1947 Partition Archive

THE 1947 PARTITION ARCHIVE IS A CITIZEN POWERED NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO DOCUMENTING, PRESERVING AND SHARING EYE WITNESS ACCOUNTS FROM ALL ETHNIC AND ECONOMIC COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY THE PARTITION OF BRITISH INDIA IN 1947; AND TO EDUCATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF DIGITAL DOCUMENTATION AND PRESERVATION WORKERS.

THE 1947 PARTITION ARCHIVE RECORDED AND PRESERVED ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS FROM 687 PARTITION WITNESSES IN 2023 IN-PERSON AND PARTLY REMOTELY, BRINGING ITS COLLECTION TO 11,092 ORAL HISTORIES. OF THE COLLECTIONS, OVER 1,000 ORAL HISTORIES WERE ARCHIVED AND OVER 2,000 REVIEWED BY 14 DIGITAL ORAL HISTORY ARCHIVIST PAID PART-TIME INTERNS, ONE DIGITAL ORAL HISTORY ARCHIVIST FULL TIME APPRENTICE AND 12 TRAINED VOLUNTEER STUDENT ARCHIVIST INTERNS WHO IN TOTAL DONATED 2,880 HOURS OF PRO-BONO SERVICE TO THE CAUSE. ADDITIONALLY, 50 STUDENT VOLUNTEERS ENGAGED IN PUBLIC HISTORY ACTIVITIES THAT INCLUDED COPY-EDITING ORAL HISTORY ABSTRACTS, DIGITAL CURATION, GRAPHIC DESIGN, VIDEO EDITING, ORAL HISTORY FIELD WORK, AND MORE, DONATING A NEARLY 12,000 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE. THE 1947 PARTITION ARCHIVE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED ITS PAID DIGITAL ORAL HISTORY ARCHIVIST PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS, AND AN ADVANCED PAID APPRENTICESHIP, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES AND THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES. A TOTAL OF FOUR (4) HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND 10 COLLEGE STUDENTS (FOUR FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES AND SIX JUNIORS AND SENIORS) FROM AMERICAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES WERE ONBOARDED AND TRAINED. SIX (6) MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SCIENCE PROFESSIONALS WERE ENGAGED AS GUEST LECTURERS FOR THE POPULAR PROGRAM. THE STUDENT INTERNS AND APPRENTICE ARCHIVED FOR 3,360 HOURS IN TOTAL. THE ORGANIZATION DIRECTLY SERVED OVER 3,000 ELDERLY PARTITION WITNESSES OVER AGE 75, BY RECORDING, ARCHIVING AND COPY-EDITING THEIR ORAL HISTORIES AND APPROXIMATELY 7,144 INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE CHILDREN OF WITNESSES AND OVER 20,000+ ESTIMATED GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT GRANDCHILDREN OF WITNESSES IN 2023. THE 1947 PARTITION ARCHIVE TRAINED 264 MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC VIA ITS FREE ORAL HISTORY WORKSHOP, OF WHOM 50 WENT ON TO RECORD AND SUBMIT ORAL HISTORIES OF PARTITION WITNESSES FROM THEIR COMMUNITIES AND BECAME CONFIRMED CITIZEN HISTORIANS AND TRAINED ORAL HISTORIANS. IN 2023, 39 RESEARCHERS REQUESTED ACCESS TO THE COLLECTIONS. THE 1947 PARTITION ARCHIVE TRAINED AND OVERSAW THE ORAL HISTORY SUBMISSIONS OF 12 STORY SCHOLARS IN 2023. THE 1947 PARTITION ARCHIVE BEGAN PRE-SALES OF ITS FIRST PUBLIC EDUCATION REFERENCE BOOK, "10,000 MEMORIES" IN 2023, THOUGH EXPERIENCED DELAYS IN RELEASE, NOW PROJECTED FOR MID-2024, DUE TO EDITORIAL ISSUES. IN 2023, STAFF BEGAN PLANNING FOR THE FIRST POST-PANDEMIC PUBLIC EXHIBIT, "FORGOTTEN FRONTLINES," SET TO DEBUT IN 2024.