1. BT Digital Archives Coventry University, BT plc and The National Archives

2. Digitisation and Archives JISC: championing innovation in, & use of, digital technologies on behalf of UK education & research Project funding: e-Content Capital Programme Coventry University: research & exploitation - in digital humanities/archiving, digital technology for learning & developing skills BT: ‘world-class’ archive – chronological span, subject scope, national/international heritage TNA: leading expertise in curation/preservation & digitisation

3. The world’s oldest communications company A story that stretches from the birth of the electric telegraph in the 1830s to the explosion of the internet and the rise of competition Our unique and nationally significant collection charts the development of communications services in the UK Our collection illustrates the leading role the UK, BT and its predecessors played in the progress of communications technology and its influence on society

4. BT Archives Private telegraph and telephone companies Post Office telecommunications BT plc Historical phone books Photographic - c500,000 images Film - over 2000 titles Advertising - 30,000 separate pieces Reference library Artefacts

5. New Connections partners jisc BT Archives - > collection > database integration BT Archives - > collection > database integration Coventry University - > project management > academic work packages > fresh technology Coventry University - > project management > academic work packages > fresh technology The National Archives - > scanning > OCR & transcription The National Archives - > scanning > OCR & transcription

6. What to digitise? Breadth and depth (and pretty stuff) HE focus (and ‘general public’) photographsresearch reports subject/ registry files Category A: 93,020 scans Category B: 182,757 scans Category C: 232,378 scans

7. Selection criteria technology milestones national events international reach Government policy industrial relations diversity iconic products & services

8. Category A OriginalActual Publicity series8,2008,495 Engineering series (end of 1969)76,39037,122 Lecture series14400 Training School6500 Research88590 Indexes06,632 95,53952,249 43,290less than estimate Category B OriginalActual Research reports72,242124,176 Radio research reports21,78858,581 94,030182,757 Category C Original Actual Category C files261,740232,378 Finding nos. @ 500 pages each523484 561 Total Category A+B+C451,309467,384 Scans breakdown by category

9. Category A : Photographic images Original Final Engineering photographs, c1909-1991TCB 41776,390 negs38,956 negs Publicity photographs, 1934-1975TCB 4738,200 negs8,488 negs Training School photographs, 1930s-1950sTCB 546650 negs 0 negs Lecture series photographs, 1934-1955TCB 4751,440 negs0 negs Research photographs, 1950s-1989TCB 6388,859 negs0 negs Indexes0 nrgs6632 Total 95,359 neg54,076 negs Category B : Research reports PO Engineering Dept research reports, memoranda and papers, 1878-1969 TCB74,242 pages124,176 pages PO Telecommunications research reports, memoranda and papers, 1969-1981 TCC21,788 pages65,945 pages Total 96,030 pages190,121 pages

10. Category C : Registered minuted policy & correspondence files, 1867 – 1982 OriginalActual Telecommunications Development Directorate (TDD), 1947 - 1979190 files47 files Network Planning Directorate (NPD), 1966-1979209 files49 files Managing Director, Telecommunications (TH/DM series),1162 files39 files Minuted files (England & Wales), 1867 – 1961 (Post 30)1000 files133 files Minuted files (Ireland), 1870 – 1961 (Post 31)35 files5 files Minuted files (Scotland), 1869 – 1951 (Post 32)138 files8 files Minuted files (UK), 1890 – 1968 (Post 33)1000 files81 files Minuted and decentralised registry files, 1876 – 1981 (Post 121)174 files41 files Minuted and decentralised registry files, 1882 – 1969 (Post 122)227 files59 files Minuted files, telecommunications, 1895 – 1978 (TCB 2)498 files96 files Marconi / GPO correspondence, 1896 - 1909 (TCB 273)02 files BT Central Registry files, 1980-198401 file Total4633 files561 files

11. Learning points Language ­ file? archive? digital archive? Sampling ­ conservation ­ number of pages Counting ­ finding number? box? scans? ­ timesheets Timescales Uncatalogued material Expect the unexpected Appetite for archives

12. www.bt.com/btdigitalarchives