When Birmingham City Council consulted with us on their large scale and quite fascinating archive project, it was soon clear that this was going to fall into two distinct parts:
1. Phase 1 – Digitisation and Transcription
2. Phase 2 – Publishing and Revenue Generation.
Digital Archiving
Phase 1 – Digitisation and Transcription
So, you have a vast physical record of all the interments in your jurisdiction, and it’s vital that these are always accessible, but you rely only on heavy books and handwritten entries – some dating as far back as the 1800s!
Volumes upon volumes of valuable and irreplaceable content. Does this sound familiar? Well it was definitely the case for Birmingham City Council; the largest local authority in the UK, with a whopping six separate administration offices. They called on TownsWeb Archiving to digitise their burial records to ensure preservation and accessibility.
Working closely together, and after detailed consultation, we were able to come up with a user friendly, accurate and tailor-made package, just for them. One that granted access to cremation and burial records, history as it relates and impacts people today. Significant information as to where a loved one has been laid to rest and possibly that vital link to one’s roots and heritage. A link which answers the fundamental question: who are we and where do we come from?
They were happy for us to share Phase 1 of their story and you can read all about it here.
Publishing digital records and revenue generation
Phase 2 – Publishing and Revenue Generation
When the task of digitising and transcribing archives was concluded, Birmingham City Council’s next big decision was how best to publish their newly digitised archive.
They were looking for a system that would be quick and easy to use; one that would free up valuable staff time. TownsWeb Archiving were thrilled to be able to offer a solution in the form of PastView Chronicle. This version of our popular digital archive management and publishing software has been specifically tailored for use by Cemetery and Crematoria Offices.
What we were able to offer Birmingham City Council was a proven and secure hosted system that has been trusted by over 30 clients with more than 10 million archived items. In addition, we were able to create a bespoke website to go with it.
