The purpose of my one year master’s thesis is to add a documentation of a data processing-process of photo- graphs to the administration of archives. The thesis is written from an archival science perspective which is to be seen in my choice of literature, method and questions at issue. To be able to form a documentation of a data processing-process I studied DiBiS, a company specialized in digitalizing old photographs and publish them on a online database. I also added a chapter where I studied how archival institutions used to handle their old photo- graphs in a traditional manner so the reader of this thesis will be able to understand and see the differences be- tween traditional and modern photograph management. Following the chapters describing traditional and modern management I formulated some questions at issue about the data-processing-process. Those questions I studied and analyzed in chapters about advantages and the complex of problems surrounding the subject. I came to the conclusion that there are a lot of advantages surrounding the data processing-process, especially from an ar- rangement- preservation and access point of view. I also came to the conclusion that the problems with data processing is the exaggerated focus on the photographic subject, the mistake of thinking that a digital copy of the subject can replace the original photograph and that retouch might distort the original outcome and therefore not live up to  archival science standards. To my assistance I had Katarina Nordin, archivist at Arkiv Gävleborg and, among others, Ingrid Fallström, ar- chivist at DiBiS. Specialist technical literature used during my work with this thesis have been Anna Dahlgrens and Pelle Snickars (red.) I bildarkivet om fotografi och digitaliserings effekter, Hege Oulies Digitalisering av fotosamlinger, Project Minervas Good practices handbook, Wolfgang Ernsts Sorlet från arkiven – ordning ur oordning and Anna Christina Ulfsparres (red.) Arkivvetenskap.

Introduction: The aim of this thesis is to investigate the factors that lead to the creation of meaning for Jewish genealogists. Research on the creation of meaning in genealogy has been carried out in the past, but not for this particular group. Method: The grounded theory process of textual coding was conducted on so called success stories in connection to two different databases with access to Holocaust related records. A group of genealogists without connections to the Holocaust serve as comparison. Analysis: Three phases in the genealogical process appear. The first is a practical phase. The second is a personal engagement phase. The last phase is emotional. The attributes and categories from the coding procedure are selected and placed into the most suitable phase. A perspective of archival pedagogy is incorporated. A discussion that ends with the final grounded theory follows. Results: The components that create meaning in the Jewish groups research are information gathering, conclusion, participation, inclusiveness, creation of identity and highlighting. The main differences between the two groups of genealogists are the event of the Holocaust. Conclusion: The genealogical research and its meaningful and creative processes are overall the same in the Jewish as in the other group. The Holocaust is however unavoidably affecting all the processes for the Jewish genealogists. This is a two years master’s thesis in Archival Science.

The purpose of this master’s thesis in archival science was to provide a picture of what archiving of mental health records looks like in Sweden, and what rights private individuals have to their own mental health records. It fills a void in archival science research, as there is very little written about this specific type of document from an archival science perspective, and with Swedish conditions as the main focus. Similar questions are touched upon in research on those who grew up in foster homes; and from in research on attitudes to reading ones own patient records, ethical issues of preservation and destruction of records, and the patient record's legal status.  As a theoretical background, three of Cook's four archival paradigms were used, based on Foscarini's interpretation of these in relation to appraisal. For this thesis they were analysed with the individual's perspective in mind. As the main method, two questionnaires were sent out: one to Swedish archival institutions and one to practising psychologists. In addition, the method consisted of analysing government policies on appraisal of mental health records, as well as a review of the information about patient records on the Swedish regional archives' websites. Qualitative questions about experiences and attitudes have been outside the scope of this work. The scope of the research was limited to Sweden, and by the number of responses to the questionnaires.  The study shows that mental health records are legally indistinguishable from other patient records, that mental health records are often part of other records, and that many mental health records are destroyed ten years after the last notation, excepting records concerning children. This is a two years master’s thesis in archival science.

In 2009, the Swedish National Archive introduced a new way of maintaining and cataloguing documents within the archives, which all national governments were to implement within four years. But for the local gov- ernments it was voluntary and, moreover, they did not have the same requirements to fulfil the guidelines that the National Archives put forward. The result was completely different archival descriptions.  The aim of this investigation is to examine whether formation of a functional classification structure can be streamlined, with the goal of helping the municipalities and counties succeed in developing an efficient, concise and functioning archival description. This search is based on a systematic document analysis, in which studied and revised seven municipalities and six counties in Sweden.  Certain aspects recur in all archive descriptions that were included in the study, such as the municipalities' and counties' function for the local library organisations and promoting local culture. Differences are visible in the structure of the archival descriptions and the individual unique functions developed to suit the local government.  The differences between archive descriptions are due to three main factors: the organizational structure, the archivist’s experience and the financial conditions. All three aspects affect the work to produce a functional clas- sification in different ways.  The discussion is based on Terry Eastwood's and John Robert's archive theory regarding the archivist's re- sponsibility and the focus on keeping the original in the archive. In order to maintain the principle of provenance. This theory was used in the study in order to get an idea of whether a standardized functional classification is possible, which we concluded that it is and desirable. Mainly, because it creates an overall perspective of the archive.

This study examines uses of the records continuum model and related continuum concepts and ideas within the broader field of archival research. By analysing the different ways researchers understand and use the model and related concepts the study aims to contribute new knowledge regarding the records continuum model and its roles in contemporary archival science. The study is a literature review within a qualitative, interpretative paradigm. The review method shares some traits with a systematic literature review through systematicity in the search process and the procedure of selecting articles for the study. These were delimited to English written, peer reviewed, archival science articles published 2005-2018 which use the records continuum model (RCM) in their own studies. Systematicity is also present in analysis through a set of questions that seek to link the research goals within the studies with the purposes of using the RCM and the perceived value of its application. This combination of questions offers a method to get hold of some of the functions and roles of the RCM in archival science. An analysis of the research goals within the articles revealed societal as well as theoretical/methodological goals. Different uses of the RCM were further explored – by analysing motives for including the RCM and related concepts as well as the authors descriptions of their application. The identified goals and an interpretation of the ways the RCM and related ideas were used were then connected, and further interpreted with the help of a theoretical framework consisting of (1) the abilities of theoretical frameworks (according to Anfara 2008), (2) a typology of theories in Information Systems studies (according to Gregor 2006) and (3) the purposes of modelling in science (according to Hofman 2017). The results enabled a discussion on the roles of the RCM in archival research. The study is of value since it identifies the goals within some RCM research and connects these goals with the purposes of using the RCM and related ideas, which might support a continuing discussion on the roles of the RCM in archival science. The study further has a merit in providing a survey of the RCM in contemporary research through a perspective “from without”. This perspective is arrived at partly by including studies from both continuum researchers in the know, as well as from individual researchers of different proximity to continuum thinking and the RCM as a theoretical model; partly by the fact that the author is not a researcher within a community of continuum thinkers or researchers. This is a two years master’s thesis in Archival Science.

This study is about information and materiality, more specifically how the different material manifestations of information affects the archivists in the Swedish Court archives. The primary focus is on how materiality affects archivists work with physical and digital information and how materiality affects the archivists themselves. This study uses interviews with archivists within the Swedish court archives as its primary source for analysis. By using primarily Actor-Network Theory and Discourse-theory alongside other scientific texts this study has shown in what ways materiality affects the daily work of archivists and their self-image. This study is relevant in many ways but primarily because there is little to none research of this kind that focuses on the court archives and as a result of that this study is relevant in the way it illustrates the importance and possibilities court archives for a dedicated scholar within archival science and other areas of information science. The results are as follows: materiality have many different ways of affecting the archivists and it does so on many different levels. With the focus on digital and physical information this study has come to the conclusion that materiality is an important aspect that cannot be overlooked. It affects how archivists work, how they think and how they practically handle physical and digital information.

This thesis is the result of two years of study in archival science at the Department of ABM (archive, library, museum) at Uppsala University, Sweden. The purpose of the thesis is to highlight community archives, specifically how the community archive "Archive for the Unexplained" in Norrköping operates as a community archive and handles received documents and records of ufo-reports from UFO-Sweden. Our focus has been to study record- keeping and how the documents are made available to promote the possibility of transparency, research, and ar- chival retrieval. The analysis is divided into two parts: the archive and its internal archival structure, as well as the records. The analysis of the archival structure is focused on how the archive operates as a community archive based on the theory of Terry Cook's four paradigms, which aims to show how archives have gone from closed archives to open places for knowledge. The results of this thesis show how the Archive for the Unexplained as a community archive in contrasts to archives that operate in the official authority and fulfill a vital role in the paranormal field and how its material is primarily used for investigating Unexplained phenomena while it is providing a creative space for a narrative of a fictional and folkloristic nature. This is a two years master's thesis in Archival science.

I vårt gemensamma samhälle anses volontärarbete ofta vara något speciellt, något som man kan ha eller inte ha. Denna missuppfattning beror delvis på bristande kunskap och intresse för denna typ av aktivitet. Men trots detta har volontärarbete alltid varit och kommer att förbli en central del av samhällets utveckling och funktion. I praktiken ser vi att den vanligaste formen av ideellt arbete är förmågan hos människor att organisera sig på lokal nivå (vanligtvis i en förening) för att lösa specifika lokala problem. Det civila samhället har alltid olika ideella organisationer. Ett sådant samarbete kan göra vad ingen annan kan. Ideella styrkor kan göra vad regeringen eller företagen inte kan (inte vill). Medborgarna kan spela en viktig roll för att hjälpa offren i olika krissituationer och kan också vara ovärderliga för myndigheterna.  Men volontärernas arbete är inte alltid väl dokumenterat. För att få en fullständig bild av alla deltagare och deras engagemang i nödsituationer måste registerhantering ta hänsyn till dess mångfald. ISO 15489–1:2016, en internationell standard för dokumenthantering, beskriver att systematisk dokumenthantering är viktig för både organisationer och samhälle för att skydda och upprätthålla tillförlitliga register, främst som bevis för att åtgärder har genomförts och för det andra som stöd för framtida åtgärder och lösningar.  Denna studie undersöker frågor relaterade till ett så ganska problematisk fråga i ideella organisationers lösning av en krissituation som att dokumentera deras medlemmars/deltagares arbete. Med hjälp av två ideella organisationer (Missing People Sweden och Svenska Röda Korset) granskas och analyseras de åtgärder som vidtas av organisationer för att lösa detta problem - hur man ska dokumentera volontärernas arbete, hur denna dokumentation kommer att sparas/ arkiveras för användning i framtiden. Intervjuer genomfördes med de studerande organisationerna, som låg till grund för slutsatser om den aktuella situationen. Dokumentteori och Records continuum modell togs som en teoretisk grund för uppsatsen. Som forskningsmetod används en instrumental fallstudie, baserad på studier av tillgänglig litteratur och vetenskaplig forskning och genomförande av kvalitativa intervjuer. Den diskuteras också hur organisationer som helhet hanterar frågan om information- och dokumenthantering i sina organisationer.  Studien visar att båda undersökta organisationerna dokumenterar medlemmarnas/deltagarnas arbete som återspeglar denna aktivitet i slutrapporterna om det utförda arbetet. All denna dokumentation förvaras vanligtvis endast i elektronisk form och bevaras/arkiveras på servrar. När det gäller frågan om dokumenthantering i allmänhet har organisationer helt olika tillvägagångssätt för denna fråga. / In our society, volunteering is often considered something special, something that one simply does or does not. This misconception is partly due to a lack of knowledge and interest in this type of activity. Nevertheless, volunteering has always been and will remain a central part of the development and functioning of society. In practice, we see that the most common form of non-profit work is the ability of people to organize at the local level (usually in an association) to solve specific local problems. Civil society always has different non-profit organizations. Nonprofit forces can do what the government or corporations cannot (do not want). Citizens can play an important role in helping victims in various crisis situations and can also be of great help to the authorities.  But the volunteers work is not always well documented. To get a complete picture of all participants and their involvement in emergencies, registry management must consider its diversity. ISO 15489-1:2016, an international standard for document management, describes that systematic document management is important for both organizations and society in protecting and maintaining reliable records, primarily as evidence that actions have been implemented and, secondly, to support future actions and solutions.  This study examines issues related to such a rather problematic moment in nonprofits resolution of a crisis as documenting the work of their members/participants. With the help of two non-profit organizations (Missing People Sweden and Swedish Red Cross), the measures taken by organizations to solve this problem are considered and analyzed - how to document the work of volunteers, how this documentation will be saved/ archived for future use. Interviews were conducted with the organizations, which formed the basis for conclusions on the current situation. Document theory and the Records continuum model were taken as a theoretical basis for the thesis. An instrumental case study is used as a research method, based on studies of available literature and scientific research, and conducting qualitative interviews. It also discusses how organizations as a whole handle the issue of information and document management in their organizations.  As the study shows, both organizations document the work of the members/participants that reflects this activity in the final reports on the work performed. All this documentation is usually stored only in electronic form and stored/archived on servers. On the issue of document management in general, organizations have completely different approaches to this issue.

In 2004 there was a double homicide in a Swedish town called Linköping, a small amount of DNA was found at the scene. Despite a largescale investigation, this murder would go unsolved for 16 years. In 2020 a Swedish genealogist was hired by the Swedish police and through an American commercial DNA database he was able to find the man that had gone unfound for so long. This was made possible through a change of Swedish laws in connection with the European Union’s Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a regulation that protect the integrity of the personal data of Europeans. We have investigated how the evolution of these two legal frameworks coincides with each other, making this rather paradoxical situation possible. We have also investigated how this rather invasive technology is viewed by Swedish genealogists. These websites with their immense databases, and the technological developments in DNA technology, have changed genealogy. But they have also changed the genealogist, the foremost user of the archives today. We wanted to find out how.The investigation was conducted on three analytical levels: the legal/political, the medial and the individual level. On the legal/political level the material consists of legal texts, transcribed protocols from the Swedish Riksdag, but also two different reports on the legal status of using genetic genealogy as a method of criminal investigation. On the medial level the material consists of commercials for genealogy databases, documentaries and talk shows concerning the investigation of the murder in Linköping. On the individual level the material consists of surveys and interviews with genealogists. Follow us as we alongside police and genetic genealogists follow the bloodlines running through the archives. This is a two years master's thesis in Archival science.

Nature as a record  The aim of this study is to investigate how places in nature can fit into the description of a record and how nature itself can be seen as an archive. Many people have close relationships to places in nature and it's clear that immaterial cultural heritage is embedded in nature all around us.  In this essay we look at small examples like a tree or a stone with a special relationship to a person but also at nature as a whole. We ask the questions: can nature be seen as an archive? How can a widened archival concept include places in nature? And can this benefit a larger representation in the archives? We investigate how nature can be a subject as opposed to an object that cannot be taken out of its original environment. Therefore a tree or a stone should be archived in the context where it originated.  In previous research of living archives, researchers focus on how the archive can see to the needs of indigenous people around the world, as they investigate how cultural heritage embedded in the landscape can be preserved in archival terms. For this study we have done interviews with five people within the Sami indigenous community in Sweden, asking them about their personal relationship to a place in the natural environment and how this connection is related to personal and cultural history and heritage. The result of these interviews have been used to analyse how a place in nature can fit into an archival concept and how personal relationships to nature touches on values like identity, language, knowledge trading, cultural heritage places and history. The questions are raised through the lens of archival theory and phenomenology, as how archives can be seen as in constant change. The questions touches on many aspects in both archival science, cultural heritage, indigenous representation, climate changes and the colonial heritage of the archives.