The implementation of an e-archive to facilitate open data publication and the use of common specifications: A case of three Swedish agencies

The study investigated how three agencies in Sweden were pursuing the implementation of an electronic archive (e-archive). The e-archive was seen by the Swedish National archives as a pre-requisite to the effective management of government information and would help the agencies to comply with the Swedish Public Sector Information (PSI) law which requires them to publish open data . It was also seen as an important component of an efficient e-government. The study further had two objectives: to establish whether the common specifications were being used and how the implementation of the PSI-law was being pursued. Interviews and a literature review were used as data gathering techniques. The Records Continuum Model (RCM) was applied to enhance an understanding of how the agencies were dealing with the publication of open data. Two of the agencies had implemented an e-archive but the third agency lacked one. All the three were publishing open data. The agency that did not have an e-archive was publishing open data that suited its existing information management infrastructure. This has implications since the PSI-law requires full publication of all PSI which has no restrictions. The common specifications were not being used by the agencies. • Lack of an e-archive might compromise full access to the PSI. • The common specifications should be used by the agencies. • The PSI data sets should be managed for long-term re-use since they cost money to package. • Government information flows require collaboration between archivists and those responsible for open-data. • The Records Continuum thinking would facilitate the right packaging of the PSI for re-use.