Do you know of any collections that merit preservation? The Endangered Archives Programme is now accepting grant applications for the next annual funding round – the deadline for submission of preliminary applications is 6 November 2015 and full details of the application procedures and documentation are available on the EAP website.

The Bolama collection, Guinea-Bissau

The Endangered Archives Programme has been running at the British Library since 2004 through funding by Arcadia, with the aim of preserving rare vulnerable archival material around the world. This aim is achieved through the award of grants to relocate the material to a safe local archival home where possible, to digitise the material, and to deposit copies with local archival partners and with the British Library. These digital collections are then available for researchers to access freely through the British Library website or by visiting the local archives. The digital collections from 144 projects are currently available online, nearly 5 million images.

EAP254/1/39: "Gädlä Täklä Haymanot "The Acts of Täklä Haymanot" [19th century]

The Programme has helped to preserve manuscripts, rare printed books, newspapers and periodicals, audio and audio-visual materials, photographs and even rock inscriptions. Since 2004 approximately 270 projects have been funded, ranging from rare books in Armenia to Cham manuscripts in Vietnam.

EAP531: Preserving the endangered manuscripts of the Cham people in Vietnam 

One of the most popular collections is photographs from the Maison Bonfils, depicting scenery and portraits from across the Middle East during the period 1867-1910. The Bonfils family established the first photographic studio in Beirut in 1867, with Lydie Bonfils the first professional woman photographer of the region.

EAP644/1/9 Outside Jaffa gate, Jerusalem c 1867-c 1914 - Maison Bonfils

In February 2015, Endangered Archives celebrated its 10^th anniversary with a selection of articles written by past and present grantholders in the open access publication: ‘From Dust to Digital’. Browse some of these fascinating and very different articles for an insight into just a few of the projects that have been funded.

EAP087/1/1: Letter from Muhammad Bello to the Emir of Bauchi Yaqub. [Between 1882-1893] Nigeria

  EAP001/1/1: Photographs from Esfahan taken by Minas Patkerhanian Machertich [1900-1970s]

Cathy Collins

EAP Grants Administrator

@bl_eap