Helen Dafter is Archivist at The Postal Museum
In 2023 The Postal Museum acquired Preservica. At the outset our priority was to get our digital collections into the system, but the intention for future access informed our early decision making. In January 2026 the museum launched its Digital Collections Portal, providing online public access to our born-digital collections for the first time. This was a major milestone for The Postal Museum.
When we started ingesting content into the system there were a number of decisions we needed to make. These included how we structured the content, how we described it, and what access rights we applied. The museum holds archives collections for three organisations (Royal Mail, Post Office Limited, and The Postal Museum), as well as museum collections. The decisions we made had to be applicable to all collections.
In terms of structure, the archive collection material is based on the existing catalogue hierarchy although it doesn’t reflect all of the lower levels of the hierarchy. The museum collection was divided into three broad groups based on existing digital holdings – oral history, stamp artwork, and other digital museum content. This initially worked well at the back end, but there was a mixture of public and non-public content in the same folders. This meant that although all public content could be found by searching in the Digital Collections Portal, not all the folders were displayed and it was difficult to navigate through levels. This led us to create parallel structures for public and non-public content.
In terms of metadata we decided on Dublin Core as this could be applied to both archive and museum collections. Initially we only added metadata at folder level for the archive material. This reflected how physical collections are described. When we started testing the Digital Collections Portal with staff across The Postal Museum, it became apparent that the lack of metadata at asset level was problematic. Users were finding assets via the search functionality and not seeing the metadata provided at higher levels. Therefore we took the decision to add metadata at asset level for all public content.
Determining what archive material should be made available on the Digital Collections Portal was relatively straightforward. The Royal Mail and Post Office Limited Archives are covered by the Public Records Act (England and Wales) which states material should be made public after 20 years. We apply the same criteria to The Postal Museum Archive. Content which had previously been published (such as posters, adverts, and annual reports) could also be made public. Some review was required to identify material which might require some access restrictions – for example material with copyright restrictions, data protection issues, or potentially offensive content.
The museum collection didn’t have the same standardised closure periods. Oral histories form the bulk of the born-digital museum collection, and we needed to review the consent forms for each oral history to determine if it could be made publicly accessible. This highlights that the process of getting the Digital Collections Portal up and running was as much about procedures and collections management, as it was about the technical aspects.
Once we had ingested the bulk of our born-digital collections, we began to work on access more directly. The ingest process and adding metadata had also enhanced our understanding of what this material was and how the public might use it. Preservica has a built in Portal to allow public access. We began styling this to reflect our brand– for example adding our logo and changing the colour palette used. Thumbnails were added to folders to reflect the collections they contained. We also added links to our online catalogue and website, so that the Digital Collections Portal is seen as part of wider museum. Our MarComms team also carried out web and mobile accessibility testing which identified a few minor issues. With the basic structure of the Portal in place, we launched it internally. This allowed us to gather feedback from colleagues and make further enhancements before launching it to the public.
Alongside work to style the Digital Collections Portal, we developed guidance for the public. Having this guidance available allows us to signpost users to existing information, reducing the demands on staff handling enquiries. It also helped us consider what information users might need. There are some aspects of the Portal which are not customisable and the guidance could explain these (for example advice on how to search). We also delivered training to all archive and curatorial staff to ensure that they were familiar with the Portal and felt equipped to answer questions.
Working with colleagues throughout this process allowed us to address issues and concerns before the Digital Collections Portal went live. One concern was that we would not know who was accessing the born-digital content. In contrast analogue material requires users to register for a user card so we always know who has viewed what material. We took time to consider why we collected this data for analogue material and whether these reasons were relevant in a digital environment. Ultimately we realised that the risks and mitigations were different. We also considered what information we did want, and are able to collect, about online use. This is still under review but we are hoping to collect some data via Google Analytics.
The Digital Collections Portal was launched to the public on 21 January 2026. It was promoted on professional email lists, and on BlueSky. As yet we haven’t received any public enquiries or feedback on the Portal, although we can see that it is being used. The Portal will continue to evolve based on public feedback, changes to the system functionality, and staff experience. Our next priorities are developing an onsite offer for material which can be made available to the public but is not suitable for online access (for example material with copyright restrictions). We are also planning to provide links from our online catalogue to material in the Portal.
Any comments or feedback on our Digital Collections Portal is very welcome.