Kristjana joined the National Archives in 1988, at a time when about 10 people worked there. After several years, she became division director, a role she held for about two decades. During that time, the first steps were taken in developing a regulatory framework for records management among public bodies; handbooks were published, and courses were established to support guidance for public institutions in their records management.

Kristjana was also a pioneer in archival studies education and taught the first course at the University of Iceland 40 years ago, in 1985. In the early years she taught individual courses, but over time archival studies developed into a minor field of study and later into a diploma program in applied archival studies.

Kristjana has authored various handbooks over the years, many of which are still in use. These address both records management for entities required to transfer records to the archives, as well as the reading of older scripts—material that is still on the reading list for history students and has now been published online as open access.

Her research on archival collections has also been extensive throughout her career, most notably her doctoral project in history, published in the book The Fief of Iceland: Officials at Bessastaðir and Their Archives in the 16th and 17th Centuries. She has also written numerous articles during her long career, and a new work is forthcoming titled The King’s Secret Archive: Documents on Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland in the 15th–19th Centuries, which will be published by the National Archives.

To mark her birthday and retirement, Njörður Sigurðsson, Deputy Director General, conducted an engaging interview with Kristjana about her career for the archive’s podcast Til skjalanna. The episode was released on her birthday and is available on the archive’s website, on Spotify, and other platforms.

Kristjana Kristinsdóttir