The Changing Role of the Archivist in Contemporary Society
Berndt Fredriksson
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden
Contemporary society is the information society. Never in history has such a large amount of information been produced. The reason for this situation is not only due to information technology; it is only one of the means by which the information society has been created. It is a paradox of our time that so little of this information will be preserved if concrete actions are not taken by experts. These experts are archivists.
Part of the problem is connected to data in databases. Unless these data are taken out of the system while it is running, stored in the proper structure, and necessary documentation is collected, data will not be left for the archives. And even if data are rescued, there will be serious problems in using the data.
E-mail is another major problem. Many public records nowadays are electronic in nature. It is not only a question of creating efficient processes to collect these messages; too often, their contents are understandable only to the sender and the receiver. The use of modern communication techniques has, in general, affected established routines of creating official documents.
The use of word processing has also had immense consequences. In "the good old days" it was possible to store a limited number of documents showing the successive growth of a decision or a case. When you print out a new document with every little change it has become impossible to save all the drafts. The files of today are only filled with some basic documents and a decision.
The growth of openness in many countries and international organizations is a good and promising development. It means that archivists are more and more engaged in the democratic open debate by supplying it with accurate facts. The disadvantage of such openness is that sensitive information might not be documented in official records.
This list includes just a few examples to illustrate the structural changes of the conditions for the work of archivists in contemporary society. The result of this development has huge consequences for the role of archivists. It is necessary for archivists of today to be proactive towards the document producing process. Sometimes it might even be necessary to complement information in the archives with other types of information in order to make the contents of the archives understandable. This new way of doing things is not an alternative, but a complement to the classic archivist role of receiving, sorting, and making documents available. Some might say that other professions should be proactive in coping with the problems of today – document specialists of different categories. But archivists have the proper background and the necessary understanding to handle these matters. What we have to discuss now is the form and the contents of the education of archivists to enable them to take on this new role. We also have to consider the position of archivists in society. One aspect of that discussion has to do with the mission of the National Archives and the archival sector. Another aspect has to do with the role and the position of professional archivists in companies and organizations. Today the profession of archivist is becoming more and more similar in different countries in order to face the challenge of taking care of the information of today. This means that international co-operation and exchange of experience is becoming more and more valuable. At the same time, the profession as such is becoming more and more heterogeneous internally. It is practically impossible for one archivist to master all the different types of knowledge which are needed. The result is a necessary specialization in the profession.
The profession of archivist is a profession of growing complexity. The role of archivists in contemporary society is to fulfil the mission of taking care of the historical heritage, to meet the challenges of the information society, and to be able to cope with an ever-increasing complexity of document handling. This mission will give archivists the place in the information society that they deserve!
Berndt FREDRIKSSON
- 1946 Born in Uppsala.
- 1976 PhD from the University of Uppsala (thesis dealing with war financing in 17th century Sweden).
- 1976-1978 Created a research project on military social history.
- 1979-1987 Worked at the National Archives – responsible for the section on new media.
- 1987-1998 Head of the archives for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- 1998- Chief historian of the Ministry and responsible for secrecy matters.
- 2000- Professor of archival science at the University of Stockholm.