Archives, Community and Society in a Global Environment: Contemporary Trends and Professional Practices

Abstract

In addition to professional work related to the protection, processing and accessibility of archival material, the work of archives today is largely shaped by modern social processes, especially the rapid development of technology and knowledge society as well as cultural, economic and social changes caused by migration and globalization trends. From the perspective of archives as information services, it is understood that they operate as open institutions which are accessible to all users and which actively contribute to the cultural life and to the formation of identity of their founders and the community in which they operate and attract a diverse audience. The paper presents international archival professional practices and activities related to digitization and accessibility of archival sources as well as current European archival projects and programmes related to new archival concepts, expansion of information functions and services of archives and the most important European collaborative archival platform.