Great War Archive rolled out in Germany

The German National Library, Oxford University and Europeana have signed an agreement to digitise family papers and memorabilia from the First World War. The collaboration will bring German soldiers' stories online alongside their British counterparts in a 1914-18 archive. JISC planted the seed in 2008 when it funded the The Great War Archive1 which is run by Oxford University Computing Services. People across Britain contributed family letters, photographs and keepsakes from the War to be digitised. The success of the idea has encouraged Europeana, Europe's digital archive, library and museum, to bring the German National Library into an alliance with Oxford University to roll out the scheme in Germany. Alastair Dunning, JISC digitisation programme manager, says: "We are delighted that its initial funding in the Great War Archive has now blossomed to expand on the European dimension of the original project. The inclusion of German narrative in this current will not only provide valuable material for teachers and researchers, but help strengthen the joint understanding of the Great War"