The History of the DLM Forum

The chain of events leading to the creation of the DLM Forum started on 14 November 1991, when the Council of the European Communities and the Ministers of Culture adopted a resolution on arrangements concerning archives[1]. This resolution highlighted the significance of archives in both public sector decision-making and as part of our cultural heritage. The resolution invited the European Commission “to set up a group of experts appointed on the proposal of the Member States, for the purpose of examining to what extent greater coordination of archives policy and practice within the Community is desirable”.

The Group of Experts compiled a report on the coordination of archives, entitled Archives in the European Union. This report, published in 1994 by the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, became known as the Black Book. Among the areas highlighted in the report, which the Group of Experts believed warranted coordination and cooperation at a European level, was the need for adequate management and storage of computerised archives.

The report led to the Council Conclusions of 17 June 1994, concerning greater cooperation in the field of archives[2]. In these conclusions, the Council once again recognised that archives form a significant part of European cultural heritage and agreed with the Group of Experts on the importance of increased cooperation between Member States and at the Community level in the field of archives. The conclusions emphasised a number of actions outlined in the report that the Council found to be of particular interest.

One such action was the organisation of 'a multidisciplinary forum to be held in the framework of the Community on the problems of the management, storage, conservation, and retrieval of machine-readable data.' Participants in this forum were to include representatives from public administrations and national archives services, as well as representatives of industry and research.

On this basis, the Commission decided to organise such a multidisciplinary forum in close cooperation with the Member States. The forum became known as the DLM Forum, and its main goal was to investigate, promote, and implement possibilities for wider cooperation in the field of electronic archives, both between Member States and at the EU level. When the DLM Forum was first established, DLM was an acronym for the French données lisibles par machine (machine-readable data). At the DLM Forum meeting in 2002, held in Barcelona, it was declared that the acronym stood for 'Document Lifecycle Management.'

The first DLM Forum was held in 1996, and subsequent forums (members' meetings) have been held every three years since then. The theme of the 1996 forum was ‘Electronic Records – Cooperation Europe-wide’. Among the ten follow-up points that emerged from this forum was the call to establish functional requirements for electronic documents and records management in public administration and the private sector. This eventually developed into MoReq, which is explained in more detail below.

Another important issue highlighted was the need for a training programme for administrators and archivists, addressing the technical aspects of handling electronic records, with a focus on acquiring skills from IT disciplines. This training programme became known as ‘E-term’ – the European training programme in electronic documents and records management. E-term was developed by various archive schools and other specialised bodies in the Member States and was designed to be delivered via the Internet, enabling participants to proceed at their own pace.

The theme of the second DLM Forum in 1999 was ‘European Citizens and Electronic Information: The Memory of the Information Society, Cooperation Europe-wide’. One of the most important outcomes of this forum was the ‘DLM Message to Industry’ and the subsequent response from the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry.

The message called for representatives of the ICT industry to actively cooperate with archivists and records managers to ensure that electronic records are managed effectively, are accessible over time, and can be preserved for as long as needed. The message also noted that closer collaboration between ICT professionals and archivists working with electronic records should improve the products used to manage these records and create new business opportunities.

Representatives of the ICT industry responded to the message issued by the DLM Forum in a statement published in INSAR in the autumn of 2000. In their reply, the ICT industry “readily accepts the challenge given to it by the DLM Forum,” stating that it was “prepared and willing to support the efforts of the European Union for the preservation and public access to archives and records.

This response to the message from the second DLM Forum in 1999 led to the active involvement of the ICT industry in the third DLM Forum, held in Barcelona in May 2002. A good example of this involvement was the production of six ‘Industry White Papers’ for the Barcelona forum. The Industry White Papers, published by the DLM Forum and AIIM International Europe, addressed critical areas that needed attention to achieve more effective electronic document, records, and content management. Each of the White Papers was written by a representative from a different company, providing valuable insights into how the ICT industry was addressing these issues.

The theme of the DLM Forum 2002 was ‘Access and Preservation of Electronic Information: Best Practices and Solutions’. The outcome of this third Forum highlighted the effectiveness of the partnership between the DLM Forum and the ICT industry. One of its most important results was the call to create a European DLM Network on electronic records. The Network was established soon after, recognising that a strengthened and enlarged European platform, focused on issues such as standardisation, user access, and the long-term preservation of electronic records, would benefit all partners in this field.

The regularity of DLM Forum meetings has enabled professionals from both the public and private sectors, working in the areas of electronic records creation, management, and preservation, to meet and exchange viewpoints, benefiting from the expertise and experience of colleagues. Many professionals have attended these events, not only from the Member States of the European Union but also from other European countries, as well as from Canada and the USA. Over the years, the DLM Forum has remained an association that unites national and other types of archives, as well as organisations and companies involved in data governance and archiving, offering its members opportunities to network, share experiences, and learn from one another.

Traditionally, two members' meetings are held annually (for more information on themes, please see the events section). Every three years, a larger triennial event is organised, which is also open to non-members. During the COVID-19 pandemic, webinars were introduced for members, and this practice has gradually continued post-pandemic.

Regarding the organisation's legal foundation, the DLM Forum was established as a constitutional organisation in 2004. In 2009, it became a non-profit association under the name DLM Forum Foundation, registered in the United Kingdom. In 2018, the activities of the DLM Forum Foundation were taken over by DLM Forum MTÜ, a non-profit organisation registered in Estonia. Today, the acronym stands for Data Lifecycle Management. The DLM Forum currently has over 60 members (presented in the members section).

European Commission support for the DLM Forum

The European Commission was actively involved in establishing the DLM Forum. In close cooperation with representatives from the Member States, it organised both the first DLM Forum in 1996 and the second in 1999, both hosted by the Commission in Brussels.

Based upon these firm foundations, after the DLM Forum meeting in 1999, other participants, notably the national archives of the Member States, together with representatives from academia and industry, took more control over the DLM Forum's organisation and direction. This shift became particularly evident in 2002 when the third DLM Forum, held in Barcelona, was organised by the Catalan government in collaboration with the Spanish central government, with support from other Member States and the Commission.

In 2004, the DLM Forum was founded as a constitutional organisation, and the DLM Network EEIG, established in 2003 provided the legal entity to administer the Forum. The DLM Forum 2005 in Budapest was organised by the DLM Forum and the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, with no involvement from the Commission.

In addition to its role in organising the first three DLM Forums, the Commission has supported the Forum in other ways. It played a key role in the DLM Monitoring Committee, set up to oversee and coordinate the Forum’s progress. The Commission also edited and published the proceedings of the DLM Forum meetings as supplements of INSAR (INformation Summary on ARchives).

The Commission was keen to ensure that the action points emerging from each Forum were swiftly implemented. After the 1996 Forum, when the DLM Action Plan was formulated, the Commission helped develop the E-Term training module and commissioned and published the report on ‘The relationship between public administration and archives services concerning electronic documents and records management’. This report was a comprehensive survey of electronic records and their management within the public administrations and archive services of the EU Member States.

One of the most significant and far-reaching outcomes of the DLM Forum that the Commission acted upon was the development of MoReq.

At present, one representative from the European Commission participates in the DLM Forum's Executive Committee meetings, and representatives from the European Commission are always invited to attend DLM Forum members' meetings.

[1] OJ, 91/C 314/02

[2] OJ C235 23.8.94 p.3