What To Be or Not to Be? Evolving Identities for State and Grassroots Archives in Denmark

In Scandinavia, a complex set of historical factors has contributed to the state's virtual monopoly on institutionalized archives until fairly recently. The authors reflect upon this tradition as they consider the more recent development of state and local archives in Denmark. Within the last 150 years, voluntary associations have supported the development of local historical collections. The major changes in Denmark's administrative structure within the last twenty-five years have challenged both the state's monopoly of institutionalized, professional archives and the independence and "amateur" status of local historical collections. The authors anticipate an analogous disharmony at the level of the records of the European Community, since there will be a struggle to adapt the existing European archives structure to the demands of new forms of supranational administration.