Archiefwerk

Archiefwerk, literally 'archive work' in Dutch, refers to the professional practice of managing archival records from creation or acquisition through preservation and access. It covers both physical collections and born-digital materials and is conducted in national and local archives, libraries, museums, corporations, and government agencies.

Core tasks include appraisal and accessioning, arrangement according to provenance and original order (the principle of respect des fonds), description and indexing, and the creation of finding aids. Archivists also set access policies, handle rights and privacy issues, and provide reference services. Preservation activities encompass conservation, environmental controls, and digitization as a means to ensure long-term access.

Standards and methods used in archiefwerk include ISAD(G) for archival description and ISAAR(CPF) for authority records, plus encoding schemes such as EAD for finding aids and METS/MODS for digital objects. Interoperability is supported by alignment with Dublin Core or MARC and, for digital repositories, the OAIS reference model.

Good archiefwerk strives to safeguard authenticity and accessibility, but practitioners face challenges such as limited funding, copyright and privacy constraints, and the management of changing digital formats. Professional education in archival science covers provenance, appraisal, description, preservation, and ethics to balance access with stewardship.