The director of the BBC’s archive, Roly Keating, has explained more about the corporation’s major project to build a permanent online archive of broadcast material from Radio 4, Radio 3 and BBC Four.

Journalism.co.uk reported yesterday that the BBC Trust had given the all-clear for the project to go ahead.

Keating, a former controller of BBC Two, said in a blog post that the goal was to make the best of what the BBC had to offer searchable, linkable and shareable for years to come.

“In the online age the task of making more of the wealth of [the corporation’s] fantastic archives easily accessible to audiences is an inseparable part of the BBC’s mission as a public service broadcaster,” he wrote.

“Once published every one of these programmes will become part of a standing resource at the heart of BBC Online, linkable to by others inside and outside the BBC, re-usable by future producers and editors for new propositions as yet undreamt of, and discoverable through open search by anyone pursuing an interest in the topic of the programme.

“And as media becomes ever more social, individuals will find their own personal treasures in the collection, and popularise them among their friends and networks.”