2021 Webinar - 25 November at 14 CET

"The digital preservation center of the State Archives of Spain: Adapting previous structures for successful e-transfers"

by Elena Cortés Ruiz, the head of the archival programming and coordination area of the State Archives of Spain, 25 November at 14 CET

National regulations in records management, interoperability and digital preservation have been in development in Spain for more than a decade. Now, the State Archives of Spain face the goal of receiving, maintaining and archiving e-documents produced by public institutions.

The Royal Decree regulating the Spanish Archives System establishes that the State General Administration Archives (AGA in Spanish) act as the intermediate archives, receiving document transfers (e-transfers pretty soon) and tackling appraisal, retention schedules, etc. The National Historical Archives are acting as the final repository.

The Digital Preservation Center, as a part of the State Archives of Spain, must provide advice, training, information, infrastructure and a set of guidelines for these procedures to succeed.

The center evolved from the so named Documents Reprography Service whose functions were initially maintaining the Security Microfilm Archives, improving with digital images management, archiving and preservation and technical assessment in digitization, dissemination and digital preservation.

Now, the Digital Preservation Center is a critical part, collaborating with the State Archives Intermediate Archives and National Historical Archives in the process of successfully receiving, maintaining and archiving e-transfers.