Archives Day is celebrated in Sweden on the second Saturday of November every year since 1998. The aim of this study is to examine how and why Archives Day is celebrated at five archives in the Stockholm region. My empirical material consists mainly of semi-structured interviews with archivists at five archival institutions in the Stockholm region. I have chosen to only interview archivists and not any visitors due to the time con-straints and the scope of the thesis. I have also examined how the goals stated in a government report are carried out in the work with Archives Day. The theoretical framework of the investigation is gathered from educational theory as well as archival theo-ry. For the educational approach I have used John Dewey’s theory of what makes an experience educational to examine whether Archives Day is an educational experience or not. The aspects of archival theory I have chosen concerns the change of the role archives play in a postmodern society. My conclusion is thus twofold. First, I argue that a visit to Archives Day, the way it is celebrated at the ar-chival institutions I have examined, does not constitute an educating experience according to Dewey’s theory. It does, however, have the potential of being an educating experience. Second, I draw the conclusion that the goals behind Archives Day are in line with the general changes of the role of archives in society. Nevertheless, it is not certain that municipal archives have the resources to accomplish these goals. For Archives Day to be a truly successful public awareness campaign for archives, the central organization for Archives Day needs to be bigger and offer more help to the archival institutions. I also argue for further user based research in connection with outreach initiatives in the archival sector. This is a two years master’s thesis in Archival Science.

This thesis focuseses on archives and availability. The general public seem to have trouble finding their way tothe actual archives even though most archival institutions are easily accessed and provide interesting material.Maybe it is because archives are generally not as well known as other institutions within the ALM-area, eventhough the need to know ones history and identity is considered mainstream. Whether or not history takes off atthe archives is a complex question to answer. Archives, however, certanly contribute to our ideas of earlier timesand the concept of history.I have examined what archives do to make these contributions known to the general public and to whatextent they make their material avaliable. I have also looked into archival pedagogy since it is often connected toavaliability. Furhtermore, since the educational system of Sweden has decided that pupils should understand the correct historical sources archives and their material are now an important part of the historical education. This thesis focuses on the archival work and does not examine how the educational system of Sweden discusess regarding collaboration with archives.This is a two year master´s thesis.

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.

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of off-site storage in the archival sector and how it impacts the public institutions’ work towards making the archives accessible for their users. Despite the ever-present technological advances and presumed digital future of archives the dependence on analogue records is still strong, leading to a recurring problem regarding lack of space in the archival depositories. To solve the problem archival institutions often turn to off-site storage solutions, where the terms and conditions vary, and often demands creative solutions to everyday archival problems. To answer the purpose of this study two types of off-site storage have been examined, where in one the archives use a staffed location and one where they use an unmanned location. By conducting interviews with archivists employed in organizations using these solutions the study aims to answer questions about 1) the challenges faced, 2) the solutions to said challenges, and 3) if there are any similarities or differences between the two aforementioned types of off-site storage. Employing the archival reference knowledge model developed by Duff, Yakel and Tibbo as a theoretical framework the study takes special aim at what abilities the archivists need and use to face the challenges presented by using off-site storage and to satisfy the needs of their users. The results conclude that although the main consequences of using off-site storage are loss of efficiency and time delays due to separated archives and unsatisfactory resources the archivists manage to keep their service levels moderate. They use the same tactics for acquiring collection knowledge in all aspects of the organization, and otherwise use each other’s’ knowledge to bridge the gaps. They make do with the given resources while balancing political and organizational objectives and juridical demands. This is a two years master’s thesis in Archival Science.

The purpose of this essay is to analyze accessibility too Sámi archives in Sweden today. A new proposal to change the archival legislation in Sweden was published 2019 but have not yet become effective. The proposal highlights that the archives’ purpose is access and that the Sámi archives are an important part of the cultural heritage. Recently, in 2023, a new search portal – Nuohtti - for digital Sámi archival materials was launched. The search portal links Sámi materials not just from Sápmi but all of Europe. The portal is managed jointly by the state archives in Norway, Finland, and Sweden. Both Norway and Finland have a state Sámi archive but in Sweden no one has that responsibility, Sámi archives are scattered at different institutions both governmental and privet ones. Grounded in postmodern archival theory and based on the theoretical perspectives: Power, knowledge, representation, and provenance this essay examines the concept of access too Sami archives and the possibilities and challenges that may arise. The study was conducted whit a qualitative research method using content analysis and semi-structured interviews. The source material consists of governmental reports, information material from the archives, debate articles, interviews, and the search portal Nuohtti.I interviewed three archivists at two archives. One interview with an archivist from the state archive Riksarkivet and one interview with two archivists from the Sami archive at Ájtte museum in Jokkmokk. The results show that a challenges with making Sámi archives accessible includes the lack of a state Sámi archive that gathers both archives and Sámi knowledge. It also shows that how Sámi archives are accessible is important both online and physical. The context to the records and ethical consideration is important to consider when making Sámi archives accessible. The new search portal Nuotti takes much of the difficulties into account and makes access easier to a wider audience.

The study examines the perception of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children's participation and the accessibility for children, within public archival institutions. The notion of participation is linked to the Convention’s Article 12: respect for the views of the child, whilst accessibility is associated with Article 31: the right to leisure, play and culture. Furthermore, the study explores the preconditions for children’s participation in accordance with Harry Shier's model Pathways to participation.  The method used are web-based surveys. A total of 318 Swedish public archival institutions were invited to participate in two online questionnaires which generated 187 and 153 responses respectively. The study shows that 78 percent of the respondents know that the Convention on the Rights of the Child is Swedish law and 90 percent are aware of the obligation to impose it. Nevertheless, only 43 percent believe that their own institution takes the Convention into account. The respondents report a lack of resources and competence as the main obstacles.  About 65 percent of the respondents state that their institution welcome children and young people as visitors. 85 percent believe that it is important that Swedish archive institutions and archives are accessible, but only 27 percent feel that their own institution is in fact accessible to children and young people. Many respondents cite a lack of resources as the main reason. The part of the survey that is based on Harry Shier's participation model shows that the preconditions for children's participation in the activities of the public archives are low. But it is also clear that the respondents' personal inclinations for children's participation exceeds the preconditions and requirements of the institution. The major obstacles to children's participation thus seem to exist at a structural level. / Uppsatsen syftar till att kartlägga inställningen till barnkonventionen, barns delaktighet och arkivens tillgänglighet för barn inom svenska offentliga arkivinstitutioner. Tillgänglighet och delaktighet kopplas till barnkonventionens artikel 12 – respekt för barns åsikter och artikel 31 – rätt till fritid, lek och kultur. Studien undersöker också förutsättningar för delaktighet utifrån Harry Shiers delaktighetsmodell Pathways to participation.  Svaren har inhämtats genom två webbaserade enkätundersökningar. Studien visar att 78 procent av respondenterna känner till att barnkonventionen är svensk lag och 90 procent att det ingår i deras uppdrag att följa den. Men bara 43 procent anser att den egna arbetsplatsen tar hänsyn till barnkonventionen och det största hindret uppges vara bristande resurser och kompetens. 65 procent uppger att de tar emot besök av barn och ungdomar. 85 procent anser att det är viktigt att svenska arkivinstitutioner och arkiv är tillgängliga för barn, men bara 27 procent upplever att det egna arkivet är tillgängligt för barn. Även här uppger många bristande resurser som främsta orsak.   Den del av undersökningen som är baserad på Harry Shiers delaktighetsmodell visar att förutsättningarna för barns delaktighet i de offentliga arkivens verksamhet är låg. Men det är också tydligt att respondenternas personliga vilja och intresse överstiger arbetsplatsens organisatoriska förutsättningar och krav för barns delaktighet. De främsta hindren för barns delaktighet verkar således finnas på en strukturell nivå.