STRATEGY OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES SERVICE THE STRATEGIC GOALS

STRATEGY OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES SERVICE 2010 THE STRATEGIC GOALS AND MEASURES OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES SERVICE VISION VALUES Transparency and confidentiality Equality Independence THE MISSION OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES SERVICE RAPIDLY CHANGING OPERATING ENVIRONMENT Electronic case management and data storage in information society Balance between productivity and regionality SUPERVISOR OF PUBLIC RECORDS MANAGEMENT Normative action and electronic records management Appraisal Guidance, advisory services and training Inspection VERSATILE INFORMATION SERVICE INSTITUTION Researcher and customer service and fee-based services Network services Answers to enquiries Expert services Library services PROTECTOR OF MATERIAL PRESERVATION AND ACCESSIBILITY Digitising Microfilming Conservation KEEPER OF PRIVATE ARCHIVES AND PAPERS DEPICTING FINNISH SOCIETY Documenting society and culture Co-operation with state-subsidised archives RESEARCH AND EDUCATION Archival science Operation as a research institute Promoting research Professional education in the archival field Publishing ACTIVE COMMUNICATION INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS LONG-TERM HUMAN RESOURCES POLICY A responsible and reliable employer Expert personnel Sufficient human resources FACILITIES AND TOOLS The development of storage space needed by 2020 2 THE STRATEGIC GOALS AND MEASURES OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES SERVICE The strategic goals and measures of the National Archives Service are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Ensure the preservation and usability of documents of national cultural heritage. Ensure that the guidance and supervision of records management is precise, expert and up-to-date. Electronic information services are a central part of customer service. The National Archives Service has sufficient expertise and resources to develop a system for receiving electronic material, as well as the long-term preservation of material. The acquisition policy of private archives ensures extensive, equal and sufficient reception of material from different sectors of society and from different eras. The National Archives Service’s need for space has been assessed and the building schedule planned until 2020. The staff is motivated in their tasks and the professional expertise of the National Archives Service in all areas is of a high standard. The key measures for implementing the strategy are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Long-term planning of operations and the systematic follow-up of goals using indicators measuring the success rate of operations. Regular assessment of core operation fields. Structural co-operation increasing productivity and profitability with other informationservice institutions. Strengthening the position of the National Archives Service within the overall planning of electronic case management and long-term preservation of materials by the public administration. Allocating new and freed human resources according to strategic goals, and undertaking education and recruitment to support and expand the expertise base. Strengthening an atmosphere that values innovative, dynamic, goal-oriented and professional expertise among the staff. Strong internal and external communication. VISION The National Archives Service is the most important expert organisation in Finland on records management in public sector, long-term and permanent preservation of documents and documentary cultural heritage, and a nationally significant information service institution, whose expertise is internationally esteemed. 3 VALUES Values form the basis of the National Archives Service operation and guide its relationship to customers, stakeholders and co-workers. The values are based on internationally accepted general human values and professional and ethical principles in the archival field and scientific community. The core values of the National Archives Service are: 1) Transparency and confidentiality 2) Equality 3) Independence Transparency and confidentiality Finnish and Nordic governance is based on the transparency of administration and the openness of government activities. In accordance with the principles of good information management governance, the National Archives Service promotes the implementation of the openness principle, as well as the transparency of administration, both in the guidance and training of records management and in the use of the holdings of the National Archives Service. Improving the usability of archives and documents, as well as efficient customer service, is an integral part of operational transparency. Legislation protecting the privacy of citizens is part of good information management practice. In using the archives, rules agreed with the donor and restrictions based on legislation are followed. Ensuring privacy and strict adherence to the conditions of donated private archives creates a basis for trust in the National Archives Service, and this in turn ensures that private collections central to Finnish history, society and culture can be acquired in future. Equality Material in different archives and repositories forms the basis of the image that research creates of Finnish history, culture and society in different eras. The National Archives Service's acquisition policy ensures that, in addition to government and official archives, the researchers have balanced, adequate and conclusive material from different sectors of society at their disposal. The National Archives Service serves all users equally. Good customer service and the publication of key materials over the Internet improve equal access to the materials, independent of time and place. Independence The archive materials are part of Finnish and world cultural heritage. In collecting, using and preserving this material, the National Archives Service's main responsibility lies with future generations. The professional activities of the National Archives Service staff must be independent 4 of any political, religious, economic or other aims that might endanger confidence in the equality and independence of the National Archives Service. The National Archives Service follows the Code of Ethics for archivists adopted by the International Council on Archives, as well as guidelines for best scientific practices and handling of any infringements on these practices, established by the National Advisory Board on Research Ethics. THE MISSION OF THE ARCHIVE SERVICE The mission of the National Archives Service is to ensure the preservation and availability of records belonging to the national cultural heritage, to promote research and to guide, develop and research records and archives management. The National Archives Service has the right to normative action, and it directs archiving operations so that records creators can, following good information management practices, handle the information services related to the documents, define their preservation value and dispose of unnecessary material. The National Archives Service supports the operations of public records creators and the right of private individuals and communities to access public documents. Operations take into consideration the availability of documents, as well as the due process of law and the privacy of private individuals and communities. The key users of the National Archives Service are the public administration, researchers, the media, citizens requiring information for public or private purposes, and those interested in personal and local history. The National Archives are also the national heraldry agency, where the expert organ of the Heraldic Board works. Archival documents have a special evidential quality and they are unique records of the past, drawn up to implement certain goals in society or in the private lives of its citizens. The mission of the National Archives Service is to collect and preserve documentary cultural heritage and make the archived materials available to researchers and other customers in an efficient manner. The mission and methods of the National Archives Service are regulated by the Archives Act (831/1994) and Decree on National Archive Service (832/1994) with subsequent amendments. 5 RAPIDLY CHANGING OPERATING ENVIRONMENT The public and private sectors are transferring to electronic systems both in their service production and in their internal case and document management. International standards and practices play a central role in decisions made on the national level. The aim of the EU eEurope 2005 strategy is to support the transition to electronic administration. Demand for e-services is increasing within the customer service of information service institutions. The Internet dominates information acquisition. Research and education are strategic focus areas that maintain and strengthen the competitiveness of Finnish society. The goal of the regionalisation policy is to maintain and strengthen expertise and viability outside growth centres. The privatisation of government operations, mergers in the public sector and outsourcing, all these have an effect on the material transferred to the National Archives Service, as well as the need for space, guidance, advice and training in archive creation and information services. Electronic case management and data storage in information society The introduction of electronic case management systems in the private and public sectors profoundly changes prevailing practices in records management and long-term document preservation. In Finland, the goals of electronic case management are consistent with the eEurope 2005 strategy of the European Union, the aim of which is to support the transition to electronic management, the use of ICT in teaching, the provision of public services offered over the Internet, and the development of a dynamic electronic business environment. The transition to a new operating culture requires significant financial contribution on the national level, as well as precise coordination between the responsible organisations. Financial investments in the comprehensive planning and implementation of electronic systems in the public sector have been inadequate in Finland. Consequently decisions and solutions related to the collection, permanent preservation and security of electronic data entrusted to the National Archives Service remain largely unmade and unimplemented. This creates a risk of losing the integrity and usability of the information and endangering the functioning of information services. The National Archives Service supports the comprehensive, coordinated development of public case and document management to ensure the implementation of its own mission in the Finnish and European information society. In the case of electronic information and documents, issues of data management and usability are critical. The reception of material produced for different purposes and by different systems and appliances and the organisation of related information services, require long-term planning by the National Archives Service, as well as an opportunity to have a voice in the advance planning of solutions adopted by the public administration. Ensuring the integrity of electronic data in a reliable manner which can be easily documented is central to the permanent preservation of 6 materials for research purposes. The allocation of adequate resources for the reception and permanent preservation of material required by a fully functional electronic case management system is a key element in the National Archives Service's ability to discharge its duties in the Finnish information society. Balance between productivity and regionality The strategic goals of public administration include, on the one hand, increased productivity and efficiency and, on the other, the regionalisation of operations to maintain the viability of different regions in the country and to utilise the potential expertise in different regions.<0} Efficient regionalisation requires a critical mass to support comprehensive development.<0} The National Archives Service is a small actor in the public sector, but its activities are already carried out on a national level. Therefore, it is difficult to create the critical mass required for the regionalisation goals without additional resources.<0} The best way of promoting the goal of regionalisation is the internal division of tasks, wherein national tasks are reappointed to provincial archives. <0} This is supported by efforts to develop structural co-operation with governmentsubsidised archives and other information service organisations. The goal of the public administration to improve efficiency and productivity in its operations calls for active measures from the National Archives Service, determining priorities being foremost among them. The volume of material transferred to the units of the National Archives Service and dating back over 40 years will increase dramatically in the near future. This demands careful planning of resources, the creation of operational and economical added value by centralising operations and increasing the synergy between the National Archives Service's own units and outside actors. The question of sufficient resources and their correct deployment is the key challenge for the National Archives Service in this strategy period. 7 Growing archives * The National Archives Service held about 108 kilometres of documents in 2003 * The number of documents will double by 2020 * Legend: - black = cumulative total in archives - white = increment for the period - grey = increment for the period per decade 8 SUPERVISOR OF PUBLIC RECORDS MANAGEMENT The National Archives Service is responsible for issuing norms for records management that address the life-cycle of documents comprehensively and for creating systems for the reception of electronic material, as well as practices for their permanent preservation. The results from the SÄHKE project are the main tools of the National Archives Service for the guidance and supervision of electronic records management in public authorities. In order to take place in a co-ordinated and cost-efficient manner, the implementation of electronic case management in public administration calls for clear political decisions, considerable financial investment and good co-ordination between different authorities. The plans for archive creation required of authorities, efficient appraisal, guidance and advisory services as well as inspections of records management support the goal of the National Archives Service to preserve 10-15 % of all records produced in public administration. Normative action and electronic records management The appraisal policy of the National Archives Service was established in 2004. The National Archives Service is responsible for developing public records management in a way that ensures that the related norms are of a high standard, up-to-date and comprehensive. Starting in 2006, regular questionnaire surveys targeting the authorities will yield material to support this task. The normative function of the Service will be supported by efficient guidance, inspection and training. The key strategic goal of the the National Archives Service is to develop the electronic records management systems of the public administration, as well as ensure the long-term preservation of the materials. The National Archives Service produces high-quality services supporting, in particular, the electronic records management of authorities. The SÄHKE project (Strategy of Preserving Digital Material in the Finnish National Archives) defines the minimum operational requirements for document handling systems, allowing for the demands of archiving. The project also formulates exact specifications for delivery formats that allow the transfer of data from the case management systems of government agencies and institutions to the National Archives Service. The normative authority of the National Archives Service will be utilised in the development of electronic records management. This activity will be supported by developing a license system that will enable the long-term preservation of electronic materials of authorities. Close co-operation with other authorities and active participation in international activities will serve to strengthen the knowledge base of the National Archives Service. Appraisal Documentary materials are appraised to decide the appropriate retention periods for them. 9 Guidance, advisory services and training Up-to-date, high-standard guidance, advisory services and training support both the normative function of the National Archives Service and the efficient discharge of the public administration's duties regarding archive and records management. Uniform practices and compatible information systems are best promoted by improving the co-operation and networking between authorities in the same administrative branch. Training will be organised together with interest groups and external providers of education services. The focus is on training that supports electronic records management. Training programmes and courses will be designed to offer an opportunity to constantly update one's expertise. Up-to-date educational material in both national languages must be available for the training to be efficient. Requests from the authorities, feedback collected regularly from previous training and development recommendations from the 2006 National Archives Service assessment will be used in directing the guidance, advice and training activities. After the assessment, possible implementation of e-training will be examined. The expertise of teaching personnel will be strengthened primarily by improving their archival skills and developing their international experience. Inspection The aim of inspecting the records and archives management of public authorities is to support the operations of the inspected institutions to ensure that the material delivered for permanent preservation is properly appraised, organised and catalougued when it arrives in the National Archives Service. The aim of efficient inspections is to ensure that the National Archives Service attains the goals set for normative action and guidance. Inspections should be undertaken at regular intervals and with due diligence. To increase their efficiency, an inspection programme will be drawn up, the inspectors' training programme will be improved and coordination between different units of the National Archives Service will be increased. 10 VERSATILE INFORMATION SERVICE INSTITUTION The basic services of the National Archives Service are publicly funded and mostly free for users. The information services of the National Archives Service are expert, of a high standard and swift. A customer-oriented approach is the starting point of a quality customer service, and is emphasised in all staff actions. Expertise will be maintained and developed in the core competence areas of the National Archives Service. Co-operation with other memory institutions expands the expertise base and brings added value to operations. The supply of electronic services will increase. The VAKKA archival database is the most important search engine for materials preserved by the National Archives Services. Via the database, customers can access and use digitised paper and other documents, as well as original electronic documents. At the end of the strategy period, researchers will be able to order documents for search room use through the VAKKA archival database. Researcher and customer service and fee-based services One of the principal tasks of the National Archives Service is to provide customer services related to archived materials. The uniformity of procedures related to the interpretation of openness, confidentiality and personal data issues with regard to documents in the various units of the National Archives Service will be developed by increasing the co-operation between the Nationals Archives and provincial archives and developing clearer guidelines. In customer service, particular attention will be paid to protecting the original documents from wear and tear and abuse. Recommending the use of microfilmed or digitised materials for research purposes will help to protect the original documents and ensure their preservation for future researcher generations. Fee-based services are provided at confirmed rates that aim at cost-effectiveness. Fee-based services are a part of information and customer services. In-depth familiarisation with the archives also serves to strengthen the professional expertise of the staff. However, genealogy reports for unofficial purposes will only be undertaken if they do not hinder the discharge of other tasks and the attainment of operative goals. Network services The National Archives Service will develop its Internet services according to its Internet service strategy. Thus, it will increase its visibility among different interest groups, offer high-standard communication and electronic services facilitating activities and improve its own productivity. The primary search engine for materials archived in the National Archives Service is the VAKKA archival database, designed for web-based use. Most of the information on the repository unit level will have been entered by the end of 2007. Augmentation of the data and improving the search criteria of the database will continue to the end of this strategy period, which will require 11 continuous efforts by the National Archives and the provincial archives alike. The search properties of the VAKKA database and the goals laid down for its use will be evaluated separately in connection with the general evaluation National of Archives Service in 2005–2006. With the electronic ordering system based on the archival database, it will be possible to enter loan requests over the network. The commission of the ordering system requires strong financial input and sufficient testing, which will begin after 2007, when the majority of materials have been entered in the VAKKA archival database. The commission of the ordering system will take place at the end of this strategy period. The VAKKA archival database will also have links to digital material. In implementing its electronic services, the National Archives Service will actively participate in international dialogue on archival principles and development of common practices. Answers to enquiries The National Archives Service produces answers (certificates, reports, etc) to enquiries for official purpose as well as other enquiries, liable to business-based charges, from the documents belonging to its holdings. Public certificates, reports and other answers required for official purposes are a priority, and their delivery to the client on time is one of the key goals of the National Archives Service. Most enquiries of official nature concern information on individuals from parishes ceded in the peace treaty after the Second World War. These archives are kept in the Provincial Archives of Mikkeli. The number of answers given to these enquiries will gradually decline, but during the present strategy period this will not be significant. The overall number of enquiries will grow as demand for other types of certificates, reports etc. increases. The increase is also due to the doubling of the archived material by 2020. In addition to material over 40 years old, the archives also receive subsequent material because of the operational restructuring and regionalisation of public services.<0} Contacts via e-mail, in particular, are on the rise. Thus, no extra resources can be freed for other activities. Expert Services Maintaining the expertise of the staff requires co-operation with university departments in the archival field and other educational institutions, as well as interaction and participation in the training and education they offer. Appreciation of expertise and advanced education strengthens the expertise of the National Archives Service. The National Archives Service supports the improvement of information management in research projects so as to include information services in the project plan. The Service offers its specialised expertise for research purposes as a fee-based service. Support for scientific research is one of the statutory tasks of the National Archives Service, one that supports the strengthening of the Service's own expertise. The National Archives are the national heraldic expert agency. The National Archives appoint a Heraldic Board, which prepares the statements required by the law regarding the visual insignia of the State, municipalities and the church. The Board monitors and promotes heraldic culture and actively makes proposals and initiatives in this field. It also offers opinions on heraldic insignia for private individuals. 12 Library services The library of the National Archives is the primary scientific library in the archival field, serving both internal and external customers of the National Archives Service and the National Archives, as well as the needs of archival research and research based on documents sources. The library co-operates in the development of the national library network of special libraries. It participates in the production of high-standard, user-friendly e-services by preparing catalogues and descriptions of its own collections, as well as training material for the library users available over the Internet. The key goal for the National Archives Service libraries in this strategy period is to join the Linnea 2 consortium of Finnish Research Libraries and transfer the collection data to the Voyager library system. The specialist fields of the National Archives Service library include Finnish and international literature on archival science and works about documents and records management, heraldry and sigillography. In addition to archival literature, the libraries of the national and provincial archives acquire history-related literature, periodicals and other information sources to support basic research on Finnish history conducted in the archives. The provincial archives libraries focus particularly on provincial special collections and information services related to the province. The National Archives Service also purchases older domestic and international literature within its specialist fields that is missing from its collections. PROTECTOR OF MATERIAL PRESERVATION AND ACCESSIBILITY Conservation, microfilming and digitising serve to ensure the preservation of materials and improve their accessibility and usability. Producing digitised materials for the Internet improves customers' opportunities for equal access of materials. Digitising is a regular part of the National Archives Service operation, but extensive retroactive digitising of materials requires a significant contribution from society. Centralising operations and structural co-operation with other organisations strengthen expertise and improve cost-effectiveness. Comprehensive, mutually supportive plans will be drawn up for digitising, microfilming and conservation. Digitising Electronic public information services offered over the Internet are growing rapidly and play a central role in the services of the Finnish information society. Use of information available over the Internet is increasing in all age groups. Along with libraries and museums, the National Archives Service is an important e-service provider of information on Finnish society and cultural heritage. The digitising strategy of the National Archives Service is based on the national information society strategy, more specifically on the medium-term goals the Ministry of Education has set for digitising the Finnish cultural heritage. The goal is to have most of cultural heritage in museums, 13 archives and libraries digitised by 2010, according to prioritising plans drawn up by Finnish memory institutions. In order to attain the goals, the information management and digitising centres of these institutions must have significant new resources allocated to them. During the present strategy period, the digitising efforts of the National Archives Service will be focused on digitising the directories central to using the archives. Initially this will ensure that researchers can order materials from the archives, while key material can be used later also over the Internet, ensuring regionally equal accessibility to materials related to national cultural heritage. Digitising will also improve opportunities to produce cultural contents, such as learning and interactive materials. Since the archived material is vast, only a small proportion of documented cultural heritage can be digitised or its digitising is rational. In this strategy period, the main emphasis will be on digitising microfilm according to the digitising plan of the National Archives Service. Digitising the microfilms allows the early accessibility of key materials over the Internet. In the long run, this will decrease the need for copying and lending of microfilms, creating savings on the resources allocated to it. Digitising the most commonly accessed document series and maps is an important means of improving the availability of materials and increasing their use among different customer groups. However, retroactive digitising is not an alternative to the permanent preservation of materials originally created in analog format. The digitising operations of the National Archives Service will take place in the National Archives and in the Provincial Archives of Mikkeli. The digitising centre of National Archive, established with the support of the Ministry of Education, will develop its operations to make digitising and electronic availability of materials part of the National Archives Service's basic operations. Digitising operations in the Provincial Archives of Mikkeli will be reinforced so that the National Archives Service can efficiently utilise the expertise of the joint archiving and digitising centre of different organisations now planned for Mikkeli. A decision will be made on the location for the long-term preservation of digitised materials. The National Archives Service will pay special attention to improving co-operation with information service institutions to create synergy in questions involving the preservation of materials, digitising and information services. Special objectives include the digitising of audio recordings and specialised colour micro-filming and digitising, such as the digitisation of maps. Structural co-operation should increase operational efficiency and cut costs. The National Archives Service will appoint an organ to promote and coordinate digitisation activities, with broad representation from different actors in the archival field. Microfilming The current microfilming programme will be updated. The National Archives are responsible for the actual microfilming of materials during this strategy period. Copying and lending of microfilms will be transferred entirely to the Provincial Archives of Mikkeli, which will also be responsible for storing the master microfilms of the National Archives Service. The need for copying and lending of microfilms will be significantly reduced when microfilms have been digitised according to the digitising strategy. The shift in operational emphasis will be taken into account when allocating resources. 14 Conservation The aim of conservation is to ensure the preservation and usability of archived documents. Digitising and microfilming reduce the need to use original documents and protect them from wear and tear. In this strategy period, a comprehensive plan will be drawn up for the conservation activities of the National Archives Service, combining conservation goals with slated digitising and microfilming programmes. The plan will address the possibilities for centralising conservation efforts to reduce costs and to broaden the expertise base of conservation. The key aim of centralisation is to ensure that extensive bodies of material are conserved carefully and systematically. The centralisation plan will particularly address the risks involved in transferring documents. Centralisation must not endanger the essential conservation of the provincial archives' own collections. The comprehensive plan will also explore opportunities to join forces with other information service institutions. The extent of materials in danger of perishing will be assessed and the issue of safeguarding the content of the documents will be addressed also in the overall strategy for conservation, microfilming and digitisation. KEEPER OF PRIVATE ARCHIVES AND PAPERS DEPICTING FINNISH SOCIETY The National Archives Service bears the overall responsibility for collecting and preserving documentary material depicting Finnish history and Finnish society, and for providing information services on the material to researchers and other customer groups. Private archives are a vital complement to the general picture that public archives offer of Finnish society. The acquisition of private papers aims at creating archives that offer an authentic, balanced and sufficient picture of the sectors of society in different eras. The National Archives Service pays particular attention to preserving material from ethnic minorities and other more marginal groups. The private archives unit in the National Archives is responsible for maintaining and developing the division of labour between the National Archives, provincial archives, private central archives, regional and local archives, and other information service institutions collecting private archives. The National Archives Service appoints an expert panel to coordinate the private archives policy. The acquisition of personal papers will be supported with active communication and regular contacts with key stakeholders. Documenting society and culture The archives of private individuals, organisations and corporations play an important role in the formation of the overall impression of Finnish history. They complement the documents in public archives and shed light on the background factors behind historical events. Private citizens and other private records creators have no legal obligation to surrender their papers to public archives. Therefore, the acquisition of private archives and papers requires particular effort from archivists. 15 Confidence in the National Archives Service is based on honouring and carefully following donors' wishes, principles and practices outlined in donor contracts. The acquisition, organisation and preservation of private archives demand a proportionally greater labour input than public archives. Private archives are often unorganised, and the donor cannot be expected to organise them before donation. While it is impossible to accept all materials offered to the National Archives Service for permanent preservation, the National Archives Service wants to promote an atmosphere that values our documentary heritage and ensures that material about private citizens' lives can be preserved for research purposes. As an expert organisation, the National Archives Service has the responsibility and right to organise, describe and appraise the donated materials according to the general principles of the Service. The donor is informed about the principles of appraisal, and the appraised material can be returned to the donor instead of destroying it, if the donor so wishes. The appraisal of private archives and papers does not follow the quantitative goals set for public archive appraisal. Whenever possible, outside financing is sought for the organisation of private archives. The National Archives and provincial archives will in their respective areas pay special attention to the collection of private archives that shed light on the changes in and development of Finnish society. In 2006, an acquisition programme will be drawn up to gather documentary material from ethnic minorities, refugees who came to Finland in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as other easily excluded groups and individuals. The existing expertise of the National Archives Service will be utilised in organising and inventorying private archives. Publicity is an essential component of the private archive operations of the National Archives Service. Exhibitions, events and the media are used to promote and publicise the uses of the archives and the historical documentary material preserved there. The aim of active PR and interest group actions is to support the acquisition of private archives for the Service. To improve co-operation, the National Archives Service will in 2005 appoint an expert panel to develop and coordinate its private archives policy. The panel will have representatives from the National Archives Service, the research community and institutions in charge of preserving private archives. The National Archives Service will also prepare a set of recommendations on the acquisition, preservation and maintenance of private archives. This recommendation will apply to both the Archive Service and other institutions receiving private archives. Co-operation with state-subsidised archives The owner of a private archive decides to which archival institution he or she will donate the documents. In negotiating for archive acquisitions, the National Archives Service will adhere to the division of labour established between institutions permanently preserving private archives, and seek to direct documentary materials to the institution or archive where their permanent preservation is most expedient in light of use and preservation. The National Archives Service supports the promotion of co-operation between institutions receiving private archives. The key goals are the establishment of joint acquisition and preservation principles, good coordination of inter-institutional operations, shared registers and a strong commitment to e-services. More efficient co-operation helps state-subsidised archives to improve customer service and achieve cost-effectiveness. The National Archives Service wants to ensure that the funding of archival institutions that receive a statutory state subsidy will not fall behind the development of resources allocated to the National Archives Service itself. 16 The national register of private archives will be expanded by the end of 2010 to cover the main information service institutions that collect private archives. To have the information included in the register requires that the institution responsible for the archive undertakes to comply with the National Archives Service's recommendations on the acquisition, preservation and maintenance of private archives. RESEARCH AND EDUCATION The promotion of research that utilises archives as well as of research on records and archives management is among the statutory tasks of the National Archives Service. The appreciation of scientific research and systematic education of a high standard create a strong expertise base for all tasks of the National Archives Service. The archives act in close co-operation with universities and research institutions in promoting research, archival science research projects and post-graduate education. International co-operation is a significant part of research and education. The publication policy of the National Archives Services is systematic and sustained. The aim of publishing is to produce well-edited material for research and to publicise archive material and activities of the National Archives Services. Archival Science Archival science produces research-based information that supports the practical work of records and archives management. The main responsibility for developing archival science lies with the universities. Establishing a permanent chair for archival science is essential for maintaining the theoretical knowledge base of the Finnish records and archives management on a par with the rapidly developing Nordic and international level. The National Archives Service encourages the strengthening of research and teaching of records and archives management also in other fields, where a career in archive services is an important career choice, especially in history and administration science. The National Archives Service will improve its resources for entering joint project-type programmes with universities and research institutions with a view to promoting the application of theoretical archival science to practical records and archives management. Interaction between the National Archives Service and universities plays a central role in development of both archival science and archive and document administration. The National Archives Service firmly shares the goal of the Nordic National Archives Services to improve the publication of Nordic articles on archival science in international languages. The National Archives Service supports its staff's participation in international research projects, congresses and other events that serve to deepen the institutions theoretical and practical expertise and improve its ability to ensure the high level of service in its tasks. 17 Operation as a research institute Research on archive operations should be regular and sustained. In addition to archival science, core areas of competence for the National Archives Service include paleographic research, diplomacy, historical and scientific research on the administrative systems of different eras, personal history, computer science and informatics. There are contacts to many other disciplines, especially history and the social sciences. The proprietary research activities of the National Archives Service are directed to fields and projects which serve to broaden the knowledge base in the field of archival science and improve the capacity of the National Archives Service to discharge its appointed duties. In order to focus its own research activities, the National Archives Service will, in the present strategy period, draw up a list of those phenomena and processes within the records and archives management the scientific study of which can contribute to the understanding and management of documentary information at all stages of its life-cycle. Extensive knowledge of collections, best expressed in the scientific research of collections, improves the service ability of the National Archives Service. The research activities call for an increase in the proportion of staff who have scientific education, as well as co-operation with professional researchers who can join the staff of the National Archives Service for fixed-term research projects. In fields important to the National Archives Service where it cannot participate in actual research activities, the Service will participate as a stakeholder in the definition of research problems and in directing research, whenever possible, into areas that support the operation of the National Archives Service. Research will be conducted mainly with outside project funding. The National Archives Service will participate in both Finnish and international research projects, and is prepared to undertake the management and administration of such projects. Universities, research institutions, other archives and other memory institutions are key partners in research. Promoting research The National Archives Service is responsible for ensuring that the most important research materials are easily accessible for scientists and researchers. The information service of the National Archives Service is a part of research promotion. The National Archives Service can in a limited capacity offer information services against a fee for research projects. This would entail an expert working for the National Archives Service who participates in the planning of the project's information services and acquisition of materials. Private archives and papers have an important function in complementing public archives in research. Identifying and acquiring private archives representing different eras and actors requires an active approach by archives, as well as close interaction with the research community. In addition to the scientific fields close to the National Archives Service, the Service also follows other research and develops its resources for serving those disciplines as well. Co-operation with the Centre for Commissioned History will continue. The National Archives Service will develop the knowledge of its personnel regarding researchethical questions related to archives. 18 Professional education in the archival field Education provided by the National Archives Service primarily consists of specialised education for records and archives management degrees and vocational qualifications. In addition, the Service provides continuing education for its staff and for people engaged in records and archives management duties in other agencies and institutions. Up-to-date, high-quality education supports the normative action of the National Archives Service and develops the authorities' abilities to efficiently manage their documents. The focus is on training that supports electronic records management. The education utilises outside expertise as well as co-operation with educational organisations. The University of Tampere offers a degree programme that includes specialised studies in document management and archival science as well as post-graduate studies. A university degree is an alternative to the upper archival degree as the qualification for people already working in the field. The degrees are primarily required in the management, supervisory and demanding expert tasks of the National Archives Service and public records management. The study programme in records management at the University of Turku offers professional continuing and further education. The archivist's qualification aimed at personnel working in public records and archives management duties provides the professional knowledge required in successful work performance. The qualifications for records and archives management can also be earned by taking a competence-based vocational examination in document management and archive operations. The National Archives Service annually confirms the curriculum of training programmes it is responsible for, and ensures that the curriculum is up-to-date. Acceptance of records and archives management training provided by outside education providers as vocational specialist training leading to a qualification for jobs in the National Archives Service rests with the Service. The National Archives Service monitors outside education in records and archives management and seeks to ensure that the education satisfies the requirements set for vocational qualifications. Publishing The Internet is the central distribution channel for information services utilising the materials held by the National Archives Service. The VAKKA database is the basic search engine for materials preserved by the National Archives Service. The digitisation of documents accessed frequently by customers is a core function of the National Archives Service, but attaining the national goals set for digitising cultural heritage calls for special funding for the joint projects of memory institutions. As the Internet is increasingly used to access digitised documents, the need for printed source publications is diminished. The National Archives Service will continue to publish printed finding aids such as general directories. Scientifically edited and annotated printed publications are justified in the case of restricted corpuses that have particular significance for research and whose interpretation requires special skills that are hard to acquire. Publishing improves the opportunities to use documents in a scientifically reliable way and serves to support the customer service functions of the National Archives Service. 19 The National Archives Service publishes the following series: (1) A publication series for monographs and article collections based on proprietary research, documents and presentations from archival congresses and seminars organised by the National Archives Service, educational and information materials for schools and other special audiences, and publications about the National Archives Service itself and its collections. A series of general catalogues and other printed catalogues. Source publication series for significant documents with scientific commentary (2) (3) The results of the National Archives Service's own research and other activities are primarily published in the Service's own publication series. In scientific publishing, the Service co-operates with universities, other archives and scientific societies. Other publications related to the National Archives Service's field of operation can also be considered for publication in these series. Brochures, exhibition catalogues and other material for temporary use can be published outside the series. The publications have to follow the National Archives Service's graphical guidelines to promote the visibility of the Service. The requirements of both official languages are recognised in publishing activities. The series can also include publications in English or other international languages. In 2005, a separate publishing strategy will be drawn up for publishing, and editors-in-chief will be appointed for the series. The publishing strategy will also address the issue of provincial archives' publications and heraldry publications. The management group of the National Archives Service functions as a publishing committee, deciding upon the publications to be published and materials published over the Internet. ACTIVE COMMUNICATION The National Archives Service is a nationally important information service organisation with active and versatile communication. The aims and practices of communication have been outlined in the communication strategy that is updated regularly. Communication serves the management of the National Archives Service, improves internal coordination of operations and promotes the attainment of strategic goals. Communication supports customer service and public administration activities by producing basic information on archives, their materials, records management, as well as answering frequently asked questions. Communication supports and implements the National Archives Service's operational concept and vision, actively and systematically produces information on the goals and activities of the National Archives Service, seeks flexibility in interaction with customers and stakeholders, and is responsible for ensuring that the staff has the necessary information and opportunities to discharge their duties and develop operations. The significance of good communication and information governance to operations is emphasised to ensure that all personnel understand them to be an important part of the National Archives Service's service and their own tasks. The goals and practices of the Service's communication are 20 outlined in its communication strategy, which is updated regularly and forms the basis of communication strategies for the various units of the National Archives and for the provincial archives. The external communication of the National Archives Service is based on good information management practice, which includes the principle of right of access, and supports the customer service and official operations of the National Archives Service. The National Archives Service produces varied information on its own services, and uses its archive materials to publicise the importance of Finnish documentary cultural heritage. The information produced must be up-todate, open, reliable and presented in easily understandable terms. The communication languages are primarily Finnish and Swedish. If necessary and possible, the needs of the Sami-speaking population and other key language groups will be addressed. Up-todate core information is also available in English. The annual Nordic Archive Day is a good vehicle for the dissemination of information about archives to the general public. The Internet pages of the National Archives Service are its main channel of communication with the public at large. Arkistoviesti, a magazine for archive professionals, conveys archive and archival science information in print. A coherent graphic identity is an important part of the public image. The communications of the National Archives Service address the special needs of the provincial archives and the National Archives units and support their communication. Communications aim to establish active co-operation with core stakeholders, such as other archives, museums and libraries. One aim is to produce electronic information and other material related to local history, local and regional traditions and genealogy, tailored for schools and other user groups. Tours of the National Archives and provincial archives for different customer and citizen groups are a standard part of the National Archives Service's activities. In the Service's internal communications, each employee is both a user and producer of information. With successful internal communication, all members of the organisation know the goals of, and the relevant information needed in, their work. Through communication, employees can influence the development of their own job, their own unit and the entire operations of the National Archives Service. The communication plans of individual units clearly set out what information the unit produces and how it will be published and updated. The National Archives Service's intranet is being developed as the main channel of internal communication within the Service. Shared office software make it easier to obtain information. Successful internal communication is a precondition for successful external communication. INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS Active participation in international co-operation brings new, up-to-date knowledge to all areas of records and archives management. The international activities of the National Archives Service are long-term and goal-oriented in nature, and focus on areas where the international contacts best promote the development of the Finnish Archive Service. 21 In international activities, the most important contacts are with other Nordic countries and Estonia, and with other countries whose National Archives Service tasks and operations are close to that of the Finnish Service. Another focal point is the European Union member states, and Finland participates actively in the development of EU co-operation. The needs of the rapidly increasing international activities of the Service will be taken into account in the negotiations concerning results and resource allocation of the Service. Issues connected with electronic case management; transfer, testing, preservation and usability of electronic documentary materials; international archival standards; and other questions related to international archive services' joint projects are of especial importance. An important channel for the development of electronic case management in Europe is the DLM network. Finland fulfils the goals set by international archival organisations and is prepared to assume responsibility for such tasks. We can influence the international development, through active participation, in a way that best promotes the goals set for the Finnish information society, public archive operations and document management. In accordance with internationally set goals, the National Archives Service supports the strengthening of the knowledge base of developing countries' public archive services and document management, using opportunities provided by Finnish development co-operation. The established and successful practices of Nordic co-operation will continue. Special attention will be paid to the development of the National Archives Service through systematic Nordic assessments. Every year some areas are set for mutual benchmarking in order to identify and introduce best practices. Nordic co-operation will be strengthened in archival scientific research, post-graduate education and scientific publication. The most important international organisations in the field are International Council on Archives, especially its European branch EURBICA and UNESCO. The National Archives Service will participate in the preparations aiming at the improvement of cultural property protection in Finland in accordance with the 1954 Hague Convention and its supplementary protocols and aims at founding a national Blue Shield Committee. LONG-TERM HUMAN RESOURCES POLICY The National Archives Service is a responsible and reliable employer who continuously assesses the results of its operations and improves its working methods. Leadership systems and operational goals are well defined and the practices are open-minded. Professional, committed staff is the most important resource of the National Archives Service. Permanent employment and good, supportive atmosphere at the workplace create conditions for work motivation and the long-term development of expertise. Systematic education and development of staff, transfer of expertise on the job, recruitment bringing in new knowledge, as well as competitive salaries create the basis of the National Archives Service' successful, dynamic operation. s 22 A responsible and reliable employer The operations of the National Archives Service are guided by the goals laid down in its strategy and result agreements. Challenging tasks, flexible operations, fair and good leadership as well as incentives and competitive salaries form the basis for a dynamic organisation capable of reforms and are conducive to a good working environment. The biggest challenge to the human resources policy of the National Archives Service is the competition for capable staff in the tightening labour markets. The National Archives Service is an expert organisation that values long-term solutions. Permanent employment increases work motivation and encourages the staff to develop their expertise and make long-time career plans. The increasing prevalence of project-like operations brings new challenges and offers the National Archives Service staff an opportunity to demonstrate their special expertise and leadership potential. Open and clear leadership is a core factor for success. Leadership is evaluated regularly, at least annually. Leadership and management training is systematic, and a special focus area is the human resources management skills of upper and middle management. In light of the age structure of the staff, work motivation and support activities, such as preventive occupational health care, are increasingly more important in achieving productivity and results. Expert personnel In the next decade, turnover at the National Archives Service will be almost 50%, as staff retire. It is especially important to pass on the expertise and knowledge of the National Archives Service staff to new generations of employees. The acquisition of professional qualifications will be supported in many ways, such as organising and supporting education and other development efforts by the means available to human resource management. The National Archives Service supports its employees' participation in continuing education and post-graduate education in archival science. Key measures include joint fixed-term projects with universities, as well as the National Archives Service's own human resource support measures, such as adopting a positive attitude towards leaves of absence taken for the augmentation of expertise. Expertise produced by the National Archives Service must be appreciated and competitive also in assignments outside the Service. Career development in the National Archives Service builds upon broad and extensive practical experience, education in archival discipline or other fields related to the employee's job profile, as well as the individual's willingness to improve their own expertise and take on new challenges. Researcher training and other theoretical abilities improve the person's capacity to successfully assume demanding expert tasks. Job descriptions based on strategic goals, as well as development discussions, are an integral part of the management system at the National Archives Service. The key goal of staff development is to ensure that Service personnel have the core competencies required to attain strategic goals. The core competencies have been defined in the sub-strategies and competence areas of the Service. Special expertise required in individual projects can be ensured by fixed-term recruitment and outsourcing of services. 23 Sufficient human resources The amount of paper documents in the archives will double by 2020. Processing and preserving such material is very labour-intensive. The accumulation of materials also increases the amount of information services provided. At the same time, the National Archives Service is responsible for directing the transfer of public sector document management into electronic case management systems and for developing information management systems that ensure the reception and permanent preservation of electronic material and related information services. More people are needed in the digitising of material crucial for research and other customer service. Digitising promotes network access to materials defined in the Finnish information society strategy. The National Archives Service needs new human resources to handle its increasing workload. To secure more human resources for strategically important tasks, careful calculations are made each year and presented to the Ministry of Education. When fulfilling vacancies, re-allocation of human resources is always considered. Tasks may also be centralised and regionalised if this increases the productivity of the Service.<0} The National Archives Service has a separate human resources strategy and human resources plan, which include strategies for staff training and occupational wellbeing. FACILITIES AND TOOLS The ability of the National Archives Service to discharge its duties is based on the resources allocated to it. A rapid increase in the amount of traditional material and the national importance of electronic case management require a systematic increase in the resource base of the Service. The resource needs of the National Archives Service have been evaluated on a long-term basis. This allows the needs of the Service itself and those of archives entrusted with the preservation of national heritage and subsidised by the state for that particular purpose to be taken into account in the planning of funding for public administration. More efficient use of existing resources will be made by increasing productivity and implementing structural solutions creating synergy and cost-effectiveness. Modern work and office facilities and tools create conditions for efficient service operation and for utilising the expertise of the staff to the fullest extent. The development of storage space needed by 2020 Building new archive facilities requires considerable financial input, long-term planning and careful monitoring of materials entering the archives. Therefore, the National Archives Service's estimate for the need for space has been extended beyond the present strategy period, up to 2020. It is impossible to estimate exactly the amount of material coming into the archives, since the acquisition of documents is influenced by changes in public administration, such as regionalisation and operational restructuring, which means that archives may have to receive relatively recent material. The accumulation is also influenced by the implementation of goals set for appraisal. 24 With the increasing prevalence of electronic services, institutions will have less need for analog material and are prepared to transfer them to permanent storage earlier than planned. As the amount of material grows in the agencies’ own archives and there are special demands for archive facilities, the outsourcing of storage and information services to the National Archives Service is becoming a lucrative alternative. The National Archives Service is also looking into the possibility of offering storage for electronic material for a fee. For each archives, building planning will begin as soon as 90% of its archive capacity is filled, and no later than five years before the estimated filling of its capacity. When calculating the degree of filling, material stored for a fixed period under a fixed-term contract is not considered. New facilities are designed to satisfy needs for at least 20 years. The development of storage space needed by 2020 is estimated as follows: Chart 1: Accumulation of document material and need for space up to 2020 Free storage space (shelf metres) Accumulation of document material 2004-2010 (shelf metres) 12 700 5 000 2 000 1 500 1 600 2 800 1 800 3 000 30 400 Accumulation of document material 2011-2020 (shelf metres) 16 000 5 000 2 100 3 000 3 600 4 000 3 000 4 000 40 700 Free space in 2020 (shelf metres) KA HMA JoMA JyMA MMA OMA TMA VMA Total 1 28 700 1 120 2 680 4 980 7 300 10 500 3 740 4 900 63 920 0 - 8 800 - 1 420 480 2 100 3 700 - 1 060 -2 100 - 7 100 Space leased to outsiders not included. All in all, outsiders have leased about 13500 shelf metres. The planning and building of the National Archives Service's facilities will be implemented as follows during the strategy period of 2004–2020. Target Provincial Archives of Hämeenlinna Provincial Archives of Joensuu Provincial Archives of Vaasa Provincial Archives of Turku Space needed 2007 2011 2015 2017 Planning begun ongoing 2006 2010 2012 The need for more facilities will be monitored and the schedule revised during the present strategy period. The National Archives Service maintains sufficient readiness to receive material faster than expected so as not to endanger the preservation of materials stipulated for permanent preservation. The productivity of reserve storage spaces will be increased by leasing them for fixed periods to outsiders, even for private records creators. Priority is given to state authorities' permanently 25 preserved materials which will be transferred to different units of the National Archives Service after the 40 year period has elapsed. The information services concerning leased material will be fee-based services, and the fee is calculated according to cost-efficiency criteria. Together with the Ministry of Defence, the National Archives Service is investigating the possibility of transferring the Military Archives under the auspices of the National Archives Service. It is estimated that the present facilities of the Military Archives will be sufficient until 2010. If implemented, this arrangement will require that additional building design must be started in 2006 at the latest. In addition to its own facility requirements, the National Archives Service is responsible for allocating facility resources for 12 state-subsidised archives and for the long-term planning of their facility solutions. In their facility planning, the state-subsidised archives are expected to look for solutions that are cost-effective and increase the inter-institutional co-operation in the preservation of materials and production of information services. In 2005, the National Archives Service together with state-subsidised archives will start a more detailed exploration of the additional need for facilities until 2020. The principal goal in all archive facility building is to ensure conditions and operation methods that guarantee the long-term preservation of materials and protect the materials from wear and tear and abuse. Special attention must be paid to the security of the facilities. Co-operation with Senate Properties who run the state-owned properties ensures that the facilities for the National Archives Service are appropriately built, well maintained, functional for archive work and customer service and meet the special demands for long-term preservation. The goal is to have attractive, secure and efficient, functional working space. In acquiring furniture and equipment, the demands of ergonomics must be considered. Information technology is an important tool in all tasks of the National Archives Service. Up-todate office software helps in handling the task rapidly and profitably and aids the internal communication of the National Archives Service. Operations requiring special equipment and applications will be centralised in a way that allows the National Archives Service to meet its comprehensive goals efficiently and cost-effectively. There will also be co-operation with outside actors.