Standardization: Preparing for Archives of the Future, Today

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Standardization Preparing for Archives of the
Future, Today

• Conferentie Ontmanteling Archieven, August 30th
  2007

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Today

• What is Standardization
• The Why of Standardization
• The Why Now of Standardization
• Tomorrow More on theory and concrete projects

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What is Standardization
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What is Standardization

• Standardization enables electronic exchange of
  archival information across platforms and across
  institutions
• With standardized description in place on moment
  of creation
• Archival information travels across platforms
  effortlessly, from creator to user
• Archival information can immediately made
  accessible if so necessary or desired

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What is Standardization

• Purpose of Standardization
• Meeting public demand for more, faster access to
  information
• Meeting professional demand for more exchange of
  information between and within institutions
• Preserving digital archives through platform
  independence
• Standardization is crucial to digital
  information management

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The Why of Standardization

• New Trends in the Information Sciences

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New Paradigm in Information Sciences

• A New Paradigm in Information Sciences
  Information Technologies
• Changing the role of information in our daily
  lives
• Compel us to change our professional approaches
• Offer us new tools to meet our new professional
  challenges

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Effects of New Paradigm

• New Behavior of Information
• Proliferation and acceleration of information
  flows
• Multi-sited and simultaneous access and use of
  information
• Networked Exchange fluidity, interdependence and
  collaboration
• New technologies change public attitudes towards
  information
• Public demand for more, faster access to
  information
• Public expects participation, closer involvement
  with information production
• As information becomes more important in society
• Work processes will also rely more and more on
  the exchange of information within and between
  institutions

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Government Archives of the Future

• Paradigm shift in the Information Sciences will
  affect archives of government agencies
• Archives must preserve the information as well
  the context wherein that information was created
• How do the future archives of e-government look
  like?
• A change in the technologies we use today to
  create and distribute information must be
  reflected within the historical archives of
  tomorrow

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Rethinking Our Concepts

• Shortened Lifecycle
• Blurred distinction between functions of archives
• Administrative
• Accountability
• Heritage
• Description of archives right from the start
• No longer managing isolated unique collections
  using unique methods, but operating within a
  networked environment where information must be
  shared

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The Why of Standardization

• Standardization meets the challenges of the new
  paradigm
• Network effects on behavior of archival
  information
• Increased demand for information access
  exchange
• Preparation for e-Archives of the future

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The Why Now of Standardization
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The Why Now of Standardization

• The Netherlands Antilles will cease to exist
• We now need standardization efforts more than
  ever
• Citizens of the new constitutional entities need
  continued access to the shared memory contained
  within the archives of the Netherlands Antilles
• New government institutions need access to
  information to guarantee workflow continuity
• Standardization breaks information silos and
  opens up collaboration
• Standardization facilitates intellectual control
  of information

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The Why Now of Standardization

• Implementing standardized electronic archival
  description
• Saving on costly and labor-intensive investments
  required by traditional methods
• Physical reproduction of records
• Repositories
• Expertise
• Technologies for preservation
• Access to archives anywhere
• Now a unique opportunity for starting out with
  state-of-the-art information management

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The Why Now of Standardization

• Benefits of improved information management
  through standardization
• Good Governance
• Evidence-based policy decisions is more efficient
  policy. Archives are memory bank of government
  decisions, accumulated local knowledge and
  government expertise.
• cf. http//www.irmt.org
• Transparency able to meet increasing public
  demand for information on government activities
  in the information age
• Cooperation
• Opening avenues of cooperation between new
  entities and the rest of the world

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The Why Now of Standardization

• In addition to usual resources standardization
  will require
• Rapprochement between ICT, DIV and National
  Archives
• New developments compel interdependence
• Necessary for integral approach to Standards

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Tomorrow

• More on Theoretical Background of
• Standardization
• More on Concrete Standardization Projects

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Conclusion

• Standardization means
• Sharing our historical memory
• Preparation for our future heritage
• Start working on archives of the future today!