Archiving the Referendum

Using the contents of BBC Scotland s television archive pertaining to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum campaign, this book argues that television archive material is a powerful memory tool which shapes how we connect with the past. The referendum was a seismic moment for Scotland and its repercussions are still being felt today. BBC Scotland provided the lion s share of television coverage of the referendum and even became part of the story of the campaign. This book offers a unique insight into the work of the archivists and programme-makers involved with preserving and reusing footage of the campaign held in the broadcaster s archive. Combining textual analysis with interviews with programme-makers and archivists, this book also explores the labour conditions and institutional policy around access to BBC Scotland s television archive which play a crucial role in how material is chosen and used, thus shaping the stories that BBC Scotland tells about the referendum.