If you are wondering which projects we were able to put online over the past year, here is the list:

• EAP1238 - Protecting Endangered Heritage in the Abode of Clouds, Meghalaya: Critical Materials from the Khasi Cultural Transformation and Folklore Traditions
• EAP1280 - Rescuing the Islamic Heritage of North-Eastern Kazakhstan
• EAP1304 - Palm-leaf manuscripts from the Śaṅkaran institutions of Kerala
• EAP1364 - Digitisation of the East India Company records of St Helena, South Atlantic
• EAP1366 - Preserving records of social and political life in nineteenth-century Sierra Leone
• EAP1412 - Preservation of communication material of an early cinema distribution company in South India
• EAP1432 - Recalling a trans-local past: digitising Mon palm-leaf manuscripts of Thailand. Part 2
• EAP1435 - An obscure archive: Hindi-Urdu periodicals from late colonial India, 1900-1950
• EAP1436 - Rescuing and organising Church, Merchant and Burial Records of Lokoja, Northern Nigeria, 1841-1960
• EAP1438 - Digitisation of Nyasaland District administration reports
• EAP1447 - Digitising the history of a commercial and agrarian entrepôt in the Colombian Caribbean: the notary records of Ciénaga-Magdalena, 1825-1938
• EAP1450 - Caste, land, and labour in Jaffna: a survey and digitisation project in Sri Lankan agrarian history
• EAP1451 - Digitisation of the archive of The Society of Malawi
• EAP1457 - Mathematical practices of the Indian Ocean world in coastal Islamic communities of the Coromandel and Malabar, south India
• EAP1463 - Small Indian-language newspapers and periodicals from the early 20th century
• EAP1466 - Anáforas: rescue of 19th-century English, French and Uruguayan risk newspapers published in Montevideo
• EAP1470 - Time stands still: preserving the Manaki brothers' photographic legacy
• EAP1474 - Stampa migrante: periodicals of the Italian community of Egypt, 1892-1940
• EAP1475 - Digitisation of archival material and rare books preserved at the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, Kolkata, 1878-1950
• EAP1485 - Preservation of historic documents from western Nepal
• EAP1487 - Digitisation of manuscript records of the first section of the documentary fund of the San Francisco de Lima archive
• EAP1490 - Digitisation and preservation of a historic collection of Mongolian authors at the National Library of Mongolia
• EAP1497 - Ankara State Conservatory historical photographs and documents archive project
• EAP1501 - Digitisation of notarial documents in a fluvial port of the Sinú River in the Colombian Caribbean
• EAP1517 - Preservation of Osor's rare book collection through digitisation
• EAP1525 - The papers of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kolkata
• EAP1532 - Preserving local Chilean history: "La Patria" newspaper in 1930's Concepción press
• EAP1544 - Understanding Mandate Palestine through the publications and archive of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem
• EAP1546 - Vernacular syncretism and cultural heterodoxy in colonial Bengal: Digitisation and survey of rare archives at Maha Bodhi Society, Kolkata
• EAP1556 - A forgotten military heritage – rescuing the ‘lost’ service records of the King’s African Rifles
• EAP1559 - Unveiling and preserving the Egyptian cinema and theatre history
• EAP1624 - Digitisation of documents from the founding of the Student Federation of Peru 1920-1921

On 31 October and 1 November 2024, the Endangered Archives Programme and the British Library’s International Office hosted the conference Timeless Archives, Timely Connections: Preserving Endangered Documentary Heritage and Inspiring Collaboration. This milestone event marked 20 years of EAP’s achievements in safeguarding documentary heritage and fostering global collaboration.

Love writing: Why do we write when in love? — Hisham Matar

Speakers Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún, Jane Winters, and Hisham Matar led thought-provoking discussions that brought together archivists, cultural heritage professionals and researchers from around the world. The first day started with an “EAP project in focus” session, which was given by Henny Ziai and Kholood Khair who discussed the importance of the Abdallah Bey Hamza collection, a Sudanese trader’s archive. The subsequent sessions tackled critical themes such as funding opportunities, the impact of climate change, conflict and hidden costs of digitisation. Conference posters further highlighted inspiring case studies in preservation and skills exchange.

EAP project in focus: The Abdallah Bey Hamza collection (a Sudanese trader’s archive) — Kholood Khair (R), Henny Ziai (L)

For those unable to attend, recordings from the conference are now available via the British Library's digital repository. The British Library Research Repository is an open access repository for research produced by staff and research associates. All presentations are listed on the "Timeless Archives, Timely Connections: Preserving Endangered Documentary Heritage and Inspiring Collaboration" page and users can view materials in the browser by clicking 'View Files in Viewer' at the top of the page or download them directly via the 'Actions' column. 

Climate crisis and the growing threat to archives — Stephanie Grant (L), Wanjiru Koinange (C), Andrea Richards (on screen) and Helen Vincent (R)

Protecting culture during conflict — Dagnija Baltiņa (R), Rachel Deblinger (L), Hana Sleiman (on screen) and Peter Stone (C)

Hidden costs of digitisation: What you need to know — Michael Ballbach (CR), Tom Holland (L), Fu’ad Lawal (on screen), Christopher Ohge (R) and Maureen Pennock (CL)

We hope you will enjoy listening to the conference recordings; they are just as good as having been there in person!

Below is the full programme for the two days with the individual links to each recording. For more details of the sessions and the biographies of the speakers please clink on this link.

Welcome, Day 1 — Robin Janvrin 

Oratures, technology, and the intangible heritage of memory — Kọĺá Túbọs̀ún

Introduction to EAP — Sam van Schaik

EAP project in focus: The Abdallah Bey Hamza collection (a Sudanese trader’s archive) — Kholood Khair, Hengameh (Henny) Ziai

Who gets the funding? Reflecting on 20 years of EAP’s International Advisory Panel — Anthea Case (Chair), Simon Franklin, Mulaika Hijjas, Rajeev Kinra, Caterina Pizzigoni

From ‘digital dark age’ to ‘an age of historical abundance’ – or somewhere in between? The present and future state of born—digital cultural heritage – Jane Winters

Understanding the differences among funding and strategic approaches — Gala-Alexa Amagat, Marianne Deraze, Ruth Hansford, Marcie Hopkins (Chair) and Dian Kuswandini

International skills exchange: Lessons learnt and what’s next — Tamara Alattiya, Romana Delaporte, Buhle Mbambo-Thata (Chair) and Nikolas Sarris

Closing remarks, Day 1 — Arthur Dudney

1 November

Welcome, Day 2 — Tom Holland

Love writing: Why do we write when in love? — Hisham Matar

Climate crisis and the growing threat to archives — Stephanie Grant, Wanjiru Koinange, Andrea Richards and Helen Vincent (Chair)

Attempted takeover of the Khalidi Library — Raja Khalidi

Protecting culture during conflict — Dagnija Baltiņa, Rachel Deblinger (Chair), Nadiya Khalak, Hana Sleiman and Peter Stone

Preserving documentary heritage to reconstruct life histories of enslaved people — Remi Graves, Bonnie Greer (Chair), Albert Moore and Suzanne Schwarz

Hidden costs of digitisation: What you need to know — Michael Ballbach, Tom Holland (Chair), Fu’ad Lawal, Christopher Ohge and Maureen Pennock

Closing remarks, Day 2 — Marcie Hopkins

Chatting during a break Nikolas Sarris (L), Marcie Hopkins (C) and Tamara Alattiya (R)

It is that time of the year again! 

EAP Round 20 will officially start on Friday 13 September, when we begin accepting applications for projects commencing next year from July 2025.

Applications must be submitted via the EAP portal. The deadline for preliminary applications, the first stage of the cycle, is Friday 8 November. Applicants should consult the newly-updated Guide for Applicants on the EAP website for information on how to make a successful application.

We will be hosting two identical webinars (in English) on Tuesday 17 September in the morning and afternoon to accommodate different time zones. We will give an overview of the application process, followed by a Q&A session. 

Please register in advance using the following links:

Tuesday, 17 September 2024

11.00 to 12.00 (London time) - Morning:  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_v3ndFdz_TQu378YaBhTeyw

15.00 to 16.00 (London time) - Afternoon: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BhW7ZoMbS5WHAuWVpUGSIA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions. 

This year also coincides with the 20th anniversary of EAP! We are celebrating the occasion with a hybrid conference, highlighting the programme's achievements and exploring topics central to the protection of documentary heritage. Bringing together many institutions and individuals working in the field, this event will accommodate both in-person and online attendees. Find out more and book your place here.

 

EAP264 digitised rare photographic negatives from Mongolia (1920s-1950s)