Survey targets 20,000 archives

The Europeana Awareness project has published an online survey to be sent to around 20,000 archives across Europe. The survey, which is available in four languages, will assess the potential role of local archival collections of all kinds in the future development of Europeana. Its responses will give us a better picture of the digital holdings and planned digitisation work in local, regional, smaller and other specialised archives. This is important because archives are currently underrepresented in both the Europeana dataset and in the Europeana Network. The survey's findings will go some way to helping us look at how to address this problem.

The survey will be open until the end of May and the findings will be analysed in June, after which time they will be shared with the Network.

If you work for a local, regional or specialist archive, please help us to ensure that the wealth of valuable digital content held by Europe’s archives of all kinds is fully accessible through Europeana in the years to come by taking the survey and joining the Europeana Network.

A pilot survey carried out in 2012 began the process of scoping out digitisation in local archives. This chart shows the answers to the question, 'By how much is the amount of digital content likely to increase by 2017?'

Why are local archives important?

Local and regional archives are broadly defined to include heritage objects, documents and knowledge held, for example, by local history societies, associations for genealogical studies, church councils etc. as well as municipal and regional archives. This currently underexploited sector forms a bridge between the more formal cultural institutions whose content is currently ingested by Europeana on the one hand and user-generated content on the other. A vast reservoir of potential content exists in such collections. For the public, they provide a vital link to their own local cultural history, and beyond that to both the cultural history of others and more widely known heritage. Proper digitisation and access would greatly enhance the durability and value of these local, regional and specialist archives.

Take the survey

The survey takes less than 15 mins to complete!

Take the survey in English
Take the survey in French
Take the survey in German
Take the survey in Spanish

Become a Network member

Once you have completed the survey, a link will take you directly to the Europeana Network registration form. Please consider becoming a Network member if you are not one already. The Europeana Network is an open forum for content providers and experts across Europe that represents and reflects the diversity of Europeana and gives its more than 600 members an opportunity to voice their views. The Europeana Network is united by a common cultural mission to 'work together to improve access to Europe’s cultural heritage in balanced and sustainable ways'. As a Europeana Network member, you can influence strategic decisions, collaborate with experts, improve your knowledge and find new opportunities (using Europeana channels for publication, project funding, etc.).