Using the Resource
What is available in the repository?
The Royal Berkshire Archives’ digital repository holds records that the Archives have received in digital format or have been converted from pre-digital formats. This includes records received as cinefilms, vinyl records, audio cassettes and VHS as well as DVDs, CDs and as digital files. It also includes some paper-based records which have been digitised either as they are heavily used or in too fragile a state to be produced. However, the vast majority of paper-based records have not been digitised and will need to be viewed in person at the Archives.
Some of the digital records held by the RBA are not available to view online. This might be because they contain sensitive information, have copyright restrictions or due to agreement with the depositor of the information. These records will need to be viewed at the Archives. Please contact us for more information about a particular record and to arrange to visit.
Electoral registers from 2020 onwards are held in digital format but due to legislation can only be viewed at the Archives under invigilation. Please contact us to book to view an electoral register.
Many digital records are currently being catalogued and are therefore not yet available in the repository. Please contact us if you cannot find a record that you believe we hold.
How do I search?
Use the Search bar to search for any word in the collections. You can also search for a catalogue reference or a date range. This search will bring up all items in the repository which contain the word. If there are too many hits try to search for a more specific term.
You can also Browse the collections by clicking on the ‘Browse Digital Collections’ link. All collections are held within the RBA catalogue. You can then choose which type of record you would like to look at and click the links until you get to the actual record.
If you are not sure if the record is held in the repository it is recommended that you use the online catalogue to do an initial search. If the record exists and is available to view online the online catalogue will provide a link to the image in the repository. If the record is only available to view at the Archives this will be noted in the record description.
How to view the records?
Click on the record that you are interested in and this will take you to a thumbnail of the image. If there is more than one image in a file you can choose to view the images in a gallery ‘View Gallery’ which will allow you to easily scroll through the images using the Next and Previous buttons at the top of the page. Alternatively, you can choose to click on each image in the list in turn. You can zoom in and out, toggle the page, and rotate left and right using the buttons above the image.
If you are viewing an audio image or film use the play and pause buttons to access the recording.
When you view the file for an image you will be provided with the metadata (useful descriptive information) relating to that collection. For most records this information is available at file level only rather than for each image within the file. The metadata cell can be expanded to show more information. It automatically is shown at the left side of the image but can be moved to the top or bottom using the buttons on the top right.
Do I need to log in?
The log in facility is only available for onsite users. Please contact us if you would like to see any records that are not available online.
How do I get a copy of an image?
All images in the repository are available for viewing only. It is not permissible to copy them for reuse by downloading them or reproducing them in any other format.
If you would like to have a copy of an image please contact us for further information. Our current prices can be found on our website. If you would like to publish an image please contact us to ask permission as we may need to contact the depositor before publication is allowed. Please see our current prices for reuse of images.
Is all of RBA’s digital material held here?
No, some material has been been digitised as part of previous projects, see Useful Links for more information.
