access. The majority of our Research Service requests result in providing digital copies of documents. We frequently receive requests for digital copies of large-scale documents, which we have been unable to supply.
The grant has enabled the purchase of new equipment and the rearrangement of existing equipment and spaces. This will help us to supply more images of large-scale documents through our Research Service and therefore to increase income generation potential.
One of the first documents we were able to digitise using the new equipment was a large tithe map that had not been digitised with the rest of the collection. This will be added to the Somerset Historic Environment Record website in due course to fill a gap in the map layers and volunteers will then add the tithe apportionment data.
Acquisitions of vulnerable photographic and glass plate collections are increasingly being received and it is a high priority to make these collections available digitally. This will result not just in the safeguarding of the images but also in an increased awareness and use of the collections both in research and engagement. We will be working with volunteers to digitise suitable photographic collections in-house, thereby increasing volunteer opportunities and furthering the availability of collections.
New equipment purchased with the grant has included a high specification camera, a computer and screen for managing the images, and a wall mount and lighting columns. The digitisation space has been improved by the provision of LED lighting, enabling greater control of the surrounding environment which is crucial for high quality image creation. As well as the upgrading of the spaces, the grant has enabled staff and volunteers to receive training on using the new equipment and software. This has led to increased confidence and expertise within the team, which will help us build towards a more resilient service.
Some of the new equipment set up for Research Service image creation