The University of Warwick selects Arkivum’s digital archiving and preservation solution - Arkivum

Archiving & Preservation / 23 Feb, 2021

The University of Warwick selects Arkivum’s digital archiving and preservation solution

Arkivum is pleased to announce that the University of Warwick, one of the UK’s leading universities has chosen our solution to preserve their digital assets and records.

The digital preservation initiative was driven by The Modern Records Centre (MRC) at the University of Warwick. Founded in October 1973, it is the main British repository for national archives of trade unions and employers’ organisations, and also has strong collections relating to pressure groups, fringe political parties and transport.

The collections at the University of Warwick have been designated pre-eminent collections of national and international importance, the significance of the collections recognised through the Designation Scheme of the Arts Council.

Enhancing and expanding many of the larger physical collections held at the MRC, born digital archives have been arriving in increasing numbers and formats in recent years. This includes many digital photographs, audio recordings and DVDs. Some examples include;

  • Ten years’ worth of digital records from the Fire Brigades Union whose paper archive dating back to 1919 is already held at the MRC
  • Additional campaigning material for the National Union of Students on floppy and compact disc
  • Administrative and campaign records of London Health Emergency (an NHS pressure group) to sit alongside their physical archive
  • Digital records (including photographs, publicity material, email correspondence and DVDs of campaign material) of Tourism Concern, a pressure group campaigning for ethical tourism which was received in 2019 and sits alongside the existing paper archive of the organisation
  • Legacy media collections including material from the papers of Eric Hobsbawm, regarded as the most important left-wing historian of the twentieth century. This comprises of some of his later writings stored on floppy disks dating from the late 1990s and CDs with drafts of publications, digital photographs and a/v files of speeches and discussions.

 
The challenge the centre faced was to find an industry leading technology to meet their needs for a long-term data management solution that allowed them to maintain control over these important records, while keeping in line with their commitment to open source and addressing their stringent requirements for system availability and functionality.

Arkivum will provide the University staff, researchers and users with a holistic solution, automating their digital preservation workflows and enabling search and access to these digital assets in a controlled fashion.

“Digital Preservation is seen as a very high priority within the University of Warwick, we are looking to Arkivum’s solution to ensure our assets and records are safeguarded, preserved and made accessible while automating processes in our workflows. With Arkivum, our national-level historical records are safe, secure, usable and accessible for generations to come” commented Helen Ford at the University of Warwick.

Arkivum CEO, Chris Sigley added “We are delighted to have been selected by the University of Warwick as they continue their digital preservation journey. It is always a pleasure to serve a team of professionals who see the importance of preservation to deliver on their goal of providing access to their digital collections and records.”

About Arkivum

Arkivum is recognised internationally for its expertise in the archiving and digital preservation of valuable data and digitised assets in large volumes and multiple formats. The long-term security, integrity and accessibility of data is crucial for all Arkivum’s clients and partners, who share a commitment to good practice in its stewardship and governance.

Arkivum’s specialist software and services are chosen by major institutions and commercial organisations in a diversity of sectors, including life sciences, research (CERN), financial services, and organisations in higher education, culture and heritage. Confident in Arkivum’s reputation and resources, they are in a position to maximise insight and discovery by deriving optimum long-term value from their data, collections and intellectual property.

Headquartered in the UK, with presence in the US, Arkivum advocates the use of the FAIR principles in data management: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable. Arkivum is also certified in ISO 9001 and 27001.

Whitney Armstrong

Whitney is the Marketing Executive at Arkivum. She joined the business in 2020 and is responsible for supporting marketing campaigns and activities targeting key sectors. Whitney has over 5 years' experience of delivering and supporting marketing strategy for technology brands.

To receive our latest news and blogs straight to your inbox, please enter your email address.

Follow us on