The first, also titled Europeana 1914–1918, gathers digitised memorabilia and personal stories from individuals, including a series of public workshops where material can be scanned or photographed.

These events invited members of the public to bring physical artefacts or documents to be digitised, and to record information or stories connected to them.

The University of Oxford was a partner in Europeana 1914–1918, providing support in the development of the online platform and training to all institutions running roadshow events.

The main public-facing portal for the overall project (europeana1914-18.eu) was launched at the Berlin State Library on 29 January 2014 by Monika Grütters, the German Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media.

For example, digitised correspondence from the British Library's India Office collections has been used to highlight the involvement of Indian soldiers, particularly on the Western Front;[7][8] An early find during the public digitisation project was a postcard (right) sent by Adolf Hitler to a fellow soldier while recuperating in hospital, which attracted a great deal of media attention.