Municipal archives
In accordance with laws and directives, Swedish municipalities have a great responsibility to archive documents. Important documentation within public administration should be preserved, an important democratic principle in our country.
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The municipal archive – the “collective memory”
All Swedish municipalities have at least two archives; one digital and one analog, or physical. Today, only a small portion of all documents created in municipal operations are physical. For decades, municipalities have also archived digitally stored material, and overall, these digital documents constitute a growing portion of a municipality’s archive volumes. However, the digitization of archives imposes new demands on a municipality’s archive organization.
There is a consensus in society today that digital e-archives are the right way to go, and there are many benefits to such development. Digitized documents are available very quickly and take up much less space. Maintaining several kilometers of physical archive material requires space, costs money to maintain, and also poses a physical challenge in terms of working environment. And when archives, which are often located in municipal buildings, need to be moved or expanded, new approved archive facilities can be very costly to build and maintain.
Depona Municipal Archives
Public documents should be made available to the public promptly. However, there is no longer a reason for municipal archives to be located within their own municipal boundaries. Digitized material can easily be stored on servers many miles away while still being easily accessible. The same applies to physical archive material thanks to Depona’s archive solutions for municipalities.
Depona offers physical archive repositories classified according to the RA-FS 2013:4 standard, which meet the security and service requirements set by municipalities. We offer archive repositories in seven locations around Sweden and are therefore usually close to most municipalities in the country.
An cost-effective solution
Depona Municipal Archives is a cost-effective solution. The municipality only pays for the archive volume that is used. As physical archive volumes are increasingly digitized, the volume and thus the cost decrease, which aligns well with the financial ambitions of all municipalities.
When it’s time to move the municipal archive to Depona’s new archive repository, our knowledgeable and experienced staff assist in packing documents and materials so they can be transported safely. Once on-site, digital photographs of the material are taken. Everything on binders, boxes, drawers, blueprint cabinets, etc., is registered. This makes the material searchable in Depona’s archive system, Visual Archive.
Once in place, we handle the archive material in the best possible way. We offer a professional municipal archivist for archive listing according to a defined archive schedule, as well as for digitization of maps and construction documents, for example. Visiting facilities are provided for all archive purposes, which is especially appreciated during investigative work and research.
At Depona, we take care of our staff. During operations, we use lifting equipment and work methods that allow our staff to avoid heavy lifting.
Depona Municipal Archives is a safe, secure, and cost-effective way to preserve the municipality’s information for the future.