New Inscriptions to UK Memory of the World Register announced
Twenty items have been selected from the UK’s libraries, archives and museums to represent the outstanding heritage of the United Kingdom. From the Jersey Occupation Archive and the work of the GPO Film Unit, these priceless items span over 1,100 years, come from across the country and embody pivotal moments in the history of their communities and the UK as a whole.
These are the second inscriptions to the UNESCO UK Memory of the World Register, an online catalogue created to help promote the UK’s documentary heritage across the UK and the world. The register is part of a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) programme to support and raise awareness of archives.
These twenty collections will be recognised at a meeting of the programme’s International Advisory Committee, convening in Manchester this week. The meeting will bring over 50 leading professionals from across the world to assess the progress of the programme and challenges faced by the sector.
This year’s inscriptions join the ten items and collections currently on the UK Register. The winners were chosen by the expert committee of the UK Memory of the World programme following a nomination and review process.
Country-level Memory of the World Registers exist around the globe, helping to promote documentary heritage of local significance. The international-level register, which features items of global significance, includes items from the UK such as 1215 Magna Carta, the Mappa Mundi and the film The Battle of the Somme. The UK Memory of the World programme is part of UNESCO’s work to promote preservation of and access to the world’s archive holdings and library collections.
The 20 items and collections being inscribed to the UK Memory of the World Register are:
- Diaries of Anne Lister
- Cura Pastoralis of Gregory
- The Gough Map
- Bank of Scotland Archive, 1695-2001
- Wakefield Court Rolls
- Death Warrant of King Charles I, 1649
- The Bill of Rights, 1689
- John Murray Archive
- Jersey Occupation Archive
- The customer account ledgers of Edward Backwell, 1663-1672
- Edinburgh and Lothian HIV/AIDS Collections, 1983-2010
- The narrative created through Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen’s photography and Amber’s films
- Winchester Pipe Rolls
- The Great Hospital, Norwich
- Peter Worden Collection of Mitchell and Kenyon films
- GPO Film Unit collection, 1933-1940
- The Wedgwood Museum archive
- Documentary Heritage of the Women's Suffrage Movement in Britain, 1865-1928
- BT Research Centre collection, 1878-1995
- The Children’s Society Archive
Find out more about each of these items and collections on the electronic register here.
Written: 23/05/2011 , last modified: 20/08/2011
Ian Wakeling, Records, Archive and Data Protection Manager, accepts the award for The Children’s Society Archive 
Michael Heaney, Executive Secretary of the Bodleian Libraries, accepts the award for the Cura Pastoralis of Gregory and The Gough Map