Cambridgeshire Community Archives Network

Cambridgeshire Community Archives Network

Communities working together to sustain a unique digital archive

Steve CapesCambridgeshire County Council


• A sustainable network of 32 community groups across Cambridgeshire, working together to develop and sustain a digital record of community history for the County on www.ccan.co.uk

• Although CCAN has been run by its volunteers since mid 2008 (and funded through its volunteer members), Cambridgeshire County Council maintains links and injects extra funding when possible

• As a network working with web provider Community Sites, CCAN is part of a strong national network of community archives

• Probably the only county network of its size and strength in UK

What is CCAN?


• Cambridgeshire Community Archives Network was created with 2 HLF grants between 2005 and 2008

• Original aim was to add community relevance to an existing network of Community Access Points in Post Offices, pubs, church and community halls etc

• Second aim was to encourage the formation of community groups who would form a cohesive network, helping each other and working together

• Third aim was to encourage learning around both digital technology and local heritage

Background and Beginnings


• Your Heritage bid (up to £50k) submitted mid 2004

• Grant agreed to fund ‘pilot’ for proposed county project to follow a successful pilot

• Project plan tested at 7 sites between March and September 05

• 1 Community Archive Officer (& part-time support) 1 day/week per Group over 6 months - essential

• Funding for artist/schools work and exhibition

Your Heritage Project 2005


Heritage Grant Project

• Success of ‘pilot’ project drove submission of Heritage bid (£300k) in September 2005

• Delivery of 4 Phases Aug 06 – July 08

• Primary aims:

• Develop community archive groups at 40 Community Access Points (incl. 8 Museums)

• Upload digital, cross-searchable community archive collections to website

• Create links between communities and professional services


Building the Network

• Creation of customised website www.ccan.co.uk to host collections (original site now archived following migration to much improved system at end of 2012).

• 2 Community Archive Officers and 1 Archives Liaison Officer were essential to support the development of local archive groups

• To ‘bring community archives to life’ the original project funded art workshops in schools and also a number of public exhibitions

http://www.ccan.co.uk/


Community Archive Groups• In the original network 40 groups were

created across Cambridgeshire – a wide range of sites, mainly geographical in nature (villages and towns), but also organisations such as:

• Addenbrooke’s Hospital• MIND (mental health charity)• Robert Sayle (now John Lewis store)• Romany Theatre Company

• Migration to improved site has encouraged lapsed groups back to network, plus the addition of new groups – current strength 32 groups

• Groups designed to be self-governing and sustainable – network and groups constituted


• Encouragement of social activity within a community and across communities, the ‘network effect’ – improving social links countywide

• Adding to community sense of place and sense of past – enhancing community involvement, knowledge and enjoyment of local heritage

• Preserving an easily lost local heritage resource in an accessible and sustainable format

• Helping group members use existing skills and try new learning

Community Benefits


• Network sustains itself via payments from groups (currently £100 per year per group for webhosting and technical support – ‘network price’ from supplier for a limited function service)

• Webhosting and technical support provided by Community Sites (who offer a higher cost ‘full function’ service to some groups – see Meldreth and Orwell on www.ccan.co.uk)

• Cambridgeshire County Council oversee payments and admin and provide extra funding where possible, staff member non-exec on Committee

• Network run by its volunteers via Steering Committee and annual AGM

How does CCAN work?


• As a network CCAN can demonstrate successful ‘self-support’ examples across groups:

– Steering Committee – members from a number of groups, meets quarterly– AGM or ‘Forum’ of all groups annually– Technical Support – two members from different groups who offer a helpline to members with problems and also training sessions to new and existing groups– support to new groups from existing groups– exhibitions – our groups have delivered joint exhibitions and events

A network supporting itself


• Not everything has been successful!

– some groups fail, due to lack of members, problems with funding, dislike of software (although only examples pre-migration)– support from existing groups to new groups doesn’t succeed despite effort – e.g. Stilton– failure to incorporate Norfolk network, despite support from 2 CCAN Committee members– hard to incorporate ‘project’ groups, as fall-off of activity once funding ends

Network challenges


• CCAN is now financially secure with new web provider and is attracting new groups

– 32 groups (with potential for more) is strong basis for development with web provider– new committee member (from a new group) keen to develop ‘new business’, working with new communities to generate interest– addition of www.great-war.ccan.co.uk pages to support WW1 Centenary has generated new content– volunteer committee producing Newsletter to promote a ‘network identity’ for CCAN

The future

http://www.great-war.ccan.co.uk/


Any further queries please contact Steve Capes on 01223

713507 or by email at [email protected]

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Cambridgeshire Community Archives Network

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