---
title: Digitising Glass Plate Negatives - Seeing the North with Sankey
description: Digitisation is the one sure way to safeguard glass plate negatives. Watch our video to discover our digitisation process when handling the fragile material.
image: https://blog.townswebarchiving.com/hubfs/signal-image.jpg
---
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- [Digitisation](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/digitisation/)
- [Bound Volume Collections](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/digitisation/bound-volume-collections/)
- Registers, guard books, journals, diaries and more
- [Archive Collections](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/digitisation/archive-collections/)
- From index cards, maps, posters and reports to letters
- [Photograph Collections](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/digitisation/photograph-collections/)
- All 35mm slides, glass plates, transparencies & photos
- [Film Collections](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/digitisation/film-collections/)
- Including aperture cards, microfilm and microfiche
- [Audio Visual Collections](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/digitisation/audio-visual-collections/)
- From Betamax, compact audio cassette and CD to VHS
- [3-Dimensional Collections](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/digitisation/3-dimensional-collections/)
- Including 3D and 2D object photography and VR tours
- [Data Capture](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/datacapture/)
- [Audio Visual Transcription](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/datacapture/audio-transcription/)
- Make audio searchable by transcribing content to text
- [Handwritten Text Recognition](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/datacapture/handwritten-text-recognition-htr/)
- Make handwritten text searchable through automatic text recognition
- [Optical Character Recognition](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/ocr-scanning-service/)
- Make typed text searchable with accurate data capture
- [Data Entry](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/datacapture/data-entry/)
- Make ambiguous records fully searchable with data entry
- [Handwritten Transcription](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/metadata-transcription-service/)
- Make handwritten text searchable through transcription
- [Publishing](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/publishing/)
- [Digital Collections](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/archive-management-software/pastview/welcome-to-pastview)
- Manage, publish and share digital collections online
- [Digital Records](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/archive-management-software/chronicle-cemetery-management/)
- Reimagine the digital management of cemetery records
- [Virtual Tours](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/virtual-reality-tour/)
- Bring internal spaces to life digitally with a VR Tour
- [Industry](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/industry/)
- [Academic](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/industry/academic/)
- Futureproof education with digitally enabling online resources
- [Bereavement Services](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/industry/bereavement/)
- Counter operational costs with digital control and management
- [Business and Corporate](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/industry/business-and-corporate/)
- Protect brand value & discover the power of digital management
- [Cultural Heritage](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/industry/cultural-heritage/)
- Harness the value of collections with financial autonomy
- [Public Sector](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/industry/public-sector/)
- Combat damage and loss with robust digital duplicates
- [Military](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/industry/military/)
- Respectfully and globally mark significant figures and conflicts
- [About](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/about)
- [Our Vision & Mission](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/about-us#vision-mission)
- Supporting collections to thrive in the digital landscape
- [Our Values](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/about-us#values)
- Integrity, Empathy and Truth – Our commitment to you
- [Meet The Team](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/about-us#team)
- Dedication with a personal touch – names and faces!
- [Careers](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/recruitment/)
- Passionate about culture and heritage? Join the team!
- [TWA Digitisation Grant History](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/digitisation-funding-grant/grant-history/)
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- [Partners](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/partners)
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[Home](https://blog.townswebarchiving.com/) » Digitising Glass Plate Negatives - Seeing the North with Sankey
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# Digitising Glass Plate Negatives - Seeing the North with Sankey
| **Published By:** [Jess Sturman-Coombs](https://blog.townswebarchiving.com/author/jess-sturman-coombs) **Published:** February 5, 2020 **Last Updated:** May 9, 2023 |
| --- |
Glass plate negatives are one of the most fragile materials we work with at TownsWeb Archiving and the one sure way to safeguard their precious content is to digitise them, reducing the need for manual handling and the subsequent wear and tear. It is also prudent to consider the very real risks posed by fire, flood or theft and, so, when it comes to digitisation, there’s no time like the present.
Take a look below at some of the wonderful glass plate negatives, digitised as part of the 'Seeing the North with Sankey' project. Or click [here](https://blog.townswebarchiving.com/2020/02/digitising-glass-plate-negatives#video) to watch our video, demonstrating our digitisation process when handling these fragile glass plate negatives.
## Seeing the North with Sankey
.jpg?width=3881&name=Boating%20Lake%20(1).jpg)
We recently had the pleasure of being involved with [Signal Film and Media](https://signalfilmandmedia.com/) in respect of their [National Lottery Heritage](https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/) funded [‘Seeing the North with Sankey’](https://signalfilmandmedia.com/seeing-the-north-with-sankey/) project. This saw glass plate negatives, as well as a number of photograph albums, captured and digitised over a three month period, in order to safeguard and protect the vast collection. This culturally significant project connected people, documenting the life and times of the Barrow and Cumbria regions.
.jpg?width=7762&name=Seaside%20(1).jpg)
Now this stunning content will forever be protected for the benefit of generations to come, thanks to [digitisation](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/digitisation/).
.jpg?width=399&height=295&name=Shop%20(1).jpg).jpg?width=392&height=295&name=Lorry%20(1).jpg)
Click [here](https://signalfilmandmedia.com/seeing-the-north-with-sankey/) to learn all about this fascinating project and why not get involved yourself and take part in one of their upcoming [workshops](https://signalfilmandmedia.com/sankey-launch-and-workshops/)!
## **Learn how we can digitise your fragile glass plate negatives**
We have produced a video to demonstrate how we go about digitising this type of delicate material and we hope that you find it an informative and useful resource in helping you to take that next all-important step.
Visit our [glass plate negatives](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/digitisation/glass-plate-negatives/) page to find out more or speak with one our expert digitisation consultants to [discuss](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/contact/) your unique requirements.
Not ready to get in touch? Well you can get an idea of how much your project might cost, by using our free [digitisation quote calculator](https://www.townswebarchiving.com/digitisation-quote-calculator/), a popular resource with collection holders.
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