12 February 2007

The Joint Information Systems Committee (Jisc) is to offer financial support for a new educational digitisation programme.

Designed to create a learning resource for students, teachers and researchers, The National Archives plans to make its British Governance in the 20th Century available online.

Jisc will be providing £800,000 towards the initiative, after The National Archives' bid was selected from 48 rivals, reports PublicTechnology.net.

More than 500,000 Cabinet Office papers will be made available electronically, with minutes and memoranda spanning from World War I to the 1970s.

However, only papers over 30 years old and currently available at The National Archives will be digitised.

Jisc aims to "support education and research by promoting innovation in new technologies", receiving its financing from post-16 and higher education funding bodies.

The National Archives recently announced the online availability of all migration records - which the body claims would be "invaluable" for individuals looking to find their ancestors.

© Adfero Ltd

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