Arkivformatene

Arkivformatene is a term used in Norwegian archival practice to denote a set of file formats deemed suitable for long‑term digital preservation. The concept is employed by Arkivverket (the National Archives of Norway) and other memory institutions to guide the choice of formats for records intended to remain readable and authentic over time, regardless of changes in software and hardware. The aim is to ensure preserved materials stay accessible, comprehensible, and usable.

The selection rests on criteria such as openness and documentation of the format specification, independence from a single vendor, stability and longevity, robust metadata support, and broad current and future adoption. Formats should be self-describing or accompanied by sufficient metadata to enable future access and migration. Arkivformatene cover a range of content types, including text, images, audio, video, and datasets, and they typically include both native formats and packaging or metadata formats.

Commonly discussed examples include image formats such as TIFF and PNG; document formats such as PDF/A; structured text and data formats such as XML, CSV, and TXT; and audio formats such as WAV and FLAC. For metadata and preservation workflows, formats and standards such as METS, PREMIS, and BagIt are frequently cited as part of archival practice.

The list is maintained and updated by archival institutions in consultation with the professional community to reflect new knowledge, technology developments, and the needs of public archives. Arkivformatene is thus a living framework rather than a fixed catalog.