Þjónustulistar

Þjónustulistar is an Icelandic term used to describe catalogs or directories of services provided by an organization. The word is formed from þjónusta (service) and listar (lists). In practice, it denotes a structured inventory of services offered to customers or residents, particularly within public administration and large service-oriented institutions.

A þjónustulisti typically includes each service’s name and a short description, the intended audience, eligibility criteria, required documents, estimated processing times, access channels (in person, online, by phone), any costs or fees, and the legal or policy basis for the service. Some lists also indicate prerequisites, service dependencies, and the responsible department or service owner. The aim is to make services discoverable, comparable, and easier to request.

In government portals and municipal websites, þjónustulistar function as part of e-government and open data initiatives. They facilitate user navigation, interdepartmental coordination, and the development of automated workflows or APIs that expose service information to citizens and third-party developers. They may be published in human-readable formats as well as machine-readable formats.

The concept overlaps with the ITIL-driven 'service catalog' in information technology, which catalogs available IT services, service levels, and delivery methods. While the Icelandic term emphasizes public-facing services, the underlying idea is common across sectors: a centralized, standardized inventory of services to improve transparency, planning, and user experience.

Variations exist between institutions in terms of structure, level of detail, and update frequency. As digital government evolves, þjónustulistar are increasingly used to support self-service, digital forms, and data-driven policy analysis.