What Adam Matthew Digital does

Adam Matthew Digital (AM) is a UK-based digital publisher of primary source collections for academic, archival, and cultural heritage institutions. Founded in 2007 and operating as a subsidiary of SAGE Publishing since 2012, the company combines proprietary platform technology — the AM Quartex digital archive platform — with licensed digital content sourced from world-class partner archives including the British Library, the UK National Archives, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and Shakespeare's Globe. Notable collections include Colonial America (70,000+ manuscript documents with HTR-powered full-text search), American History 1493-1945 (60,000+ documents), Shakespeare's Globe Archive (178,000 items), and Virginia Company Archives.

The core technology stack centers on AM Quartex, a cloud-based digital asset management platform featuring proprietary Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR), OCR for printed materials, customizable metadata schemas, controlled vocabularies, digital exhibits with interactive timelines, community forums, and accessibility tooling (text-to-speech, keyboard navigation). AM sells through four content series — AM Primary, AM Archives Direct, AM Scholar, and AM Research Skills — delivered via annual subscription licensing to academic libraries and universities worldwide. The Quartex platform is also licensed separately to archives, museums, and universities to host and showcase their own digital collections, complemented by professional digitization services under archive partnership agreements.

AM's go-to-market is enterprise field sales augmented by channel partnerships with archives, inside sales for demos and trials, and event-driven demand generation at conferences such as ALA, the Society of American Archivists, and the Charleston Conference. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; customer base spans hundreds of named academic institutions across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Revenue is generated through recurring subscription licensing, platform licensing, and digitization services.

Name

Adam Matthew Digital

Legal name

Adam Matthew Digital Ltd

Website

https://amdigital.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Adam Matthew Digital is a UK-based digital publisher that licenses primary source collections and its proprietary Quartex platform to academic libraries, archives, and museums worldwide, supported by exclusive partnerships with major archival institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Primary Source Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

E-books, Digital Content & Licensing Distribution (CRAOALAE)

Keywords

• Digital primary sources
• Digital archive publishing
• Archival digitization services
• Digital collection platform
• Humanities research databases

Headquarters

HQ city

Marlborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Digital Collection Subscriptions: Annual subscription licensing fees for access to AM's digital primary source collections. Institutions subscribe to specific collections or series (AM Primary, AM Archives Direct, AM Scholar, AM Research Skills). Pricing varies by module and institution size.
2. AM Quartex Platform Licensing: Platform licensing fees for institutions to use AM Quartex to manage and showcase their own digital collections. Includes site build services, migration support, and ongoing hosting.
3. Digitization Services: Professional digitisation services for physical archives. AM funds digitisation, provides digital surrogates, and creates new metadata for archive partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Adam Matthew Digital (AM) is a digital publisher that produces and licenses digitised primary source collections from archives and libraries worldwide, sold through annual institutional subscriptions and grouped into content series (AM Primary, AM Archives Direct, AM Scholar, AM Research Skills). The company also develops and licenses the AM Quartex platform, a purpose-built digital collection management and publishing system offered to institutions alongside professional digitisation services for archive partners.

Product overview

Adam Matthew Digital (AM) operates a platform-plus-content model comprising the AM Quartex platform for creating and managing digital archives, paired with multiple content series including AM Primary, AM Archives Direct, AM Scholar, and AM Research Skills. AM Quartex serves academic libraries, museums, and archives worldwide with features including OCR, HTR for handwritten text recognition, digital exhibits, and accessibility tools. The company publishes extensive primary source digital collections spanning humanities and social sciences, with notable collections including Colonial America, American History 1493-1945, Shakespeare's Globe Archive, and Shakespeare in Performance. AM is part of the SAGE Group and has been publishing digital primary source collections for over 20 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AM Primary: Primary source collections for academic research
• AM Archives Direct
• AM Scholar
• AM Research Skills
• AM Quartex

Products and services

• AM Quartex Purpose-built digital collection platform offering advanced search, OCR, Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) for handwritten manuscripts, customizable metadata, controlled vocabularies, digital exhibits, interactive timelines, and accessibility features (text-to-speech, keyboard navigation). Licensed to academic libraries, museums, and archives to manage and showcase their own digital collections, with support, site build, and migration services.
• AM Primary Content series of essential digital primary source collections for humanities and social sciences research across multiple disciplines. Sold as subscription-licensed modules to academic libraries.
• AM Archives Direct Content series of primary source collections sourced directly from archives, including government files and institutional records. Subscription-licensed to academic libraries.
• AM Scholar Content series of scholarly-focused primary source collections designed for academic research and teaching. Subscription-licensed to academic libraries.
• AM Research Skills Content series of collections and resources focused on developing research skills using digital primary sources for student success. Subscription-licensed to academic libraries.
• Shakespeare's Globe Archive Digital primary source collection documenting over 300 productions from Shakespeare's Globe between 1997 and 2016, featuring nearly 178,000 digitised items including prompt books, costume designs, architectural plans, programmes, oral histories, and video interviews. For the study of Shakespeare, theatre, and cultural history by academic libraries and researchers.
• American History, 1493-1945 Digital collection of over 60,000 primary source documents from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History covering American history from colonisation through WWII, including papers of Henry Knox, George Washington, and Frederick Douglass. Subscription-licensed to academic libraries.
• Virginia Company Archives Digital collection essential for studying the Atlantic World and early colonial period, documenting the founding of Virginia through papers of the Virginia Company of London (1606-1624) and the Ferrar Papers from Magdalene College, Cambridge. Subscription-licensed to academic libraries.
• Shakespeare in Performance Digital collection of prompt books from the Folger Shakespeare Library documenting how Shakespeare's plays were interpreted and performed from the 1670s to 1970s, including editions owned by notable actors and directors. Subscription-licensed to academic libraries.
• Colonial America Digital collection of the complete CO 5 files from The National Archives UK (1606-1822), offering access to 70,000 manuscript documents on North American colonial history with Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR)-powered full-text searching. Subscription-licensed to academic libraries.
• Central Asia, Persia and Afghanistan, 1834-1922: From Silk Road to Soviet Rule Digital collection of British Foreign Office documents spanning 1834-1949 covering nearly every aspect of life in Afghanistan during efforts at modernisation and WWII-era diplomatic intrigue. Subscription-licensed to academic libraries.
• Professional Digitisation Services Professional digitisation services for physical archive holdings, where AM funds the digitisation, provides digital surrogates, and creates new metadata for archive partners worldwide. Delivered through AM's archive partnership network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70,000+ manuscript documents searchable via HTR in Colonial America collection
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered parent company, core and support.

• Sage Groupparent companyStrategic or Co-development PartnerAM is part of the Sage Group, which provides operational independence while offering strategic backing. Sage Group's ownership enables AM to maintain focus on long-term mission rather than short-term profits, supporting investment in innovative solutions and lasting partnerships.
• The National Archives, UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary source partner providing the Colonial America collection (70,000+ documents from CO 5 files) and other collections. AM's digitisation work has greatly increased accessibility of documents for academic study. Features HTR technology for handwritten document search.
• British LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner30+ year partnership producing microfilm products and culminating in digitisation of East India Company Records. Partnership makes historic collections accessible to customers across the globe, enabling new research at scale and in detail.
• Shakespeare's GlobecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigitized nearly two decades of performance heritage including 178,000 items. AM team understood the Globe's story and values to produce an invaluable record of the Globe as artistic, historical, and architectural experiment.
• Amistad Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit archive partner for digitizing Race Relations Department records. AM made it possible to expose tremendous collections to a much wider audience and assisted staff in exploring little-known aspects of the records.
• The Newberry Library, ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship resources American West and Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America bring Newberry's Edward E. Ayer and Everett D. Graff collections to thousands of new users. Project collaboration described as well-organized and expertly completed.
• Gilder Lehrman Institute, New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing the American History 1493-1945 collection with 60,000+ primary source documents. AM was chosen for their passion for history and the outstanding product created with easy-to-use interface.
• Folger Shakespeare LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSource of the Shakespeare in Performance prompt book collection featuring world-famous prompt books from 1670s to 1970s. Collection includes books owned by notable actors and directors.
• Magdalene College, CambridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSource of Ferrar Papers for Virginia Company Archives collection. Papers document founding and economic development of Virginia through the Ferrar family's interest in North American settlement.
• Congregational Library & ArchivescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew England's Hidden Histories project digitizing 170+ collections with 4,000+ items using AM Quartex platform. Collections document Colonial and Early American Era Congregational churches history.
• Cape Ann MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUsing AM Quartex for digital archive management of maritime, industrial, and social history materials. Museum leveraged platform for community engagement and enhanced cataloguing with volunteers.
• Texas Wesleyan UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEunice and James L. West Library used AM Quartex to unite institutional archives and special collections. Site build service enabled launch in three months with eleven collections published at launch.
• Solution PartnerssupportTechnology or IntegrationTrusted industry partners in data cleansing, digitization, and preservation that integrate with AM's support for archives. Includes specialist heritage digitisation vendors skilled at handling sensitive historic material.
• Peabody Essex Museum (Phillips Library)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUsing AM Quartex to share Phillips Library collections with global audiences. Strategic aim to create additional experiences accessible from anywhere in the world with impressive accessibility features.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Readex (NewsBank): Readex, a division of NewsBank, publishes digital primary source collections including Early American Imprints, Hispanic American Newspapers, and the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, sold via subscription to academic libraries—a direct competitive overlap with AM's archival content business.
• OCLC (ContentDM): OCLC's ContentDM is a digital collection management platform used by libraries, archives, and museums to manage and showcase digital assets. It is a direct competitor to AM's Quartex platform for institutional digital collection hosting.
• JSTOR: JSTOR provides digital access to scholarly journals, books, and primary sources for academic libraries. It overlaps with AM in humanities and social sciences content delivery and shares the same institutional subscription GTM motion.
• Preservica: Preservica provides digital preservation and access software used by archives, museums, and cultural heritage institutions. It is a direct competitor to AM Quartex in the institutional digital asset management and long-term preservation market.
• Gale (Cengage Learning): Gale is a major publisher of digital primary source archives (e.g., Gale Primary Sources, National Geographic Virtual Library) sold via subscription to academic and public libraries. It competes directly with AM on collections such as newspaper archives, historical documents, and literary manuscripts.
• ProQuest (Clarivate): ProQuest offers an extensive portfolio of primary source databases (e.g., Early English Books Online, House of Commons Parliamentary Papers) and dissertation content to academic libraries. It is a direct competitor to AM in the digital primary source subscription market.
• Brill: Brill is an academic publisher with strong humanities and social sciences coverage, including digital primary source collections. It is comparable to AM as a peer in scholarly digital content licensing to academic libraries.

Broad incumbents

• EBSCO Information Services: EBSCO is a large information services provider offering research databases, eBooks, and discovery services to libraries. It is a broader incumbent that competes with AM across multiple content and platform categories.
• Cambridge University Press: Cambridge University Press publishes academic books, journals, and selected digital archive products (e.g., Cambridge Core). It is a broader incumbent with overlapping humanities content licensing to academic libraries.
• Oxford University Press: Oxford University Press publishes academic monographs, journals, and digital reference/archival products sold via subscription to academic libraries. It is a broader incumbent with content and digital platform overlap to AM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/adammatthewgrp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcIM4Vpp7jG-u4vWKJjg3bQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adam-matthew-digital-ltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheAdamMatthewGroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Adam Matthew Digital