Ellie Burnage works for publisher Exact Editions based in the UK
The theme of World Digital Preservation Day 2025 asks ‘Why Preserve?’
It’s a big question, with numerous and far-reaching answers. Preservation, as its core, safeguards cultural memory by ensuring that stories, ideas and knowledge remain accessible to future generations. But there are other benefits too, from ensuring digital resilience in an era defined by ever-changing technological developments to opening up new potential markets for publishers to increase revenues.
A recent project in which Exact Editions digitised a collection of historical illustrated periodicals embodies all of these goals - we’ll explore how in the rest of this blog post to celebrate #WDPD2025.
First; a delve into the peridiocals’ archives. Click here for a moving snapshot of five titles (The Illustrated London News (ILN), The Illustrated War News (IWN), The Graphic, The Sphere & The Sketch) from circa 100 years ago.
Safeguarding Cultural Memory
Illustrated periodicals were a vital part of cultural life, offering a uniquely visual blend of storytelling, journalism, and commentary that captured the mood, values, and events of their time. The Illustrated London News (1842–2003) in particular was a revolution in journalism and defined visual reporting of the era through its vivid chronicling of the lives and times of royals, politicians and society at large.
For example, the January 1 1881 issue of The ILN included sketches of the American Franklin Expedition by Mr H. W. Klutschak in which a team searched for the lost British Franklin Expedition, which was last seen heading into the Northwest Passage in 1845 and was never heard from again. The lost expedition had captured the public imagination for decades, and a digitised version preserves not only the historical narrative of the event itself but also artistic interpretations surrounding it.
Unlocking New Audiences
The process of digitisation transforms potentially fragile archives into valuable assets that can be monetised by publishers. Libraries want to provide fully searchable complete archives of periodicals to their students for research and education purposes; as Neil Davies, Senior Manager in Content Acquisitions at Durham University library remarked: “We place considerable weight on preservation and archival access”.
“We place considerable weight on preservation and archival access” Neil Davies, Senior Manager in Content Acquisitions at Durham University
The academic relevance of the The ILN, The IWN, The Graphic, The Sphere & The Sketch spans a wide range of fields, comprising a rich resource for students and researchers alike. As well as invaluable primary material for the study of military and royal history and political movements, the archives also hold significant interest for those in the fields of engineering and industrial history. For example, the March 14 1857 issue of The ILN features detailed illustrations and descriptions of the manufacture of the Atlantic Telegraph Cable, offering students a visual context to assist in understanding what was a groundbreaking feat of engineering.
Equity of Access
Preserving these periodicals digitally also means that access to them can extend significantly beyond the privileged few who have historically been able to consult physical archives — such as researchers at specific universities, national libraries, or private collectors. Physical copies (especially ones from the beginning The ILN’s existence in the 1840s!) are often fragile, which naturally limits how frequently and widely they can be used.
As well as protecting any delicate original copies from further wear and tear through handling, digitisation also removes further geographical barriers. Any authorised user who is online can explore them, encouraging a much more diverse audience — students, educators, independent researchers, and the general public — to engage with historical materials and experience key cultural moments firsthand.
Such a key cultural moment that marked a turning point in British history was Queen Victoria’s death, as documented in the ‘In Memorium’ issue of The ILN from January 30 1901. The periodical’s detailed visual and written coverage of the mourning period, funeral processions, and national reactions helped cement Victoria’s death as a shared cultural moment. Preservation ensures that these vital records of the past are no longer locked away but are part of a shared and open cultural memory.
The complete archives of The Illustrated London News, The Illustrated War News, The Graphic, The Sphere & The Sketch are available for fully-searchable, IP-authenticated institutional subscriptions in the Exact Editions shop.
Find out more about World Digital Preservation Day 2025 here.
Click the links to read Exact Editions’ previous blog posts for #WDPD2024 (Bolstering Online Communities), #WDPD2023 (A Concerted Effort from Autocar & Exact Editions), #WDPD2022 (Exact Editions’ Year in Preservation) and #WDPD2021 (How Digital Edition Break Down International Barriers).