Under rådande omständigheter : En kvalitativ undersökning av tre arkivariers upplevelse av Coronapandemins påverkan på kommunal arkivverksamhet

In this case study I research how three archivists at a Swedish municipal experience how the Corona pandemic have affected their work related to providing citizens with access to public records. In the answers from three qualitative interviews with two archivists at the municipal archive and one archivist working in the municipals’ intermediate archive for social services I interpret expressions of flexibility and stability, defined as an ability to adapt to change and usage of existing resources within the organization. The key findings of the study show that the aspect of digitalization, and the already existing digitalized grades, have afforded the archivists' work with some stability. Organizational planning has in turn enabled them a flexible approach to the changes brought by the pandemic. Furthermore, I analyze these findings through the democratic aspect of archives - the right to access public records to gain insight to governmental decisions – and find that some challenges are apparent. But overall, under current circumstances, the effect of the Corona pandemic on the municipals’ archival work with access to public records have been minimal.