A total of 40 specialists are participating in the conference, the majority of whom are from Iceland. Participants come from archives, cultural heritage institutions, and research organisations across the three countries, where they discuss shared projects and common challenges relating to the preservation, accessibility, and dissemination of archival records.

The programme includes lectures, panel discussions, and workshops covering topics such as the independence of archives, the shared archival heritage of the West Nordic countries, records transfer and preservation, the communication of the countries’ shared history, and the impact of digital transformation and artificial intelligence on archival practice. Particular emphasis is placed on the relationship between archives, society, cultural heritage, and collective memory.

One of the programme highlights was a visit to the National Archives of Greenland, where participants learned from Vivi Noahsen national archivist about the archives’ involvement in the authorities’ investigation into the so-called IUD case. A recent report examined the Danish authorities’ “family planning” programme in Greenland, under which more than 4,000 Greenlandic girls and women had intrauterine devices inserted during the 1970s without their knowledge or informed consent. It proved difficult to locate documentation relating to these interventions, but staff at the National Archives successfully traced and linked medical records and other files created by doctors and healthcare professionals that had been preserved in different locations. This work enabled investigators to identify and contact many of the women affected.

The conference serves as an important forum for cooperation among the West Nordic archives and promotes greater knowledge sharing between the countries on the preservation, access, and future use of archival records.