The Scottish Council on Archives is launching an exciting initiative to connect business archives with community groups and organisations across Scotland. We believe that business archives hold untapped potential to inspire local communities, creating new stories and building meaningful connections between places and people.

Project Overview

Made in Scotland recognises that collaboration between business archives and communities creates lasting benefits for both parties. When businesses share their archival resources collaboratively with groups and organisations, the results can enhance cultural preservation, provide valuable educational opportunities, and help build economic resilience in communities across Scotland.

Business archives often contain records that capture the history and development of industries crucial to a community’s identity. By making these resources accessible and encouraging partnership projects, we can preserve local heritage, support cultural initiatives, and foster stronger community engagement.

What We’re Looking For

We want to connect Scottish businesses with physical or digital archives to community-based groups and organisations. We’re particularly keen to hear from anyone who has already delivered successful archive-community projects that demonstrate the real value of these partnerships.

Project Aims

• Connect Scottish businesses with archives to community-based groups and organisations
• Share good practice from successful collaborations
• Document the impact of business-community partnerships
• Expand the accessibility of Scotland’s business archives
• Create a resource of case studies to inspire future projects

Benefits of Collaboration

Cultural Preservation: Business archives help preserve local heritage and traditions for future generations, capturing the industrial and social history that shapes community identity.

Educational Opportunities: Archives provide schools, universities, and researchers with primary sources that enhance learning and inspire understanding of local history, technology, and business development.

Community Engagement: Collaborative projects create stronger ties between businesses and communities, encouraging civic participation and shared ownership of local history.

Economic Development: Preserving and promoting local history through business archives can attract tourism and support local economies, turning archival resources into valuable community assets.

Get Involved

Whether you’re a Scottish business with archives, a community group interested in collaboration, or have examples of successful projects, we’d love to hear from you. We’re currently gathering examples and ideas through a sector survey to better understand the landscape and identify opportunities for connection.

Case Studies