Arkivbildare

Arkivbildare is a term used in archival science to denote the originator of an archive collection—the person, family, organization, or institution whose records were created and accumulated during its activities. It is a central concept for understanding provenance and for organizing and describing archives.

The arkivbildare provides context for the records, revealing the purposes, functions, and administrative structures of the originator. The principle of provenance (proveniensprincipen) guides archivists to keep records from the same arkivbildare together, preserving relationships between documents and their creator and ensuring that the material is analyzed in its original context.

Typical arkivbildare include individuals (for example a historical figure), families or households, companies and corporations, public authorities, municipalities, churches, associations, and non-governmental organizations. In some cases, a collection may be attributed to a specific institutional creator that produced or collected the material, while in others several actors may contribute to a single fonds with a defined organizational structure.

In practice, archivists identify the arkivbildare and document its name, scope, and period in the archival description. The collection is frequently named after its arkivbildare, and the metadata supports researchers in assessing authenticity, authority, and historical context. When multiple actors contribute to a single fonds, the archival description may specify the relationships and activities linking them, aiding understanding of the archive’s origin and function.