Citation
(2003), "The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce catalogue goes online", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 37 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/prog.2003.28037cab.008
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce catalogue goes online
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce catalogue goes online
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) records comprise a unique and invaluable insight into the artistic, technical and commercial life of the nation since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. They reflect the diversity and broad-ranging influence of the society, which celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2004. Included in the archive are complete sets of minutes of every meeting since 1754, transactions recording the long-running awards scheme and the RSA Journal publicising its extensive lecture programme. These records are supplemented by some 20,000 items of original correspondence and a selection of drawings, plans, engravings and photographs. The society's Fellowship has included Benjamin Franklin, Adam Smith, Charles Dickens and Karl Marx. Its range of activities include the impetus for the Great Exhibition of 1851, the initiation of the Blue Plaque scheme, Student Design Awards and, more recently, the display of public art in Trafalgar Square.
In February 2003, historians and the general public gained remote access to the catalogue of the RSA archive. The archive has been described by the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts as a "collection of considerable historical importance at national level".
The project has been made possible by a grant of £650,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The award is one of the largest ever to be made to a purely archival project. Three rooms have been adapted within the RSA's eighteenth-century listed house to provide suitable storage capacity for 350 linear metres of archives. A programme of conservation and the completion of the catalogue have made the contents of the archive accessible to a wider public and will safeguard the society's history for future generations. The catalogue is available at www.thersa.org/rsa/archivesearch.asp
The RSA exists to encourage the development of a principled, prosperous society. It does this through a programme of projects and events and with the support of a network of influential Fellows from every field and background. With a mission to encourage creativity, innovation and good practice, it seeks to educate and agitate for change in all its fields of interest: business; design; education; the arts; and the environment.
For further information please contact: Nick Hallam or Henrietta Sitwell, The Press Office, The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, 8 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6EZ, UK. Tel: +44(0) 20 7930 5115; Fax: +44(0) 20 7451 6976; E-mail: media@rsa.org.uk; URL: www.rsa.org.uk.