The document discusses the Imperial War Museum's use of digitization to provide online access to and promote understanding of its extensive collections. It outlines how over 70,000 items from the collections have been digitized with funding from Their Past Your Future, including photographs, artworks, documents and sound recordings. Digitization allows for virtual access to the collections and their use in online exhibitions, learning programs and commercial projects.

1. Can You DIG It? Creative uses for digitisation in the cultural sector – a perspective from the Imperial War Museum Dan Phillips (dphillips@iwm.org.uk) Lucy Neale (lucy.neale@ radiowaves.co.uk)

3. Their Past Your Future Imperial War Museum Established in 2004 at the Imperial War Museum Funded by the Big Lottery Fund An innovative learning programme that uses historical sources, sites, museums, veterans and eyewitnesses of war to increase young people’s understanding and appreciation of history, remembrance and commemoration, national identity and civic participation today www.theirpast-yourfuture.org.uk 30+ overseas/UK visits with over 50 different schools, youth or student groups since May 2004

4. Digitisation involves creating a digital representation of an original collection item, such as an object, photograph, painting, document or sound recording. The Imperial War Museum digitises material from its collections for a range of purposes – for exhibitions and learning programmes, to provide 24-hour access to our extensive collections for users worldwide via the Internet, to provide access to fragile material, and for commercial purposes. 372,000 people from Africa served in the Second World War. Pilot Officer Johnny Smythe, volunteer RAF navigator from Sierra Leone IWM Negative Number: CH 10739

8. PEOPLE OF THE GREAT WAR SHAPING THE MODERN WORLD

26. Enable learners to respond to collections in a new way

27. Gather and share evidence as reporters

28. Increase access and connect with new audiences

29. How can this content inform collections?

30. The 5 minute challenge! Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Use the phone to record your response using video, photo or text and send as an MMS to [email_address]

33. Websites: http:// collections.iwm.org.uk www.theirpast-yourfuture.org.uk www.throughmyeyes.org.uk www.iwm.org.uk/peopleofthegreatwar www.radiowaves.co.uk/tpyf http:// nmolp.iwm.org.uk/webquests / http:// iwm.nmolp.org/creativespaces / http:// sca.jiscinvolve.org /publications/ (A suite of free tools including toolkits, reports and case-studies, to help you overcome issues surrounding digital creation and curation.) www.jisc.ac.uk/contentalliance (Strategic Content Alliance (SCA) aims to build a common information environment where users of publicly funded e-content can gain best value from the investment that has been made by reducing the barriers that currently inhibit access, use and re-use of online content.) www.collectionslink.org.uk/Increase_Access/revisiting_collections (Revisiting Collections is an innovative and flexible methodology which promotes greater access and engagement with collections.)