The core objectives for the project:
- Facilitating knowledge exchange between Norwegian and Romanian archival professionals.
- Strengthening strategic competence in digital archiving.
- Developing guidelines for implementing Archiving by Design (AbD) in public sector organisations.
Since the start of digital record production in Romanian public administration, electronic records management solutions have often developed without the involvement of the National Archives. Although the institution is legally responsible for setting archival methodologies, limited vision and expertise meant its role was minimal.
The IT industry filled this gap with technology-driven solutions lacking long-term recordkeeping and preservation perspectives. Recognizing this imbalance, the National Archives’ new leadership initiated amendments to the Archival Law (Law no. 201/2024), confirming that records management is one integrated function—regardless of format—and falls under the National Archives’ methodological responsibility.
The project Archiving by Design – A Way to Defy Electronic Records Management Challenges was launched by the National Archives of Norway and Romania, funded by the EEA and Norway Grants 2014–2021. Running from January 2024 for 15 months, with a budget of €210,406, the initiative aimed to:
- Strengthen the Romanian National Archives’ digital competence and strategic role.
- Develop guidelines for applying the Archiving by Design (AbD) approach.
- Facilitate mutual learning and experience sharing.
Archiving by Design promotes proactive integration of recordkeeping requirements into business systems, ensuring digital preservation and accessibility from the outset.
The project also encouraged a shift in both mindset and practice within the National Archives.
Traditional paper-based approaches emphasize:
- Universal, rigid rules.
- Preservation only after record creation.
- Appraisal focused on content, not process.
- Late archival involvement (decades after creation).
- Physically oriented terminology.
The AbD approach challenges this by asserting that:
- Modern terminology should focus on data, metadata, and virtual linkages rather than folders or inventories.
- Rules must adapt to each organization’s digital processes.
- Preservation must be planned from creation.
- Business processes should guide appraisal and record value.
- The National Archives must act proactively, not reactively.
Keyfindings and challanges
Current Issues in Digital Records Management:
- The existing terminology and regulatory frameworks are not fully adapted to digital records.
- Historically, Romania’s National Archives played a minimal role in shaping digital record-keeping policies, leading to IT-driven solutions that lacked proper archival considerations.
- Traditional approaches to records management were based on paper-based systems, often failing to address the complexities of digital records.
- Digital preservation is often treated as a post-creation activity, which is inefficient and costly.
Key recommendations
- Integrate record-keeping principles into digital business systems at the design stage.
- Adopt flexible and context-driven guidelines rather than rigid regulatory frameworks.
- Enhance collaboration between IT and archival professionals to ensure sustainable digital preservation.
- Increase awareness and training within public administration to improve digital records management competency.