ARHIVSKI VJESNIK 42. (ZAGREB, 1999.)

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J. van den Broek, Current developments in the archival network in the Netherlands, Arh. vjesn., god. 42(1999), str. 103-112 If problems in communication and co-ordination should be avoided and if further advantages should be gained out of the synergy, it would be necessary to implement a unified management structure. But in order to do so, state and municipal archives should be transformed into one new archives institution. As I said before, in the meantime elsewhere in the Netherlands other attempts at co-operation between a state archive and a municipal archive had been undertaken (Utrecht, Zwolle, Middelburg). They differed from the Groningen model above all in this respect, that their direction was top-down, the initiative coming from the top levels of local and national decision making, whereas in Groningen we had to work our way up to the authorities. At this moment, the merger of state archives in the provinces with appropriate partners is the official policy of the Ministry of Culture. In its view, keeping records and making them available to the public is not longer enough for an archival institution. Archivists should become 'brokers of knowledge of historical information', whatever this may mean. Secondly, there is a need for more modern, digitalised finding aids and for the communication of archival information via the Internet. Furthermore, one has realised that real-life historians use not only records but other sources as well. Archives should therefore transform themselves into broad historical centres where in addition to records also books, photographs, prints and films are being kept and studied. Finally, the archives should pay more attention to education, set up co-operation programmes with schools, and organize exhibitions and other presentations. In the view of the Ministry officials and the management of the State Archival Service the state archives in the provinces are not able to reach these goals. Because the minister of culture doesn't want to allocate more money, the solution is being sought in co-operation with local partners. The favourit candidates are the municipal archives in the main towns of the provinces. But also other combinations are possible, e.g. with libraries, museums, or documentation centres. In the Ministry of Culture officials nowadays like to speak of'Regional Historical Centres', stressing with this term the wide range of activities to be covered by the new institutions. It is believed that co-operation will stop inefficient spending. It will be the task of the managers of the Regional Historical Centres to cover the costs of the desirable policy with the expected profits of the synergy. The most likely status of the new institutions is that of what in our country is called an 'independent agency of government administration'. The governing body must be composed in such a way, that the legal responsibility for the archives can remain where it belongs. In the case of co-operation between a state archive and its municipal counterpart the Minister of Culture and Mayor and Aldermen are and will remain in charge of what is called in terms of the archives law 'taking care' of the ar109