2. William Spencer 18 November 2010 British Army 1914-1920 First World War Soldiers’ Records Online

3. The size of the problem. Over 2km of records Fire and Water Damaged in 1940 Too brittle to produce as originals Became 35 500 reels of microfilm In alphabetical order Tied to a visit

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5. Digitisation: Advantages Itemisation of each individual soldier Searchable by name, number and regiment Ability to Locate of out of sequence records No need to visit Improved space management in Reading Room through the removal of 35 500 reels of microfilm

6. Digitisation: Disadvantages User faith in the digitised record Speed of search Taxonomy Mindset of partners Slow to read

7. Digitisation: The Essentials High speed of search/production of results. Accurate taxonomy appropriate to period and record type. Ensure partners understand the context in which the records were created and what the correct taxonomy is. Ensure user faith in the digitised record. Explain very carefully how the digitised records should be used.