Project Overview

The Archive will inevitably be incomplete but will expand indefinitely as more material is discovered and identified and as time inexorably adds yet more history, and this can only be achieved with the co-operation of those who are aware of its existence. Building from scratch, the aim is to:

• identify collections
• catalog the contents of collections
• digitise the content to enable on-line viewing
• and, capture history in the making

The first priority is to find out where material is held and what is in each collection. Some will be well documented, others less so and about which little may be known. There is considerable concern that material is being lost as individuals and organisations dispose of old material. To this end, this web site provides a number of tools:

• Directory: describes each known repository of collections and is built from input forms that identify the general nature of the collection and its profile, along with contact details. Contact details will not be published for private collections unless permitted by the owner, but requests will be passed to owners if someone is interested.
  
  
• Catalogue: describes each item in a collection. If a catalogue already exists, we will endeavour to either interface with it if available on-line, or publish it. If not available, we will provide an on-line inputting system so that a catalogue can be built or try to provide resources to do so.
  
  
• Alert System: if anyone is aware of material that might be at risk, a notification system is provided and we will endeavour to "rescue" it and find a suitable home. Access to these facilities may be provided for collections where there is concern that the existing storage conditions are inadequate for archival purposes. Although actual boats are out of scope, we will maintain a register of boats at risk and ecourage restorers to take on key projects.

As a general principle, eMail addresses will be published in a secure form to prevent spammers crawling for addresses. Form submissions will be reviewed before publication - they will be entered into a database and published to the web, rather than providing database access to users with the associated security risks.

Users of these tools will be required to register and any submissions they make will be logged.

The digitisation programme will be initiated once sufficient resources are available. Meanwhile, selected collections will be reviewed and tests undertaken to develop appropriate formats and interfaces.