The National Archives’ strategy, Archives For Everyone, reaffirmed its commitment to lead, support and partner with the archive sector. Our Digital Century (ODC) builds on Plugged In, Powered Up and sets out an ambitious three-year action plan to further strengthen the sector’s digital archiving skills, knowledge and practice.
In the government’s vision for archives, Archives Unlocked, The National Archives committed to developing the digital capacity of the archives sector to support preservation, discoverability, access and impact.
In July 2023 The National Archives published Our Leader Statement. The Statement identifies three key areas of focus that will allow us to develop our strategic leadership of archives in England:
- Partnership working
- Advocacy
- Sector leadership across The National Archives
By working across the entirety of The National Archives, we can share knowledge from all our departments, from conservation to digital, with other archives and we can share knowledge from the sector in return, benefitting archival practice across the country.
Developing our strategic relationships with other leadership voices such as the Digital Preservation Coalition, Arts Council England, the Local Government Association and funders, such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to advocate for a resilient archive sector.
This document should also be read in the context of The National Archives’ own digital strategy, which emphasises the challenge posed by digital records and the rapidly evolving digital landscape. It also highlights the need to develop digital capability, skills and engage new audiences and form new partnerships. This document sets out a plan for three business years of work that will be delivered from 2023 to 2026.