Shropshire Archives service adds 500,000th entry to digital catalogue

Shropshire Council’s archives service has added its 500,000th image to its digital catalogue – meaning more information is available online to researchers and historians.

The main function of Shropshire Archives service is to ensure the preservation of archive documents, photographs and other media relating to the geographical county of Shropshire and to make these available for consultation by the public.

A wide range of items are acquired (by deposit or gift) from both official and private sources that relate to almost all aspects of the history of Shropshire.

The digitised items include photographs, documents, watercolours and maps and more items will be added as part of the service’s ongoing programme of digitisation.

Digitisation of Bishop’s Castle charter

Robert Macey, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for culture and digital, said:-

“This is a notable milestone for the team and the fabulous volunteers who support the archives service with the work to digitise our extensive records.

“It is a huge job and I am delighted that we have reached this point as it opens up access to our valuable resources and allows people to carry out their research remotely.

“Onsite the archives team manages six miles of shelving, holding local material ranging from 12th century charters right up to yesterday’s Shropshire Star, so the ongoing development of a digital catalogue is essential.”

Around 6,000 people per year visit Shropshire Archives in Shrewsbury, with many more accessing and exploring the service via the website. There is also a service for schools, and an outreach and events programme.

In March this year volunteers completed a project to create a digital register of fire certificates issued to county premises in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London.

The details of 12 booklets of policies issued by the Salop Fire Office between 1780 and 1889 have been added to a fully searchable detailed index which is available via the archives service online catalogue. The policies cover properties in Shropshire, Staffordshire and Montgomeryshire, and the index contains more than 3,000 images.

Sarah Davis, Shropshire Council’s archives team leader, added:-

“Most recently, digitisation has included a set of photograph albums with many interesting images from across the county.”

The archives team works with commercial partners to make certain images, particularly those with a family history interest, available via subscription sites. Additionally, many items of all sizes and formats are digitised each week in response to requests for copies from paying customers.

To find out more about the archives service and how to access the digital catalogues visit www.shropshirearchives.org.uk