Made in Scotland connects 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.

Post-pilot Phase

The Scottish Council on Archives is delighted to share that Made in Scotland has completed its pilot phase, and we are now building on this work as we move into the next stage of the project. Made in Scotland recognises that collaboration between business archives and communities creates lasting benefits for both parties, and our pilot has confirmed just how much potential there is still to unlock.

Where we are now

Between June and December 2025, we ran a pilot study exploring how Scottish businesses can connect their archives with communities to create social, cultural and economic value. Through a sector-wide survey, six in-depth case studies, and a national workshop event, we gathered evidence from 53 survey respondents and brought together 33 practitioners from across the business, archive, heritage and community sectors.

The results confirmed our hypothesis: business archives are a genuinely untapped resource. While 79% of businesses hold archives, only 44% have used them for community engagement – and, encouragingly, the barriers holding organisations back are practical, not attitudinal. Staff time and skills (72%) and funding (67%) were cited far more often than a lack of interest or difficulty finding partners, with connecting to community organisations ranking lowest among barriers at just 17%.

We’re pleased to say the pilot has generated real momentum. Our December workshop, hosted by Diageo at the Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh, brought together heritage professionals, business leaders, and community practitioners for a day of case study presentations and discussion, and 78% of survey respondents told us they’d like to see more workshops like it. As one participant put it, “archives can reveal things that have been forgotten, and they make things human” – a sentiment that ran through the whole day.

The full pilot report, Made in Scotland: Building Connections between Business and Community Archives – Pilot Study Results and Recommendations, is now available to read, setting out our findings in full alongside recommendations for the next phase of the programme.

The pilot has also opened doors at a national level: later this year, Made in Scotland’s findings will be taken to the Scottish Parliament, as we continue to make the case for the value of business and community archives and the investment needed to sustain this work.

Continuing to build our library of case studies

Business archives are far more varied than many people realise. While financial records and minutes of meetings are often the first thing that comes to mind, a business archive can just as easily include photographs, architectural plans, product designs, oral histories, and staff memories – all of it evidence of the people and places behind an organisation’s story.

One of the most rewarding parts of the pilot has been hearing directly from businesses and community organisations already doing this work. We’re continuing to grow our library of case studies, documenting the diverse and often inspiring ways business archives are being brought to life across Scotland – from the Dounreay Reminiscence Group’s monthly gatherings of ex-nuclear industry employees, to BAE Systems’ volunteer-led archive room, to Panel’s work with the Valentine photographic archive at V&A Dundee.

Get Involved

Whether you’re a Scottish business with an archive, a community group interested in collaboration, or you have an example of a successful project you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you.

If you have any issues accessing the case studies, get in touch at contact@scottisharchives.org.uk

Case Studies