Archiving by Design – A new strategy for sustainable information management
Archiving by Design (AbD) is a method and theoretical platform for managing digital information sustainably and accessible from the start. By integrating the archiving process into information systems and meeting defined quality requirements, the method helps public organizations meet the challenges of digitalization and strengthen public operations – by promoting innovation and increasing citizen trust.
Digital information is growing exponentially, and new formats and technologies are affecting how information is managed. Challenges such as lack of trust, transparency and quality can negatively impact decision-making and public operations. Traditional methods of record management are often inefficient and need to be adapted to digital workflows. Archiving by Design serves as an analysis tool when developing and adapting information systems to ensure that information meets ten defined quality requirements, including being searchable, reliable and resilient – to meet the needs of users.. The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions has written more about the quality requirements here.
The European Archives Group (EAG) has developed AbD to meet the challenges of digital transformation. The strategy ensures that information remains sustainable and accessible from its creation, rather than archiving being handled after the fact. The EAG has produced a White Paper and a Guideline for using the Archiving by Design scan, which presents the concept both theoretically and practically. Read the full EAG White Paper here.
Evaluation of information systems according to Archiving by Design
The National Archives and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR) have translated these guidelines and produced a Swedish checklist adapted for municipal and regional operations. The checklist serves as an analysis tool to evaluate information systems and ensure that they meet the ten AbD requirements, which are divided into four main areas:
- Information modeling and classification – How is the information organized?
- Representation, format and metadata – How is data stored and structured?
- Thinning and export – How is information handled and transmitted?
- Limitations and safety – How is the information protected?
The ten requirements are linked to the four principles of accessibility and sustainability above. Checkpoints and checklists in the English guidance can be used in workshops with users to ensure compliance. The Swedish checklist is preliminary and is being tested for further development. By applying Archiving by Design, organizations can build archiving processes directly into the system support and thereby streamline digital information management.
Read more about the concept at The National Archives website.
Are you curious about what this means for your organization or need help with a plan for your work within Archiving by Design – contact Anna-Stina Larsson.