Executive Summary

The Swiss Federal Archives (BAR) hosted the "DLM Forum Member's Meeting" in Bern on March 24-25, 2026 with 120 experts from archives, administration, research, and technology. The conference titled "Building New Strategies for Digital Archives" addressed challenges of digital transformation for archives and their impact on information management and long-term preservation. Speakers from Switzerland and abroad discussed new opportunities in data access, utilization, and collaboration. The DLM Forum is the European association for archiving and document lifecycle management and standardizes electronic archiving processes at the continental level. Switzerland last hosted the event in 2019.

People

Topics

  • Digital transformation of archives
  • AI and structured data
  • Digital sovereignty
  • European standardization

Clarus Lead

Switzerland is positioning itself as a pioneer in European archiving policy: hosting the DLM Forum signals leadership in standardizing digital archives at the continental level. Central to the debate is digital sovereignty and independent data ecosystems – an issue increasingly critical for administrative digitalization and AI applications. With the Linked Data Service LINDAS, the BAR presents a concrete solution for machine-readable, networked administrative data that serves as a foundation for AI-supported administrative processes.

Detailed Summary

The conference addressed fundamental shifts in archival work through digital transformation: not only technical questions of data storage, but also structural changes in information creation and management. Professor Matthias Stürmer emphasized the importance of independent data ecosystems anchored in Swiss sovereignty – a positioning that underscores national autonomy in digital policy.

Stefan Kwasnitza presented practical solutions from the BAR for complex archiving tasks, particularly long-term preservation of SAP databases. The Linked Data system LINDAS enables administrative data to be uniquely described, interconnected, and prepared in machine-readable form – a prerequisite for digital and AI-supported administrative processes. This infrastructure forms the foundation for automated data processing and intelligent systems in public administration.

The DLM Forum serves as a coordination body for European archiving standards and meets twice yearly. Switzerland uses its membership to shape continental harmonization processes in electronic records management.

Key Statements

  • Digital transformation requires new archiving strategies at the European level
  • Structured, machine-readable data is the foundation for AI-supported administration
  • Digital sovereignty and independent data ecosystems are central to Swiss digital policy

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence: What metrics demonstrate that LINDAS actually measurably improves the efficiency of administrative processes, and are evaluation results available?

  2. Conflicts of Interest: To what extent do manufacturers of archiving software (e.g., SAP integrations) influence BAR strategy development, and how is independence ensured?

  3. Causality: Is it assumed that structured data alone is sufficient for AI applications, or are additional organizational and legal frameworks necessary?

  4. Feasibility: How are smaller archives and administrations supported in migrating to machine-readable data standards, and what costs are involved?

  5. Alternatives: What decentralized or federal approaches to data archiving were considered, and why was the centralized LINDAS model preferred?

  6. Risks: What security and data protection risks arise from networking administrative data in a Linked Data system?

Sources

Primary Source: DLM Forum Member's Meeting: Building New Strategies for Digital Archives – Swiss Federal Archives, 25.03.2026

Verification Status: ✓ 25.03.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-checking: 25.03.2026