Sources

This archival material originates both from the central administration, which is kept in the National Archives, and from the regional and local administrations, which is kept in the individual state archives. In addition, both the National Archives and the regional state archives preserve many archival records left by companies, organizations, and private individuals. These are called Private Archives.

The archival content, which is also often called source material, historical sources or simply sources, constitutes—together with the archivists’ knowledge of this material— National Archival Services of Norway’s most important offering to the public.

• The traditional archival records, which are textual, paper-based data (e.g. a Record of Court Proceedings or a folder containing individual documents).

• Other types of material, primarily images in the form of maps, drawings, and photographs.

• A collection of old wax seals

• A large collection of transcriptions of records kept in the National Archives of Denmark.

• More recent archival material also includes sound recordings, video and other multi-media formats.

The Archival Catalogues are the National Archival Services of Norway’s own content index over its archival material. These catalogues are also available to users as traditional paper catalogues found on the premises of the institutions and partially as individual publications or searchable online databases.

The paper-based original sources preserved in the National Archival Services of Norway are handwritten and only available in a single copy in the archival storage facilities. A large portion of the most frequently sought-after and used archival material has been duplicated in various ways and formats (paper copies, microfilm, digitization) to improve its readability and accessibility while minimizing the wear and tear on the originals. 

Beginning in the 1960s, the Norwegian State Administration took up the use of computer systems which have created future archival material in digital formats. National Archival Services of Norway has been receiving such material to a limited extent since 1985. The volume will significantly increase in the years ahead. These data are called digital archival material, or more often Electronic Archives, as opposed to digitized material.

Since 1998, the National Archival Services of Norway has been offering searches in digitized source material on the internet through the Digital Archives. So far, the major part of this offering has consisted of transcribed census returns, parish records and emigrant material from the 1800s and the early 1900s. Scanned material and, with time, digitally created archival content are available through the Digital Archives.