Guest Blog
A Year in Words: The Ulster Language and Dialect Archive
Project Archivist Niamh Dolan writes about 'Unlocking Ulster’s Languages Archives’, a National Museums NI project.
Unlocking Our Sound Heritage
Learn about the 2018-2021 UOSH project, in association with the British Library.
Ask Us About UOSHThe UOSH project at National Museums NI proved to be a resounding success. Spanning from 2018 to 2021, this initiative focused on digitising and cataloging approximately 4,500 recordings from the obsolete formats held within the Sound Archive at Cultra.
These recordings, which encompassed open reels, CDs, cassettes, minidiscs, DATs, microcassettes, and born-digital formats, were at high risk of degradation and potential loss.
Thanks to the UOSH project, these valuable recordings were safeguarded from further deterioration. Many of them originated from collections held by institutions such as the Somme Museum, Larne Museum, the Glens of Antrim Historical Society, and Manx National Heritage. The original recordings remain securely stored in the temperature-controlled vault of the Sound Archive, while digital copies are preserved on the museums' internal drives.
The UOSH project was expertly managed by the British Library and made possible through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. As a result, catalogued summaries of the digitised recordings are now accessible through the sami.bl.uk website. Visitors to the Sound Archive can also enjoy listening to these recordings on-site.
Furthermore, the Sound Archive continues to provide audio-preservation and digitisation services, ensuring that the ongoing preservation and accessibility of valuable audio materials are maintained.
The UOSH project stands as a testament to the commitment of National Museums NI in preserving and sharing the auditory heritage of Ulster, and it offers researchers, enthusiasts, and the public an opportunity to engage with these significant recordings.