Arkiv, ålder och exkludering : En studie av åldersrelaterade normer inom tillgängliggörandeverksamheten vid statliga arkivinstitutioner

• Main Author: Arro Förberger, Linnea
• Format: Others
• Language: Swedish
• Published: Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för ABM 2016
• Subjects: Archives; Social Norms; Age Groups; Archives Users; Arkiv; normer; åldersgrupper; statliga arkiv
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-307593

The purpose of this thesis is to reveal the age-related norms which control the process of making public archives accessible. It focuses on physical access and visitors at the physical archival institutions. More specifically, it examines which groups are not included in the archival institutions’ target groups and why this is the case, the archival employees’ views on visitors’ needs and the archival institutions’ action space regarding the process of making archives accessible. The theoretical framework for this thesis is a combination of a norm critical and an intersectional perspective. The main method used is qualitative interviews with employees at archival institutions. Two different archival institutions have been examined, which are both departments of public authorities. The main result of the thesis is that there exist normative systems within the archival institutions which favour elderly people and people within the academic world. Age also matters less for people within the academic world. Accordingly, people outside of these groups can be regarded as non-target groups. Factors which can contribute to exclusion are also non-western origin and to be occupied at daytime. The explanations to why some groups are excluded are lack of resources and knowledge, a reactive approach, and the institutions’ opening hours. Regarding visitors’ needs, many visitors need help searching for material and formulating their needs, which they can also expect to be helped with. Needs which the archival employees can not satisfy are extensive reading of handwriting or carrying out research for the visitor. In general, it seems that people within the archival institutions’ target groups are more likely to get the exact help they need. The archival employees have a relatively great action space when it comes to making archives accessible, as the policy documents don’t mention this activity in detail. This is a two years master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.