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Samlinger

Samlinger is a term used in Danish and Norwegian to denote collections of objects, documents, or data that are gathered, preserved, and made accessible for study, education, and public engagement. In cultural institutions such as museums, libraries, and archives, samlinger form the core content that researchers and the public interact with. A samling usually includes not only individual items but also the information that describes them—their provenance, dates, materials, and past custodians—which supports interpretation and scholarly work.

Types of samlinger vary widely. They can be physical, comprising artefacts, specimens, manuscripts, photographs, prints, and

Management practices focus on acquisition, preservation, documentation, and access. Curators and conservators assess provenance, condition, and

audiovisual
materials.
They
can
also
be
digital,
including
digitized
manuscripts,
scanned
images,
digital
photographs,
datasets,
and
born-digital
records.
Collections
may
be
thematic
(art,
natural
history,
industrial
heritage),
geographical,
chronological,
or
institutional
(the
holdings
of
a
single
library,
museum,
or
archive).
In
addition
to
objects,
samlinger
often
include
related
materials
such
as
catalogs,
finding
aids,
and
metadata.
significance;
catalogers
assign
metadata
and
accession
numbers;
and
digitization
teams
work
to
ensure
long-term
accessibility.
Ethical
considerations
address
rights,
repatriation,
and
consultation
with
source
communities.
Access
policies
balance
public
benefit
with
privacy,
security,
and
legal
restrictions,
while
digitization
and
online
access
broaden
reach
and
enable
broader
scholarly
collaboration.