COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL SUMMARY EUROPEAN ARCHIVES GROUP ARCHIVES IN EUROPE FACING THE CHALLENGES OF THE DIGITAL ERA 2nd Progress Report to the Council
Date: 2012-09-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: digital archiving, digitisation, technical cooperation

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 21.9.2012  
SWD(2012) 263 final 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
Accompanying the document 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL 

SUMMARY 

EUROPEAN ARCHIVES GROUP 

ARCHIVES IN EUROPE 
FACING THE CHALLENGES OF THE DIGITAL ERA 
2nd Progress Report to the Council 

{COM(2012) 513 final} 

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   EN 

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
Accompanying the document 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL 

SUMMARY 

EUROPEAN ARCHIVES GROUP 

ARCHIVES IN EUROPE 
FACING THE CHALLENGES OF THE DIGITAL ERA 
2nd Progress Report to the Council 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Introduction....................................................................................................................3 

1. 

2. 

2.1 

2.2 

2.3 

2.4 

2.5 

3. 

4. 

Co-operation in the field of archives in Europe ..............................................3 

Archives in the digital era................................................................................3 

The changing role of Archives ........................................................................3 

On-site versus online access to archives..........................................................3 

Archives and the Directive on the Re-use of Public Sector Information ........3 

Digitisation ......................................................................................................3 

Costs and funding ............................................................................................3 

Conclusions .....................................................................................................3 

Decisions and recommendations .....................................................................3 

Decisions........................................................................................................................3 

Recommendations..........................................................................................................3 

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INTRODUCTION 

In  November  2005  the  Council  of  Ministers  adopted  a  Recommendation  on  increased 
cooperation in the field of archives in Europe.1 The Council Recommendation  asked  for 
the creation of a European Archives Group (EAG) comprising experts designated by the 
Member States and the EU institutions to ensure cooperation and coordination on general 
matters relating to archives. The Council further recommended five priority measures that 
the EAG should follow-up. In 2008 the EAG submitted a Progress Report to the Council 
on the implementation of the recommendation.2 

In  its  2008  progress  report,  the  EAG  noted  that  digital  recordkeeping  is  changing  the 
relations between archives services and records creators as well as the role that archives 
and  archivists  fulfil  in  public  administration  and  society.  The  report  concluded  that 
archives services  should examine their role in more detail and assess the significance of 
existing archival concepts, procedures and processes. 

After reporting to the Council, the EAG created three working groups to examine some of 
the main challenges facing archives services in Europe: 

– 

– 

– 

Archives and the European directive for the re-use of public sector information; 

The relationship between on-site and online access to archives; 

Digital  record  keeping:  consequences  for  administration  and  society  and  the 
changing role of Archives. 

Four years after its first Progress Report, the EAG is submitting a follow-up report. This 
report is structured as follows. 

Chapter  1  provides  a  short  summary  of  the  most  important  aspects  of  European 
cooperation between archives since 2008. It includes a short update on cooperation in the 
DLM Forum  and  the  ongoing  development  of  requirements  for  the  management  of 
electronic  records.  It  also  provides  a  short  review  of  the  cooperation  between  European 
archives services to develop a European archives portal. 

Chapter  2  is  based  on  reports  of  the  three  working  groups  which  were  presented  and 
discussed  at  the  tenth  meeting  of  the  EAG  in  Budapest  on  11  May  2011.  This  chapter 
reviews some aspects of archives in the digital era, including the current role of archives, 
online  versus  on-site  access,  the  re-use  of  public  sector  information  from  archives,  the 
digitisation of archives and some funding issues. 

Chapter 3 formulates the conclusions while Chapter 4 provides some recommendations for 
continued cooperation between archives in Europe in the coming years. 

A first draft of this report was discussed at the 11th meeting of the EAG in Krakow on 7 
October  2011.  At  that  meeting  the  EAG  decided  to  create  a  drafting  group  for  further 

1 
2 

OJ L 312, 29.11.2005, p.55 
Progress Report to the Council SEC(2008)2364; COM(2008)500 

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review. The drafting group submitted a revised draft to the EAG which adopted the report 
in Copenhagen on 30 May 2012. 

1. 

CO-OPERATION IN THE FIELD OF ARCHIVES IN EUROPE 

The  European  Archives  Group  was  created  in  early  2006  following  the  adoption  of  the 
Council Recommendation on cooperation between archives in November 2005. It seeks to 
promote cooperation and coordination between archives at the European level and notably 
where this can provide real added value. 

The EAG meets twice every year. Its activities and agenda are planned by the Commission 
in  cooperation  with  those  National  Archives3  that  represent  the  current  and  forthcoming 
EU  Presidencies.  Since  the  second  semester  of  2009,  EAG  meetings  have  been  held 
jointly with the meeting of the European Board of National Archivists (EBNA) and have 
been  hosted  by  the  EU  Presidency.  With  a  view  to  further  streamlining  coordination 
between  archives  and  avoiding  a  duplication  of  effort,  the  EAG  will  seek  to  further 
develop its cooperation with EBNA. 

The  EAG  has  continued  to  provide  general  orientations  and  guidance  on  the 
implementation of the priority actions of the 2005 Recommendation. 

Preservation and disaster prevention 

A  tri-national  working  group  of  archives  in  Poland,  the  Czech  Republic  and  Germany 
exchanges  information  and  expertise  on  disaster  prevention  and  recovery  and  related 
preservation  issues.  The  working  group  has  organised  successful  emergency  training 
sessions on ‘rescuing archives’ and has launched a website with relevant information for 
all  archives,  the  European  Archival  Network  for  Disaster  Management  (Euraned).  The 
working group reports to the EAG on a regular basis. 

European interdisciplinary co-operation on electronic documents and archives: the DLM 
Forum and MoReq2010 

The DLM Forum was originally created by the Commission in cooperation with member 
states’  archives  in  1996.  It  has  since  developed  into  an  independent,  not-for-profit 
organisation  bringing  together  interested  parties  in  electronic  records  and  archives 
management from both the public and private sectors throughout Europe. Its membership 
includes most of the National Archives of the EU member states. 

The DLM Forum has been instrumental in the development of model requirements for the 
management  of  electronic  records  (MoReq).  MoReq  was  first  developed  by  the 
Commission  in  cooperation  with  the  DLM  Forum  in  2001,  and  subsequently  expanded 
and updated in 2008 with funding from the EU’s IDA/IDABC programmes.4 

3 

4 

The organisation of state archives differs between member states. In this report ‘National Archives’ 
refers  to  the  national  archival  authority,  whether  this  is  a  National  Archive,  State  Archive  or 
National archives administration. 
Three  member  states,  the  Czech  Republic,  Hungary  and  Slovenia,  have  adopted  legislation  or 
regulatory requirements for records management based on or inspired by MoReq2. 

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The most recent version, MoReq2010, was developed by the DLM Forum. The name was 
changed to modular requirements to accentuate the shift from monolithic, one-size-fits-all, 
records  management  systems  to  a  more  flexible  approach,  in  line  with  the  most  recent 
technological  developments  and  user  expectations.  The  flexible  approach  adopted  in 
MoReq2010  is  welcomed  by  the  National  Archives  and  is  seen  as  an  example  for  the 
development  of  standards  in  the  field  of  digitisation,  such  as  standards  for  capture  and 
delivery systems. 

MoReq2010 is managed by the DLM Forum and is increasingly perceived by both users 
and  vendors  as  a  potential  European  standard  for  records  systems.  It  provides  for  full 
interoperability  between  MoReq  compliant  systems.  The  DLM  Forum  is  establishing  a 
compliance  testing  regime  that  will  allow  vendors  across  Europe  to  seek  certification  of 
their products. 

The DLM Forum reports regularly to the EAG. It holds members’ meetings twice every 
year and organises triennial conferences. The last such conference was held in Brussels in 
December 2011. 

An internet portal for documents and archives in Europe 

The project to create an internet portal for archives in Europe, APEnet, was launched in 
early  2009  with  funding  from  the  EU’s  eContentplus  programme.  Its  objective  was  to 
collect  existing  digital  archives  content  and  to  provide  online  access  via  a  portal.  The 
project  uses  proven  existing  archival  standards.  It  provides  guidance  and  tools  that  are 
made  available  to  all  European  archives  wishing  to  contribute  content  and  descriptions 
from their holdings. 

The  APEnet  project  was  coordinated  by  the  Spanish  Ministry  of  Culture.  A  pilot  portal 
was  launched  in  January  2011  and  a  full  version  of  the  Archives  Portal  Europe  became 
available in January 2012. 

In March 2012 a follow-up project, APEX5, coordinated by the National Archives of the 
Netherlands, was launched. The project builds on the achievements of APEnet. It seeks to 
widen, deepen, improve and sustain the delivery of archival content to the Archives Portal 
Europe. The number of participating National Archives has increased from 19 to 276 in the 
new  project.  Further  cooperation  between  APEX  and  Europeana  should  be  explored  in 
order  to  guarantee  that  APEX  can  fully  play  its  part  of  aggregator  for  the  European 
archival domain. 

Future Challenges 

The 2008 Progress Report identified five challenges for archives in the future. The EAG 
focussed  on  especially  three  of  these  challenges,  all  related  to  the  role  and  position  of 
archives in the digital era: 

– 

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archives and the Directive on the re-use of public sector information; 

Archives Portal Europe network of eXcellence. 
This includes 22 National Archives from EU member states. One acceding country, one candidate 
country  and  two  EEA  countries  also  participate  in  the  project  while  Switzerland  is  an  associated 
partner. 

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– 

– 

the question of online versus on-site access to archives; 

the consequences of digital record keeping for administration and society and the 
changing role of archives. 

In  2009  the  EAG  created  three  working  groups  to  examine  these  issues.  In  2010  it 
conducted a survey of all EU National Archives. The findings of the working groups were 
presented to the meeting in Budapest in May 2011. They form the basis for chapter two of 
this report. 

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2. 

ARCHIVES IN THE DIGITAL ERA 

Over the past decades the use of ICT in society has become commonplace. It has radically 
affected  the  manner  in  which  we  communicate,  use  and  access  information.  New 
technologies, their practical applications and the way in which they are used, continue to 
evolve  at  an  almost  frantic  pace.  It  is  evident  that  this  has  fundamentally  changed  the 
functioning  of  public  administrations  and  how  they  store  and  access  knowledge  and 
information. 

This has far-reaching consequences for archives. Archives are the ultimate custodians of 
the  records  of  public  administrations  and  will  continue  to  be  responsible  for  them  long 
after the records creators themselves have ceased to care or even exist. At the same time 
archives  have  a  public  task  to  provide  information,  even  as  the  expectations  and 
requirements of citizens for access to information are radically changing. The digitisation 
of  society  is  changing  the  relationship  between  archives  and  records  creators  as  well  as 
between  archives  and  users  and  will  affect  the  role  that  archives  and  archivists  fulfil  in 
society. 

It  has  become  inevitable  that  National  Archives  examine  their  position  between  the 
records  creators,  such  as  government,  and  the  users,  both  government  and  citizens.  The 
situation in the EU member states varies as it is influenced by different archival traditions 
and  different  legislative  environments.  At  the  core  there  is  nevertheless  much  that  is 
similar and much that archives can learn from each other. 

2.1 

The changing role of Archives 

National Archives have a wider responsibility than only the care for their own collections. 
They  are  actively  looking  at  their  current  and  future  responsibilities  in  order  to  find  an 
answer to the question about the role that they can play in the digital world. How can their 
expertise be used? To what extent will their current role remain relevant and how can they 
best ensure that their expertise and knowledge continues to prove useful in the future? 

The  answer  to  these  questions  has  to  do  with  the  image  of  archives  and  archivists  in 
society and with their relations with government and other actors in each member state. 

Although  the  situation  between  the  various  National  Archives  varies  considerably,  there 
are also significant similarities. The primary role of most of the National Archives in the 
EU  is  to  provide  access  to  public  records,  both  to  the  institutions  that  created  and 
deposited them and to citizens. A core responsibility for the large majority of archives is 
the appraisal (selection) of the archives that they take in, i.e. they play an important role in 
deciding  which  records  are  kept  and  which  are  not  and  they  are  generally  involved  in 
defining records management policy in the public sector. 

As  increasing  quantities  of  data  are  being  created  in  digital  form  by  the  public  sector, 
archivists have to develop new techniques and processes to meet the challenges presented 
by this digital material. These challenges raise complex issues. Digital formats are diverse, 
ranging  from  simple  word  processed  documents  or  images  of  documents  to  complex 
interactive  datasets.  New  approaches  to  appraisal,  cataloguing  and  providing  access  are 
required as well as earlier engagement with the bodies that create and manage the records. 

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National Archives are at different stages of development in these areas and would benefit 
from strategies and best practice being identified and shared.  

There  are  considerable  differences  in  Europe  with  respect  to  the  management  of  digital 
repositories. The importance and complexity of properly maintaining and managing digital 
repositories  should  not  be  underestimated.  At  present,  National  Archives  manage  digital 
repositories  for  public  sector  archives  in  approximately  half  the  member  states  and 
provide services for the transfer and storage of digital archives. Two thirds of the National 
Archives also have other roles in relation to digital repositories, including especially the 
roles of inspection, access provider and appraisal. 

The transfer and preservation of born-digital records is a challenge of growing importance 
and calls for increased cooperation and exchange of solutions and best practices between 
archives. This is for instance relevant in terms of suitable document formats for long term 
preservation,  formats for  database preservation, identification of significant properties  to 
be  preserved  from  digital  objects  and  cost  models  for  digital  preservation.  The  DLM 
Forum may be able to play a valuable part in this process. 

Furthermore, archives need to address the issue of data protection. The proposal for a new 
European  Regulation  on  the  protection  of  individuals  with  regard  to  the  processing  of 
personal  data  could  make  it  difficult  to  continue  the  current  practice  in  some  member 
states for the appraisal, preservation and eventual delivery of access to born-digital records 
containing personal data. 

The National Archives will work to balance their mandate and responsibilities with other 
interests such as data protection. To this end they will seek to cooperate more closely with 
other information management networks and bodies, including e-government agencies.  

2.2 

On-site versus online access to archives 

The  balance  of  access  to  archives  across  Europe  is  changing  as  internet  technologies 
become more widespread and as the archives put more material online. National archives 
already  commonly  make  their  finding  aids  available  for  remote  searching  and  are 
increasingly  also  making  digitised  archival  documents  available  online.  Not  all  archive 
documents  can  be  put  online  and  there  will  always  be  constraints  as  a  result  of 
preservation needs, data protection requirements or the costs of digital capture. However, 
there is no doubt that more archive material will become available on the web in the future 
and that online access will sooner or later become the most common form of access. This 
will change the nature of access and how archives are used. 

The question is what priority national archives should give to the different types of access, 
what  the  relationship  is  between  online  and  on-site  visits  and  visitors  and  whether  one 
type of access affects the other. 

Some  archives  see  a  reduction  in  on-site  visits  that  coincides  with  an  increasing 
availability  of  archive  material  on  the  internet.  It  is  not  clear  however  whether  this  is  a 
common  experience  across  Europe  and  different  types  of  archive  institutions,  nor  is  it 
clear  that  the  availability  of  material  online  is  the  cause  of  reduced  on-site  visits  or 
whether other factors could also be at work. 

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The European Archives Group has examined the changing balance between online and on-
site  access  to  archives  and  the  implications  for  European  archive  services.  Although 
family historians enjoy online access to digital images and indexes in a number of member 
states,  this  service  has  not  yet  been  systematically  extended  to  other  user  groups.  Some 
user  groups  may  be  too  small  to  make  this  viable.  Archives  therefore  need  to  consider 
ways  to  extend  the  use  of  the  same  information  beyond  the  initial,  obvious  users  while 
continuing to guarantee the authenticity of the material they hold. Making information as 
widely available as possible allows third parties to use it in creative ways which an archive 
might not have considered or have had the means to develop. 

With few exceptions, National Archives have not yet made changes to their reading rooms 
or archival storage facilities as a consequence of digitisation. The EAG study shows that 
archives in the EU are just starting a process that could eventually lead to a more complete 
online  service.  There  is  a  clear  trend  towards  a  step  by  step  approach  whereby  finding 
aids,  catalogues  and  indexes  are  digitised  first  and  the  digitised  documents  are  made 
available to the public in a second phase. 

Archival  holdings  can  be  complex  and  difficult  to  navigate.  Finding  aids  should  give  a 
reasonable  chance  to  use  digitised  material  independently.  However,  users  often  require 
some kind of personal contact with the archival institution in order to be able to use the 
archives. Archivists will therefore remain necessary to guarantee a good quality of service. 
In  the  digital  world  they  will  have  to  leave  traditional  ways  of  working  behind  and  find 
new ways of communication with users. Archives services should also make more use of 
the possibilities offered by web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies to develop innovative services for 
the public. Possibilities include collaborative tagging, collaborative identification of visual 
documents  and  publication  platforms  where  readers  can  use  and  edit  information  from 
finding aids and digitised documents as well as the new potential of semantic techniques. 

Archives  need  to  identify  the  needs  of  their  users  to  define  the  balance  between  on-site 
and  online  services  and  decide  which  services  should  be  developed,  which  should  be 
retained  and  which  can  be  discarded  or  given  a  lower  priority.  It  is  essential  that 
information is available where the users are and a vital part of modern democracy is to be 
able to search and find digitised archival information online. 

2.3 
Archives and the Directive on the Re-use of Public Sector Information 
The  purpose  of  the  2003  Directive  on  Public  Sector  Information  (PSI)7  is  to  remove 
obstacles to the re-use of public sector information in order to encourage the private sector 
and others to develop value added products and services based on it. In December 2011 
the  European  Commission  proposed  a  revision  which  will  bring  archives,  museums  and 
libraries into the scope of the Directive.8 However, in recognition of the special nature of 
these bodies, the obligations facing them are not as extensive as they are for other public 
sector bodies.9 

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OJ L345 31.12.2003, p. 90. By May 2008 all member states had transposed the Directive into their 
national legislation. 
COM(2011)877 final of 12 December 2011. 
Charges  for  the  re-use  of  documents  from  public  sector  bodies  are  limited  to  the  marginal  costs 
incurred for their reproduction and dissemination but an exception is made for archives, museums 

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Commercial interest in archival information, in itself not new, has been greatly enhanced 
by  the  development  of  imaging  technologies  and  the  internet  which  have  revolutionised 
access  to  the  holdings  of  archive  institutions.  The  re-use  of  public  sector  information  is 
increasing  interest  and  engagement  with  ways  of  using  and  adding  value  to  this 
information. For example, datasets may include statistical information about a population 
which  would  allow  a  company  to  identify  trends  and  adapt  its  marketing  or  production 
appropriately, or civil society organisations to use the information in similar ways to help 
communities.  It  may  also  be  possible  to  combine  datasets  of  different  information  (e.g. 
population  statistics,  geographical  information)  to  produce  new  information  of  value  to 
organisations, both for commercial and non-commercial purposes. 

Applying the Directive to Archives 

Encouraging public use of the information contained in archives is part of the mission of 
national archival institutions. It might even be described as an essential part of their raison 
d’être.  However,  re-use  of  archives  by  the  private  sector  raises  various  issues  such  as 
intellectual  property  rights,  data  protection,  charging  policy  and  the  balance  between 
public and private services. Archives will need to examine the administrative and financial 
consequences and the impact on the services that are already provided today. 

The Directive does not yet apply to archives and in most member states it has not yet had 
a large impact on the work of national archive organisations. Only a few have developed 
policies  for  re-use  or  considered  how  to  promote  this.  The  degree  of  interest  from  the 
private sector and the potential size of the market also play a role in this. 

The  most  developed  policies  on  reuse  are  found  in  Finland  and  the  United  Kingdom. 
Finnish  practices  were  already  in  line  with  the  Directive  and  only  minor  changes  to 
existing laws were needed to fulfil its requirements. In the United Kingdom, The National 
Archives  (TNA)  incorporates  the  Office  for  Public  Sector  Information  (OPSI),  the  UK 
government  body  with  responsibility  for  promoting  and  regulating  the  re-use  of  public 
sector information. TNA has gone perhaps furthest in working with the private sector to 
make  information  accessible  through  both  public  and  commercial  websites,  aimed 
particularly at the family history market. 

Archives face a number of barriers to the implementation of the directive, including a lack 
of common standards and metadata, privacy legislation, intellectual property rights issues 
and  budget  limitations.  In  general  these  barriers  are  not  perceived  as  fundamental 
impediments. It should be examined to what extent the most common barriers are related 
to  budgetary  limitations  and  whether  a  common  model  for  re-use  of  public  sector 
information  could  be  helpful  in  this  respect.  Are,  for  example,  privacy  legislation  and 
intellectual property rights navigable if further resources are made available to tackle these 
issues? 

There  may  be  more  fundamental  tensions,  at  least  in  some  archives,  between  re-use  of 
public  sector  information  for  commercial  purposes  and  the  respect  of  archival  practices. 
Some  archives  are  wary  of  the  unknown  consequences  for  the  archival  institution  of 
relinquishing control over use of archival material to commercial organisations. They fear 

and  libraries  which  "may  charge  over  and  above  the  marginal  costs  for  the  re-use  of  documents 
they hold". 

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that once it is out of their hands they will no longer be able to exercise one of their most 
important  responsibilities,  i.e.  to  guarantee  the  authenticity  of  archival  information.10  To 
some  extent  this  is  exactly  the  point  of  the  Directive,  that  the  private  sector  may  find 
novel,  even  radical  ways  of  reusing  information,  far  removed  from  its  original  purpose. 
However, it does point to a need to ensure that information re-use is carefully licensed.11 

A  second  tension  is  the  fear  of  what  is  seen  as  the  privatisation  of  the  free  provision  of 
access to archives, or in other words that the commercial right to re-use information could 
lead  to  a  reduction  in  public  access  because  of  charges  levied  for  access.  Although  it  is 
clearly  not  the  intention  of  the  Directive  to  restrict  access  to  information,  how  could 
archives ensure that this is not an unintended consequence? This concern needs to be kept 
in view and managed as a risk with policies to avoid or mitigate it occurring. For example, 
it would be possible for access to digitised records to be provided free of charge on-site 
but to levy charges to remote users. The public would pay only for the added-value service 
of remote access. 

Archives need to think ahead in order to ensure that they have policies and procedures in 
place to deal with the implications of the Directive. Sharing experiences between National 
Archives will help those just starting out on this road to learn from others who are already 
some way along it. 

2.4 

Digitisation 

Digitisation and online publication allow archives to make more material available both to 
the academic community (remote research) and to a wider public. It also facilitates the re-
use of information from archives. 

Digitisation  policy  varies  from  one  member  state  to  the  next.  Generally  speaking,  the 
National Archives will digitise those archives that are most heavily used, of most interest 
to researchers or that are most relevant for the history and the historical questions of the 
country  concerned.  Funding  is  also  an  issue  for  the  capacity  of  National  Archives  to 
digitise  their  collections  and  digitisation  policy  may  in  part  be  motivated  by  funding 
possibilities, both from public and private sources. 

Documents in national archives often considered for digitisation, include: 

• 

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Symbolic  or  extremely  rare  or  valuable  items  that  are  considered  national  or 
organisational  treasures.  Few  in  number  and  from  any  period,  these  have  a 
particular  importance  to  the  organisation  and  there  is  often  popular  demand  for 
access  to  them.  The  archive  organisation  will  usually  digitise  these  documents 

Archives could guarantee access to authentic material through the use of persistent identifiers that 
allow users to find original digital objects and their descriptive metadata. 
Licensing in this context can take two forms. The first covers public sector information that is made 
available  for  use  and  re-use  by  individuals  and  organisations  where  there  is  no  element  of 
endorsement by a public sector archive. The UK Open Government License is an example of this 
type  of  licensing.  The  second  type  of  licensing  activity  covers  those  circumstances  where  an 
archive works with a partner on a particular project, e.g. a digitisation project carried out on behalf 
of  the  archive.  In  many  cases  the  first  type  of  licensing  does  not  involve  the  payment  of  a  fee. 
However,  the  second  type  of  licensing  activity  often  involves  a  commercial  arrangement  and  a 
financial return to the archives.  

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• 

• 

itself and make them available on its own website. Examples include foundation 
treaties and papers of national heroes. 

Reference material consisting of central record groups that allow for a high level 
overview of the subject matter and could lead to further research in archives that 
may not be available online. 

Archives  of  interest  to  family  historians.  Popular  interest  in  family  history  has 
created a market for online access. This concerns often extensive series covering 
a  long  period  of  time.  Examples  include  civil  registers  of  births,  marriages  and 
deaths,  census  records,  wills  and  notary  records,  and  court  records.  These  are 
sometimes  digitised  by  the  archive  organisation  but  are  also  of  interest  to  the 
private sector and may be digitised in partnership with them and made available 
on the internet on a paying basis. 

Archives with particular visual appeal, which are immediately accessible to a non 
expert  audience,  for  example  maps  and  plans,  drawings  and  photographs.  They 
will  generally  be  digitised  by  the  archive  organisation  itself,  though  there  may 
also  be  some  private  sector  interest.  Historic  maps  for  example,  may  be  a 
valuable  addition  to  online  current  mapping  while  the  private  sector  has  also 
shown interest in historic drawings and photographs. 

Commercial  interest  in  archival  information  is  at  present  largely  focussed  on  the 
genealogical  market.  Working  with  private  companies,  as  some  national  archives  are 
doing,  can  be  an  effective  means  of  exploiting  this  data  and  making  it  more  widely 
accessible. At the same time there may be concerns about direct competition between the 
public  and  private  sectors  and  about  turning  archival  material  into  a  commodity  with  a 
monetary value.  

As a rule member States provide free access to their archives and in many this is stipulated 
by  law.  This  does  not  however  mean  that  all  additional  services  provided  in  a  digital 
environment  must  or  should  necessarily  be  available  for  free.  Providing  these  digital 
services can be costly and cost recovery models may be necessary to be able to maintain 
and possibly expand them.  

If  the  financial  resources  are  the  main  problem,  to  what  extent  could  the  private  sector 
provide 
licensing  arrangements?  Making 
information available online is not a cost-free activity. This must be taken into account in 
setting policies at both institutional and national level. 

those  resources,  for  example 

through 

It is generally recognised that no archive can digitise everything at once and that priorities 
will need to be decided. Parallel actions such as scanning on demand could therefore be 
part of the service provided by archives.12 It is important to continue to gather information 
in this field, to learn about digitisation strategies in the member states and to support those 
countries that have not yet started to digitise their holdings. 

12 

For  example,  archives  may  also  allow  researchers  to  use  cameras  to  make  digital  images  of  the 
archives they consult. 

EN 

12 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Costs and funding 

2.5 
Digitising archival heritage is expensive. As the New Renaissance Report13 points out, it is 
so  expensive  that  funding  the  necessary  activities  in  the  field  of  digitisation  and  digital 
accessibility is an important issue on the agenda of national and European policymakers.14 
Digitisation is moreover incomplete unless it is accompanied by user friendly access to the 
digital reproductions. 

An accurate estimate of the costs of bringing archives online must take into account three 
different  cost  items:  preparing  material  and  the  technical  production  of  digital 
reproductions and their metadata, the professional preparation for their online presentation 
and their storage and maintenance. The last of these represents a continuing and constantly 
increasing need for resources. In other words, digitisation requires ongoing investments. 

Different archival institutions are already developing ways to reduce costs to an affordable 
level  and  some,  as  set  out  above,  are  seeking  private  sector  partners  to  help  fund 
digitisation projects and services. These experiences and concepts should be evaluated and 
common  strategies  and  recommendations  should  be  developed.  Funding  in  excess  of 
current  budgets  will  be  necessary,  also  with  a  view  to  the  resources  needed  for 
preservation of the original and authentic material. 

Finding  adequate  ways  of  funding  digitisation  is  crucial  to  opening  online  access  to 
Europe’s  archival  heritage.  Archival  institutions  therefore  believe  it  is  important  to 
develop  a  shared  European  funding  agenda  in  addition  to  a  European  digitisation 
programme. Important questions on that agenda are: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Which funding models can be used for the digitisation of archival heritage? 

What is the role of direct or indirect public funding (grants, lotteries, tax benefits, 
employment  programmes)  and  direct  and  indirect  private  funding  (sponsoring, 
investments, cost recovery models, donations, and voluntary work)? 

How do these models relate to the principle of free access for citizens to Europe’s 
cultural heritage and the preservation of authentic and reliable sources? 

Is it relevant to make a distinction in these funding models for the type of use? 
For  example,  simple  consultation,  re-use  in  educational  or  scientific  projects, 
commercial re-use? Should charges for re-use be employed for digitisation? 

Born Digital material 

The cost of appraising, selecting, transferring, preserving and making born-digital material 
accessible and understandable is of growing importance. This requires investment not only 
in  technology  but  also  in  the  archivists  themselves,  who  need  to  develop  new  skills  and 
expertise  in  order  to  deal  with  the  challenges  born-digital  material  presents.  The 
preservation of born-digital material is an ongoing cost which cannot be avoided and must 

13 

14 

The New Renaissance. Report of the ‘Comité des sages’, Reflection Group on bringing Europe’s 
cultural heritage online, Brussels 10 January 2011. 
See  also  the  Commission  Recommendation  of  27  October  2011  on  the  digitisation  and  online 
accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation, OJ L283 of 29.10.2011, pp. 39-45. 

EN 

13 

   EN 

 
                                                 
not be in competition with the financing of digitisation. The costs  involved in providing 
online  access  to  born-digital  material,  e.g.  for  de-identification  in  order  to  comply  with 
data protection legislation, can be a serious obstacle to providing such access. Experiences 
in this field should be shared and common strategies should be developed. 

EN 

14 

   EN 

 
3. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The  role  of  archives  is  changing  because  of  their  involvement  in  modern  information 
society and the digital information chain. This is not just a technical issue but intricately 
linked to the involvement of archives in e-government. At the same time archives retain 
many  of  their  traditional  responsibilities  as  custodians,  information  providers  and 
guarantors of authenticity.  

Archives are relied upon to provide authentic and trustworthy sources for the retrospective 
accountability of administrations. In order to fulfil their responsibilities it is necessary that 
National Archives are involved in setting the rules for digital records management at the 
early  stages  of  the  document  life-cycle.  Archives  should  do  more  to  be  involved  in 
governing the business processes of government, not just from a technological perspective 
but  also  by  creating  new  visions  about  the  archival  institutions  themselves  and  their 
connection to government. 

Digital preservation and providing access to born-digital material are core responsibilities 
of National Archives. The transfer of increasing amounts of born-digital records increases 
the need to create a sustainable technical, organisational and knowledge infrastructure to 
keep digital material permanently accessible and ensure its reliability. This will require a 
notable  effort  from  archives  whereby  sharing  experiences  and  developing  common 
strategies are essential ingredients. 

The  National  Archives  recognise  the  importance  of  ensuring  that  citizens  across  the  EU 
have  online  access  to  the  rich  archival  heritage  in  Europe.  The  Brussels  Declaration  on 
Digital Access to Archives in 201015 underlines their intention to make the fullest possible 
use of digital technologies to promote open access to Europe’s archival holdings. It should 
be  noted  however  that  this  poses  specific  qualitative  requirements  on  the  descriptive 
information and the ability of archives to guarantee the authenticity of digital records. 

Archives in Europe are working together to face the challenges of the modern information 
society  even  as  they  strive  to  continue  to  fulfil  their  traditional  responsibilities  to 
governments and citizens. Archives already have a two decade long history of cooperation 
in Europe. They will continue to learn from each other and, wherever possible, cooperate 
to  develop  new  standards,  practices  and  solutions  in  order  to  take  the  next  step  to 
becoming a full partner in modern information society.  

The National Archives will examine how they can work together more closely to meet the 
challenges  ahead  and  create  a  new  concept  for  the  next  years  of  cooperation.  They  will 
coordinate  their  efforts,  between  themselves  and  with  the  EU  institutions,  via  the 
European Board of National Archivists and the European Archives Group. In addition, the 
National  Archives  will  seek  to  engage  more  closely  with  other  bodies  involved  in 
information  management  and  e-government.  The  National  Archives  aim  to  be  a  full 
partner in EU policy development on open data and online access to information. 

15 

EN 

The Brussels Declaration was adopted by the European Board of National Archivists in Brussels on 
19 November 2010. 

15 

   EN 

 
                                                 
4. 

DECISIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

DECISIONS 

(1) 

The  National  Archives  will  work  together  to  create  a  shared  digital  agenda  for 
archives which links European objectives with national ambitions and efforts. They 
will  investigate  how  the  archives  can  contribute  to  a  sustainable  Archive  Portal 
Europe Foundation after 2015. The EAG will seek to promote a common policy for 
archives  in  the  growing  European  information  area  and  will  examine  how 
fundamental  archival  values  can  find  their  place  in  the  new  digital  developments. 
Special  attention  will  be  given  to  interoperability,  long  term  accessibility  of  data, 
persistent identifiers, open data and appraisal. 

(2) 

The National Archives will cooperate to bring online by 2015: 

– 

– 

– 

The  main  sources  that  help  citizens  to  better  understand  relations  between 
countries and administrations in the history and construction of Europe as well 
as the diversity of national cultures, traditions and identities. 

The archival "showpieces" of each Member State. 

Collections relating to major historical events and anniversaries. 

(3) 

The  National  Archives  will  cooperate  more  closely  with  other  bodies  in  order  to 
ensure  that  archival  interests,  such  as  preservation  and  access,  are  balanced  with 
other interests, such as data protection. For example, they undertake to draft a Code 
of Conduct for archives in the framework of the proposal for an EU Data Protection 
Regulation that will be discussed with other interested parties. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

National  Archives  should  be  partners  for  governments  in  setting  standards  for  the 
management of electronic records. They will continue to work together with other 
public and private sector organisations in the DLM Forum with a view to promoting 
the further development of guidelines and standards, such as MoReq2010. 

Common  standards  for  online  services  should  be  shared.  The  developing  role  of 
social  networking  and  its  potential  influence  on  the  provision  of  archival  services 
needs to be examined. 

Archives  organisations  should  work  collaboratively  to  overcome  barriers  and 
encourage greater re-use of information from archives. There is a need to develop 
a  common  model  from  existing  best  practice  in  Europe  that  can  be  used  as  a 
framework for archives which do not yet have a policy for re-use. The model should 
include  how  to  license  content  for  re-use  and  guarantee  authenticity  as  well  as 
options for charging or free access. Archives should share experiences with libraries 
and  museums  and  conduct  further  research  on  what  customers  and  potential 
customers are looking for. The EAG should promote best practices in this area and 

EN 

16 

   EN 

 
(7) 

(8) 

act  as  the  advocate  for  the  sector,  stressing  that  archives  contain  rich  content  with 
potential for re-use. 

National  Archives  should  share  their  knowledge  and  experience  and  exchange 
information about approaches to digitisation of archival material. The development 
of a Europe wide strategy, including models and common standards for digitisation, 
would  assist  individual  archives  to  put  digitisation  programmes  in  train  and 
contribute  to  greater  interoperability  between  countries.  It  is  also  necessary  to 
examine  the  funding  of  digitisation  programmes.  Should  archives  charge  for 
additional services such as online access, and if so in which cases? The EAG should 
make  recommendations  on  digitisation  for  online  access  and  encourage  the 
development of appropriate strategies. 

The transfer and preservation of increasing amounts of born-digital records calls for 
intensified  cooperation  and  exchange  of  best  practices  and  solutions  between 
National  Archives.  Where  possible  they  should  develop  common  concepts  and 
solutions, taking account of existing projects in this field.16 It is necessary to better 
quantify the funding required for born-digital archive material so that archives have a 
better  grasp  of  how  much  it  costs  and  how  limited  budgets  need  to  be  balanced 
between  traditional  and  digital  media.  The  cost  of  preserving  born-digital  records 
should  be  assessed  with  greater  precision,  e.g.  through  improved  cost  models,  in 
order  to  provide  the  National  Archives  with  better  instruments  to  forecast  the 
necessary funding over time. 

16 

For example projects such as PLANETS, PRESTOSPACE and Digital Preservation Europe. 

EN 

17 

   EN