When I mention to friends that I have a new job and explain to them about the Endangered Archives Programme, their initial reaction is one of pure envy as they envisage me jet-setting around the world.  This of course is not the case; I just sit glued to my desk contacting the various grant-holders by email.

So when Mr Ganesan emailed to say he was passing through London and wanted to drop off the hard drive for EAP372, it was a wonderful opportunity to hear first hand of the work being carried out at the Roja Muthiah Research Library and in particular the EAP project of digitising early periodicals and newspapers of Tamilnadu and Pondichery.

Here are a few images from the archive:

This is the cover page to the 1948 publication ‘Ashoka’.

An advertisement that can be found inside

I particularly enjoyed coming across this page from ‘Ciraji’ published in 1949.  I just love all the small characters around the border.

The Endangered Archives Programme was, for a short period, without a Curator following the promotion of Lynda Barraclough.  I was thrilled to be appointed to the position just before Christmas.  Though new to EAP, I am not new to the British Library having worked for both the section of Prints, Drawings and Photographs and the Collection Care Department.

When I used to catalogue photographs, I sat opposite Cathy Collins, the EAP Grants Administrator and would hear about the fascinating projects that were going on around the world. Now, I am lucky enough to be working on them.

I am very much looking forward to sharing news with you on some of them.

All the very best for 2013.