National Archives of Iceland
What should be discarded? Do individuals' documents belong to archives?
15th May 2025
The open symposium of the Icelandic National Archives Association will take place on Wednesday 21 May in the museum’s meeting room on Laugavegur 162, 16:00-17:30. The theme of the symposium is “What to discard? Do individuals’ documents have a right to archives?”
The National Archives of Iceland (NI) has a large collection of public records, but fewer people know that it also has the largest collection of private documents in Iceland. Private documents are sources of national history and are no less important sources of history than public records. They can even open a new perspective on the history of the past.
The seminar will include three topics, including the definition of private archives, various challenges regarding the collections and their management, and, in particular, awareness of the value of preserving private archives.
The symposium will start at 16:00 and end at 17:30.
Schedule:
“Do you want to collect this?” Private documents, their collection and preservation. Thórunn Marel Þorsteinsdóttir Project Manager of Private Archives at the National Archives
Shouldn't you just throw this away? Archive of Páll Sigurjónsson, former director of Ístak. Þórunn Guðmundsdóttir, historian and former archivist at the National Archives
Documents that matter: Raising awareness of the importance of private archives. Ólafur Arnar Sveinsson Head of Education and Research at the National Archives
The chairperson of the meeting is Steinunn Valdís Óskarsdóttir, chair of the Hollvinasamtök Þjóðskjalasafns Íslands.